In November, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriages in Illinois. While Illinois previously allowed same-sex couples to participate in civil unions, Senate Bill 0010 now allows them to obtain the legal status marriage provides.

Facebook now boasts over one billion users worldwide, and Twitter hosts more than 50 million tweets per day. In an age where so much information is shared online, and with so many potential ramifications because of that outpouring of information, it is of the utmost importance to maintain some privacy if you are considering filing for divorce.

Family law practitioners often encounter couples who have been living separately for quite some time without either party having started the process of filing for divorce. These long-term informal separations can last for years, but not only do they have no legal basis (only a formal legal separation is recognized in Illinois), they can also have serious financial implications for the parties. While living separately without going through the formal divorce process may seem like a good idea at the time, and may be the “easiest” route for a couple and their family, these long-term …