In a July post, we discussed why it's so important for unwed fathers in Illinois to establish paternity. Most importantly, a father who is not married to his child's biological mother has no legal parental rights to his child. This means a mother retains sole legal and physical custody and…
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In many cases when parents divorce, decisions related to child custody and visitation are made by a family law judge. Once child custody and visitation orders have been established it is then the responsibility of both parents to follow the orders. Additionally, both parents are responsible for their actions and…
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In recent decades, it's becoming increasingly difficult to define what constitutes as being a traditional American family. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2012, roughly 40 percent of U.S. births were to unmarried women. Whether by choice or not, the fact that there are so…
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We often discuss important matters related to the divorce process like child custody and the division of marital assets. Rarely discussed, however, are the immediate actions an individual should and should not take upon making the decision to divorce. Whether a divorce is precipitated by one major event or a…
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This past weekend, sons and daughters across the Peoria area gathered with their fathers to celebrate Father's Day. There's no doubt that, regardless of a child’s age, fathers play an important and influential role in the lives of their children. While traditionally mothers were considered the primary caregivers and tended…
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Illinois residents may remember actor Jason Patric from the cult classic vampire movie The Lost Boys or as being one of the many men actress Julia Roberts once dated. Today, however, Patric's been making the talk show rounds for a very different reason as he fights to gain parental and…
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Most parents never forget the day their son or daughter enters into world. For many fathers, witnessing or being amongst the first to hold a newborn son or daughter provides an opportunity to bond with a child and an important and positive step towards forging a life-long and positive father…
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The standard presumption for parenting when couples get divorced is a controversial topic. Essentially, emotions run high when parents split up, and there may be instances where a parent may not want to share parenting roles. Moreover, some parents may have a sense of entitlement based on gender roles in…
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It appears that actress Kate Winslet has created a firestorm over comments she made about parenting time in a recent magazine. She was interviewed for the November 2013 issue of Vogue Magazine, and asked about how she reacts to critics of her parenting. She strongly quipped that her children live…
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The holiday season is supposed to be a time for family time and festive activities. For divorcing couples (and people in troubled relationships) it could be a time of frustration and despair, especially if there are children involved. Indeed, parents want to do the best for their children, and expectations…
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Over the past couple of weeks, we have been discussing the impact advanced fertility options have had on family courts in Illinois and the rest of the United States. While fertility options such as in vitro fertilization and surrogacy are allowing people the wonderful opportunity to become parents, they are…
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Last week, we discussed an important issue that family law courts are now dealing with in Illinois and the rest of the country. As in vitro fertilization and other advanced fertility options have become available, they have created a whole new realm for child custody issues. As we discussed, the…
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Like many other states, Illinois is gender neutral when it comes to child custody. That means the mother and the father have equal rights under the law to request child custody. This is surprising to some fathers who think that they have to settle for every other weekend with their…
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A much-overlooked Supreme Court decision this week could impact the child custody rights of fathers and Native Americans in the United States. The justices held that a Native American man could not depend on the federal statute the Indian Child Welfare Act as a defense against the termination of his…
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This Father's Day, a group called Leading Women for Shared Parenting is officially launching its efforts to make equally shared parenting rights a reality in the United States and Canada. But the group already has many members who are drawing attention to the issue, including congresswomen from both parties, lawyers,…
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While Angelina Jolie may have brought the world's attention to the overwhelming need for international adoptions, there are still families here in the United States who realize that there are children here who need homes just as badly. But while domestic adoption is considered to be less volatile because it…
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