Research suggests that few life events are as disruptive as divorce, especially when it happens unexpectedly. However, being prepared for divorce - anticipating its beginning and understanding what you can do to help yourself through the process - can make a major difference in terms of how much stress you feel. If you are considering divorce or suspect your spouse may be getting ready to file for divorce, here are five steps you can take to minimize the negative impacts of a divorce on your life. 

Understand Your Financial Situation

Many couples have an implicit or explicit arrangement in which one spouse manages the family’s financial affairs. If you are not the spouse who takes care of the money, do everything you can to learn about the specifics of your family’s financial situation. Find out where your bank accounts are located and what the balances are, how much money you owe on your mortgage, car payments, and other loans, and how much you have saved for retirement. Gathering documentation that proves these things is important as well. 

Consider Where You Will Live

Do you already have a sense of whether you or your spouse will stay in the marital home? If you are going to be the one moving out, where will you go - and how will you afford to stay there? If you may need to spend some time with a family member or friend, try to have a plan for how long your stay will be, how you can help out while you are there, and what you will need to do to get into your own place. 

In 2016, Illinois updated the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA) to better meet the needs of unmarried and divorced couples. The current law altered the language to represent modern parenting styles more accurately. Instead of one parent being the primary custodian and the other parent merely having visitation rights, the law now describes parenting duties as being shared between the parents. Parents who are getting divorced should be sure to understand the new law, as it differs somewhat from laws in surrounding states, both in terminology and function. 

The allocation of parental responsibilities is an important part of the IMDMA. Generally speaking, the term parental responsibilities is used to describe important decision-making capabilities, which are divided into four general categories. Visitation is now called parenting time. Parenting time refers to the time that either parent spends caring for and supervising the child. 

Parental Responsibilities in Illinois

Parental responsibilities refer to a parent’s authority to make child-related decisions. The four primary areas of significant decision-making described in Illinois law are: 

Victims of sexual harassment are often torn about who to tell and where to go for help. Depending on the details of the harassment, you may not know who in your company you should go to or you may even feel uncomfortable speaking to the person you need to speak to. Furthermore, you may not want the person harassing you to get in serious criminal trouble, even if you are intent on getting the harassment to stop. If any of this sounds familiar to you, speak with an Illinois sexual harassment attorney right away. 

Do I Go to the Police About Workplace Sexual Harassment? 

As with most legal questions, the answer is, “It depends.” Certain types of sexual harassment rise to the level of criminal assault and require the intervention of the authorities. Rape and other forms of physical and sexual assault, blackmail, trafficking, and other serious forms of sexual crimes certainly warrant police attention and may result in criminal charges being brought against the accused. 

However, sexual harassment at work is generally far more subtle than outright physical or verbal threats; for example, some of the most common types of sexual harassment include: 

Modern relationships are often complicated, especially when they come to an end. In times past, people rarely got divorced or had children out of wedlock, and when they did, there was a hefty amount of social stigma attached to their actions. Thankfully, we have moved past the era where people, especially women, were severely restricted in their actions and family law systems across the country have been updated to reflect a more accurate reality. 

In Illinois, family law no longer automatically gives preference to the mother in matters like child custody (known as parental responsibilities and parenting time). However, Illinois law about paternity still has facets that are somewhat traditional, including a law that states that if a couple is or was recently married, the husband is presumed to be the legal father of a child, even if the couple gets divorced before that child is born. While for most married couples this is not an issue, for those women who have had to get divorced, dealing with a man who insists he is the father of a child when he is not can be a major problem. If your ex is claiming to be the father of your child, you may need to fight those claims in court with the help of an Illinois family lawyer. 

How Can I Prove a Man is Not My Child’s Father? 

A man who claims to be the father of a child when he is not will have a variety of options available to him, depending on the circumstances. For example, if you were married to a man, became pregnant, and then divorced the man, that man will legally be considered the child’s father. Until you can prove that he is not the child’s father, he may be entitled to parenting time and even parental responsibilities. It is, therefore, important to take action as quickly as possible if you are worried a man may do this to you. 

United States employees in every field have protections that guarantee fair treatment under the law. Some of these laws, such as nondiscrimination laws and sexual harassment protection laws, are federal. Others, such as minimum wage laws, vary from state to state. Illinois has a specific statute that protects hotel room attendants. Hotel workers are not only at risk of harassment and abuse from hotel patrons, but also poor working conditions, especially when they speak limited English or do not have a thorough knowledge of their legal rights. 

Fortunately, if you work at a hotel, motel, or another licensed establishment for temporary occupancy as a room attendant, you do not have to fight to protect your rights by yourself. With the help of an Illinois employment discrimination attorney, you can trust that your rights are respected and protected.