Posted on July 15, 2019 in Main

Making the decision to end your marriage is one of the hardest choices a person will ever make. If you are a parent who is considering divorce, your choice is even harder. You not only have to worry about how you and your spouse will manage the split, but also how your children will react to the divorce. Although no one would argue that divorce is challenging for everyone involved, the good news is that a great deal of research has been done about divorce and children. Experts say that there are several things you can do to help your kids deal with your divorce as well actions which you should avoid during this difficult time.

Keep Adult Conversations Away from the Children

If you are like most divorcing individuals, you probably have several points of contention with your soon-to-be-ex-spouse. Understandably, heated arguments with your spouse are bound to happen. Experts say that children overhearing their parents fight can cause them serious emotional and psychological harm. Additionally, experts warn against badmouthing the children's other parent in front of them as this can make kids feel like they have to choose sides.

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 Posted on July 09, 2019 in Kane

Families come in all shapes and sizes. Many children are currently being raised by adoptive parents, single mothers or fathers, siblings, grandparents, or other people who are not their biological parents. If you are a grandparent who wishes to obtain guardianship of your grandchild, you probably have many questions about this legal process. There are a few different ways that grandparents can be granted legal guardianship of their grandchild. In many cases, help from a qualified family law attorney can be a valuable asset for grandparents who are unsure of how to start pursuing guardianship of their grandchild.

Voluntary Relinquishment of Parental Rights

There are many reasons that a grandparent may want to obtain guardianship of their child's child. Sometimes, the biological parents are struggling with personal issues which make them unable to care for their child. Other times, biological parents choose to let grandparents raise their child because they had the child at a very young age. One way that grandparents can take guardianship of a child is if the biological parents voluntarily give up their parental rights. Once the biological parents have relinquished their legal rights to the child, grandparents have an opportunity to adopt the child.

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 Posted on July 05, 2019 in Main

The issue of workplace sexual harassment is no longer a concealed topic. More and more brave victims are coming forward and saying “enough is enough” with regard to the discriminatory and humiliating problem of sexual harassment. However, there are still many myths and misunderstandings surrounding sexual harassment.

If you have experienced any version of sexual harassment at work, you should know that you do not have to tolerate this behavior. Both state and federal laws prohibit employers from retaliating against an employee who makes a sexual harassment complaint. If you make a sexual harassment complaint to a superior and you are fired or otherwise “punished” for speaking up, you may have a valid retaliation claim.

Sexual Harassment is Not Always Easy to Recognize

In television and movies, sexual harassment is usually extremely blatant and obvious. However, real life examples of sexual harassment are not always easy to identify. For example, many people incorrectly assume that sexual harassment only involves unwelcome sexual advances or demands for sexual contact of some kind. However, sexual harassment can also include unfair treatment or derogatory comments or behavior which is directed toward someone because of their gender. A superior who makes disparaging remarks about men or women could be guilty of sexual harassment even if the comments were not actually sexual in nature.

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 Posted on July 01, 2019 in Main

In Illinois, divorcing parents who wish to share parental responsibilities and parenting time of their children must draft a document called a Parental Allocation Agreement or parenting plan. This agreement describes the official allocation of parental responsibilities, formerly called custody, and parenting time, formerly called visitation, between the two parents.

Typically, parenting agreements also contain information about how the child will be raised, how major decisions about the child's life will be made, and provisions regarding any future proposed changes to the shared parenting arrangement. All Illinois parenting agreements must include a provision describing how “the right of first refusal” will apply to the parents. Read on to learn about this important provision as well as how the right of first refusal can affect the way you share parenting time of your child after an Illinois divorce.

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 Posted on June 29, 2019 in Kane

When a woman gives birth to a child, there is obviously no question as to the biological relationship between the baby and the mother. However, this is not always the case with the father of the baby. When a woman is married, her husband is assumed to be the biological father of a child she gives birth to. In such a case, the father does not need to do anything to establish the legal rights and responsibilities that come with being a parent. However, the same is not true for unmarried fathers. You will need to first establish paternity.

Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity 

If a couple who is not married has a child together, they have several options for establishing paternity. The easiest way to establish paternity is by signing a voluntary acknowledgement of paternity (VAP) document. These forms are often available at the hospital and can be signed by both parents shortly after their baby is born. VAP forms are also available at your local county clerk, the Department of Health and Family Services, and at Child Support Services. A VAP form should only be used when the parents are certain as to the paternity of the child. If you are not certain as to the biological relationship between your child and his or her possible father, you should not sign a VAP form.

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 Posted on June 21, 2019 in Main

Everyone deserves to work in a place that they feel safe and respected. Unfortunately, sexual harassment continues to be an issue in workplaces in Illinois as well as across the country. Sexual harassment is a type of employment discrimination protected against by state and federal law.

