Divorce and Alimony in Illinois

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Are you preparing to go through a divorce? While the process can be difficult, you do not have to go through your divorce alone. Contact the Law Office of David A. King, P.C. to receive professional and reliable assistance.

When going through a divorce, you should remember that you or your ex-spouse might qualify for alimony. What is alimony? Spousal support or alimony is when one spouse is ordered to give their ex-spouse financial help. In other words, if your ex-spouse successfully applies for alimony, you will be ordered to give your ex-spouse a certain amount of money to help support them financially.

How do you qualify for alimony? Well, there are many ways to qualify for spousal support. The Law Office of David A. King brings up two ways in which people typically qualify for alimony in Illinois. For one, you and your ex-spouse can come to prenuptial or postnuptial agreement. When coming to an agreement, hiring an experienced attorney is suggested so that the agreement has a better chance of being approved in court.

For more information, you may visit How Do I Know If I’m Entitled to Receive Alimony in Illinois?

Restraining Orders vs. Orders of Protection in Illinois

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What do you think of when you think about restraining orders? It is common to assume that restraining orders are just used to keep someone one away; however, restraining orders can be used for a lot of things. The Law Office of David A. King, P.C. discusses the various ways that both restraining orders and orders of protection can be used.

In Illinois a restraining order can be used broadly. A civil court can enforce someone to do something or they can enforce someone not to do something. The Law Office of David A. King explains how restraining orders are common to see during divorces rather than abuse cases. In fact, orders of protection are more related to abuse cases.

An order of protection is very specific compared to a restraining order. Orders of protection can be used to keep someone safe in their own home. If someone is being abused by a member of their household, they can visit an Illinois court to get an order of protection. Furthermore, orders of protection can be broken down into three types: emergency orders of protection, interim orders of protection, and plenary orders of protection.

To learn more about orders of protection and restraining orders, you may visit The Difference Between a Restraining Order and Order of Protection.

Reasons to Hire a Tax Attorney for a Divorce

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What are some problems that come to mind when you think of a divorce? If you are going through a divorce, you should consider hiring a tax attorney to help you with any tax related issues you may come across. The Law Office of David A. King P.C. explains how tax attorneys can help you secure a fair settlement.

First of all, have you considered how you will file your taxes after your divorce? You will no longer be allowed to file a joint tax form. You will have to fill out an individual tax form. By switching tax forms, you will most likely lose benefits and be charged additional costs.

Other than yearly taxes, you would also have to deal with the division of your marital property. There are two ways you can divide property, liquid assets and non-liquid assets. Liquid assets can be turned into cash easily. On the other hand, non-liquid assets can take several months or years to be converted into cash. Non-liquid assets usually have a tax fee once they are transferred, and you will have to deal with those expenses. To receive help with tax related issues, it is important to get a tax attorney on your side.

To read the entire blog, you may visit Why You Need a Tax Attorney When Going Through a Divorce.

Dealing with False Accusations During a Child Custody Case

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Child custody cases can be complicated. You could find yourself being accused of something you did not do. The Law Office of David A. King P.C. discusses what you should do if you ever find yourself being falsely accused during your child’s custody case.

The Law Office of David A. King starts off by saying that evidence is important. Without evidence it is more difficult to prove that the false accusation is a lie. Thus, it is important to keep track of things that you do with your child. For instance, let us say that you made a schedule with your ex-spouse. The schedule says who picks up the child from school during what days. Every time you pick up your child from school, you should keep track of the date and time in a notebook. If you write down the day you pick up your child and get a teacher or counselor to sign off as well, then you would have proof that you were there. With that notebook, you would have actual evidence in court to prove that you are fulfilling your part of the compromise that you and your ex-spouse agreed to.

To read the whole blog, you may visit How to Defend Yourself Against False Accusations During a Child Custody Case.

