Automatic Substitution of Judges: A Closer LookBy Judge Arnold F. Blockman, (ret.)Family Law, July 2024An analysis of the common practice of taking a substitution as of right to the assigned family law judge in a given case.
Practice Pointer: The Issue of Waiver and Maintenance ModificationBy Kathleen KraftFamily Law, July 2024When dealing with modification of maintenance, the crucial and often overlooked consideration is how the parties’ assets and liabilities were allocated within their original settlement documents and the specific language and terms related to such.
Family Law Legislation 2024By Richard ZuckermanFamily Law, June 2024In 2024, the Family Law Section Council reviewed and tracked 64 bills, seven of which made it to the governor's desk for signature.
How DCFS Appeals Can Give Law Students Valuable Litigation ExperienceBy Joe LehmanChild Law, June 2024The rules of the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services allow non-lawyers to appear before administrative law judges. Law students and firms that employ them should capitalize on this allowance to give law students valuable litigation experience.
‘Living in Sin’ Is About to Get a Lot RiskierBy Meighan A. HarmonFamily Law, May 2024House Bill 4404, introduced in January 2024, creates the Uniform Cohabitants’ Economic Remedies Act.
Cases and Issues to WatchBy Raleigh D. KalbfleischFamily Law, April 2024Summaries of cases and issues of interest to family law practitioners.
Don’t Be a ‘Wimpy’ LawyerBy Rory T. WeilerFamily Law, April 2024Advice on how to collect fees from uncooperative clients.
FAIR Is the Four-Letter ‘F-Word’ in DivorceBy L. Steven RakowskiFamily Law, April 2024During a divorce, one way to ensure your client is happier with the outcome is to manage expectations and attitudes.
How DCFS Appeals Can Give Law Students Valuable Litigation ExperienceBy Joe LehmanAdministrative Law, April 2024The rules of the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services allow non-lawyers to appear before administrative law judges. Law students and firms that employ them should capitalize on this allowance to give law students valuable litigation experience.
Order of Protection Against Transphobic Parent UpheldBy Peter SullivanFamily Law, April 2024In its recent opinion in In re A.A. v. Nita A., the appellate court addressed the issue of transphobia within the family and cleared a path for the issuance of orders of protection against a family member who harasses a transgender child for being transgender.
Adjudication vs. ADR in Family Law: In Search of Deeper Dialogue and UnderstandingBy Sandra CrawfordFamily Law, March 2024Conflict resolution practitioners must be able to convey the benefits and drawbacks to different models of conflict resolution since the model a client uses to address disputes can have a profound impact on the process and outcome.
How DCFS Appeals Can Give Law Students Valuable Litigation ExperienceBy Joe LehmanFamily Law, March 2024The rules of the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services allow non-lawyers to appear before administrative law judges. Law students and firms that employ them should capitalize on this allowance to give law students valuable litigation experience.
Navigating the Sale of a Marital Residence During the Pendency of a CaseBy Rebecca Berlin-MelzerFamily Law, February 2024Understanding the various legal options for handling marital property in divorce under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act will help lawyers give clients quality, comprehensive advice.
Beware of AI PitfallsBy Michael StraussFamily Law, January 2024An artificial intelligence-generated article about a non-existent Illinois Supreme Court Rule, which serves as a cautionary tale for attorneys to do their own research and not blindly rely on anything generated by AI.
The Value of a Narrative Response in Family Law CasesBy Judge James A. Shapiro & Adam R. HeusinkveldFamily Law, January 2024The failure of many family law practitioners to appreciate the distinction between pleadings and motions results in the common practice of using the “admit/deny” format in responding to motions.
Constructive Direct Criminal Contempt and Remote ProceedingsBy James HanauerFamily Law, December 2023With remote court proceedings looking like they are here to stay in some fashion with most jurisdictions, it may be important to be able to identify and know the elements and procedures for constructive direct criminal contempt.
A ‘How-to’ on Challenging PaternityBy Staci BalbirerFamily Law, December 2023While you may typically be retained on a parentage matter to establish paternity, it is important to know the steps to take if you are retained to challenge paternity.
The Value of a Narrative Response in Family Law CasesBy Judge James A. Shapiro & Adam R. HeusinkveldBench and Bar, December 2023In domestic relations matters, many practitioners follow practice conventions that defy statutory rules governing pleading in civil matters and forgo the opportunity to educate the court by providing written argument and citation to case law in support of legal positions—most often, this occurs in the context of responding to motions.
Lists of Do’s and Don’ts for ClientsBy Elizabeth WakemanFamily Law, July 2023Two lists to share with clients to make divorce and parenting agreement settlements as cooperative, quick, and inexpensive as possible.
How ‘Resident, Continuing, and Conjugal’ Must It Be?By Ron A. CohenFamily Law, June 2023An analysis of 750 ILCS 5/510(c), which terminates the obligation to pay future maintenance “if the party receiving maintenance cohabits with another person on a resident, continuing, conjugal basis.”