The two main types of sexual harassment are quid pro quo harassment and hostile work environment harassment. Just as the name implies, hostile work environment harassment occurs when sexual or gender-related comments and behaviors become so intolerable, it makes an employee unable to do his or her job. However, it can be difficult to know exactly what types of actions constitute hostile work environment sexual harassment.

Examples of Hostile Work Environment Sexual Harassment

There are nearly countless actions which could be considered sexual harassment. Sometimes hostile work environment sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual or romantic advances. For example, if a person's coworker constantly asks him or her on dates or makes comments like, “When are you going to finally go out with me?” this could potentially be harassment. Unwanted physical contact can also be considered sexual harassment. Employees who do not wish to be touched, hugged, or receive shoulder rubs or other physical contact should have the right to be free from such touching at work. Repeated inappropriate jokes or comments about a person's body, sexuality, sexual orientation, or gender can also constitute sexual harassment.

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 Posted on June 18, 2019 in Main

In Illinois, when a married couple has a baby, the husband of the woman who gave birth to the child is presumed to be the father of that child. However, when an unmarried couple has a child together, this presumption is not made. The process through which an unmarried father becomes the legal parent of a child is called “establishing paternity” or establishing parentage. If you wish to establish paternity of your child in Illinois, read on to learn how.

Benefits of Establishing Paternity

There are a multitude of benefits to establishing paternity. A father who has become the legal parent of his child gains the right to pursue parenting time, or visitation, with the child and develop a loving parent-child relationship. In some situations, the father may also be able to obtain legal custody or parental responsibilities of the child. While courts rarely take custody or parental responsibilities away from an established parent unless that parent has shown to be abusive, neglectful, or otherwise unfit to parent, a legal father could start by asking for a share of the parenting responsibilities.

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 Posted on June 11, 2019 in Kane

Understandably, divorcing couples rarely see eye-to-eye on every subject. They may agree about who should have the majority of parental responsibility but disagree about whether or not to sell the house. Alternatively, they may agree on issues of property division and spousal support but disagree on how they will share custody of their children. Some couples disagree about nearly every aspect of their divorce. When divorcing spouses need help coming to an agreement about divorce issues, mediation can be a valuable tool. Through family mediation, divorcing spouses have a chance to make their thoughts and concerns heard while working toward a solution on divorce issues. Read on to learn about the mediation process in Illinois and how you may benefit from mediation.

Identifying Divorce Issues and Deciding on Mediation Objectives

While every mediator is different, the mediation process generally begins with the mediator organizing a joint meeting with both spouses and explains his or her role in the mediation process, goes over the general procedures for mediation, and reminds the parties that what is said during mediation is confidential. The spouses will then have an opportunity to voice their concerns related to the divorce and discuss their goals for mediation. The mediator will help facilitate a productive discussion between the spouses in order to identify potential solutions.

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 Posted on June 07, 2019 in Main

For many of us, our career is more than just a paycheck. It is also what gives us purpose and helps us grow as a person. When you have worked hard to get a certain job, you may be willing to do almost anything to keep it. Unfortunately, some employers take advantage of this and attempt to gain sexual favors from their employees. To be clear, asking an employee for sexual contact in exchange for workplace benefits is illegal sexual harassment. If you have faced this situation, you should know that you are not alone and that there are resources to help you.

Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment

The two main types of sexual harassment under the law are hostile work environment harassment and quid pro quo harassment. Quid pro quo is a Latin term which means “this for that.” Quid pro quo harassment occurs when an employer, boss, or supervisor attempts to trade sexual contact for work benefits. This type of harassment can happen when an employer makes sexual activity with a prospective employee a requirement for getting the job or it can happen when a current employee is solicited by a superior.

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 Posted on June 03, 2019 in Main

Getting divorced is unlike other break-ups. Not only do couples have to deal with the emotional consequences of ending a marriage, they must also deal with the legal and financial ramifications of getting divorced. There is no way to completely avoid all negative economic consequences during divorce, but there are a few things you can do to help minimize these consequences.

One of the best ways to protect your rights and safeguard your finances during divorce is to get help from a qualified Illinois divorce lawyer. Additionally, experts have other pieces of wisdom which can help you avoid the most common financial pitfalls during divorce.

Mistake 1: Being Unaware of Your Family's Finances

In many marriages, one person does the majority of the financial planning. If you are getting divorced and are not up-to-date regarding your financial scenario, you can easily be taken advantage of. If you are considering divorce, it is a good idea to gather certain documents now, instead of waiting until you need those documents. Unfortunately, divorce can sometimes bring out the worse in people and your ex may be unwilling or unable to provide these items in the future.

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