Going Through a Divorce Without Many Court Visits

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Court is usually the first thing that comes to mind when someone thinks about divorce. Though many divorces go through trials, it is not the only way to deal with the situation. The Law Office of David A. King P.C. emphasizes the fact that you and your spouse can settle some divorce issues outside of court.

Have you heard of a Marital Settlement Agreement? The Law Office of David A. King says that when both parties come to an agreement of terms, they come to a Marital Settlement Agreement. The agreement breaks down all the issues that the two parties have talked about. For example, some common issues brought up during a divorce include child support, and the division of property. Once everything is said and done, you and your spouse can present your Marital Settlement Agreement to the court. The process of presenting the agreement is known as a “Prove Up” hearing.

Rather than spending more time and money going through multiple trials, try settling things with your spouse first. Sometimes sitting down and having a one on one discussion about the important issues is better than going back and forth through lawyers. However, if the issues do not manage to get resolved in a couple of one on one meetings, you can always rely on support from the Law Office of David A. King.

To read the whole blog, visit How to Forgo a Trial When Getting a Divorce.

Assets and Debt in a Divorce

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Dividing property in a divorce takes a lot of time and patience. Both parties need to voice their opinions and come to some sort of agreement. The Law Office of David A. King P.C. emphasizes the importance of creating a list when discussing the division of property.

The list should consist of both your assets and your debts. Assets can range from a variety of things. Some examples of assets range from land, life insurance policies, and credit cards. As long as an item can be associated with a cash value, it can be argued to be an asset. Once you list all your assets, you can list your debts. The debts you list can be from your marriage or from the divorce process. The Law Office of David A. King brings up how auto loans, student loans, and personal loans should be included in your list.

After going through all your assets and debts, you should sit down with your ex-spouse and discuss the divison of property. If you both create a list, then everything will be out in the open. Both of you will be able to see what is being divided and going through the lists will help keep order.

To read the full blog, visit The Importance of Listing Assets and Debts in Your Divorce.

5 Suggestions to Make Co-Parenting Possible

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When people think of co-parenting, they usually think of the struggles that come along with the matter. While co-parenting is not easy, there are steps that parents can take to make the situation more manageable. The Law Office of David A. King, P.C. has 5 tips to effectively co-parent.

It is important that parents communicate when co-parenting. Without communication, there are various ways in which co-parenting can become more problematic. To get started, both parents need to discuss a plan. The plan will revolve around their child(ren). No plan is the same, but there is some common ground that many plans seem to share. For one, it is good to talk about what your children can do and what they are not allowed to do. If one parent allows the child to do something while the other does not, the child can be confused, and conflicts might arise.

The way parents communicate is also important. Though it is easier to send a text or email, there is a greater chance for a misunderstanding to develop. With text, the reader can misinterpret the message or read the message in a negative tone. If the parents meet face to face or call each other, the possibilities for misunderstanding decrease tremendously. However, if there are some misunderstandings, it is best to work through the issues for the sake of the child and to keep peace.

For more information, visit 5 Ways to Effectively Co-Parent.

The Division of Property in a Divorce

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Going through a divorce is never simple. There are a variety of factors that must be taken into consideration when separating from a spouse. One of the biggest challenges that people come across, is separating their property. The Law Office of David A. King, P.C. explains how you can go about dividing your personal and marital property.

During a divorce, property can be divided into two categories. You can have items that are considered personal property and other items that are labeled as marital property. Depending on where you live, the division of assets is different. Illinois is an “equitable division” state, meaning, marital property during a divorce does not have to be split evenly. You also have the flexibility to come up with a property settlement agreement with the other person involved. By law, the agreement between you and the other person will be respected.

Furthermore, you do not have to consider all your items when dividing property. The assets you consider to be personal property are yours. The Law Office of David A. King, P.C offers some suggestions for figuring out what items are personal property. If you were given the item as a gift or if it came into your possession before marriage, the item would be your personal property.

For more information, you may visit Determining Who Gets What in a Divorce – How to Divide Personal Property.