RSSDecember, 2012 - Chicago Illinois Family Law Blog Archive
Sesame Street Helps Divorcing Parents Help Their Kids
According to a Huffington Post article, more than six million U.S. children were living with divorced parents in 2011. This number is very significant despite the overall decline in the divorce rate. Every year, approximately one million children experience divorce, and one million children may need extra help to get through it.
Scientific study on the effects of divorce on children has shown that children of divorce experience a higher risk of experiencing mental health issues, issues getting along with peers, and school problems, but because these risks are widely known, parents and other adults are in a unique position to help. As support for divorcing parents who want to help their children and children going through divorce, Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization that operates Sesame Street, has developed a new program with basic ideas and strategies to help divorcing parents and children of divorce cope with the changes they are dealing with. This program is called “Little Children Big Challenges: Divorce.” It provides activities online and offline for parents to talk to their kids and address the various challenges and emotions of divorce.
Attorney Jeffrey Knipmeyer Discusses Benefits of Always being Prepared for Trial
Divorce may seem like a clear-cut process. You want a divorce, so you either plan to go through mediation or you go to court, but plans don’t always work out. Experienced divorce attorney Jeffrey Knipmeyer has represented many divorcing clients and recognizes that how you may start your divorce is not necessarily how you’ll end up finishing it. For this reason, it is important to always be prepared to go to trial, even if you start out in mediation.
At Nottage and Ward, our legal team approaches every divorce with a solid pre-trial strategy that will help ensure success in the event that the divorce ends up going to trial. By taking the necessary steps in trial preparation, we make sure we’re never caught off guard. This is important for you too. Just because you and your spouse decide to go through mediation does not mean you shouldn’t collect any and all financial records and retain an attorney to represent your interests. Our attorneys take the following steps to make sure we are always prepared for whatever turn your divorce takes:
Where Negotiation Doesn’t Work, Litigation Might
As an experienced family law attorney with the Illinois law firm Nottage and Ward, Leslie Fineberg has worked with a wide variety of divorcing couples. Some may be able to negotiate a divorce settlement through mediation; some may fight constantly and go straight to litigation; and some actually find advantages to both. The issues surrounding negotiation and litigation can be complicated, but the ultimate goal is the same. You want to finalize your divorce and move on with your life.
Depending on your relationship with the spouse you are planning to divorce, you may find that coming to a divorce agreement will work best one way rather than another. While coming to an agreement yourselves in mediation is always better than having a divorce order decreed by a judge, it is not always possible for constantly feuding couples. But how do you know what will work best for you?
Family Law Attorney Leslie Fineberg Discusses Tips on Preparing for Separation during the Holidays
Knowing that you are heading towards separation or divorce after the holidays can make getting through the holidays more difficult, but the answer is not pretending it’s not going to happen or ignoring the holidays in order to prepare, especially when you have children. As an experienced Illinois family law attorney at Nottage and Ward, Leslie Fineberg encourages families to prepare for what lies ahead but to also remember that the holidays don’t have to be sacrificed, and shouldn’t be if you have children.
The Huffington Post offers some helpful tips for how you and your spouse can prepare for divorce or separation during the holidays:
Illinois May See Conflicting Legislation on the Ballot Regarding Same-Sex Marriage
It did not take long for the inadequacies of the Illinois civil union law to garner support for true equality in the form of same-sex marriage. Now, during the Illinois legislature’s two-week veto session, lawmakers have the opportunity to push a gay marriage bill to be added onto a statewide ballot. According to BallotNews.org, such a push may happen as soon as this week, the first week of December.
Supporters backing the approval of such a bill include state Representative George Harris and Equality Illinois director of public policy, Randy Hannig. Both Harris and Hannig believe that statewide and nationwide support for same-sex marriage has grown in the past two years since the Illinois civil union law passed. In fact, the recent election included four states which supported same-sex ballot issues, such as the legalization of gay marriage and the defeat of measures banning gay marriage. This demonstrates a shift in the nation’s attitudes about same-sex marriage. But a proposal for the legalization of gay marriage is not the only legislation that may end up on the ballot.
The Big Bang Theory Actress Mayim Bialik Announces Divorce from Husband Michael Stone
Mayim Bialik, former Blossom star and actress on the sitcom The Big Bang Theory, announced that she and her husband of nine years, Michael Stone, are getting a divorce, according to The Huffington Post. The couple has two young sons.
There has been a lot of speculation about the reason for the couple’s decision, the most popular of which involves parenting styles. Mayim Bialik is a proponent of attachment parenting, a philosophy centered around forming close bonds with children through near-constant physical contact. The philosophy encourages co-sleeping, carrying babies in slings as opposed to strollers, and prolonged breastfeeding. Bialik even published a book on the subject, but says that the parenting philosophy did not play a role in their decision to divorce. She stated that “relationships are complicated no matter what style of parenting you choose.”
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