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630-580-6373630-580-6373Illinois has an extensive network of agencies and departments to aid families seeking child support for children living both in and out of Illinois. To qualify for child support services, a person does NOT have to apply for or receive public assistance—taking advantage of the child support services offered by the state does not fall under the auspices of entitlement programs in any way. 
According to the Department of Healthcare and Family Services Division of Child Support Services, the department is set up to help any family “collect the basic support your family deserves at no cost to you.” This includes (but is not limited to): establishing paternity, locating the non-custodial parent, obtaining or modifying a child support order, deducting support form unemployment insurance benefits, securing medical insurance for the children, and helping to collect past due child support. The department can set up court dates if need be, but hiring a family law attorney is up to the family. According to the Department, the best way to collect past due child support is income withholding. “The division receives daily information about employment from state and federal partners to track newly hired employees within the state.” Other ways that the division can collect support include (but are not limited to): intercepting federal and state income tax refunds and lottery winnings, placing liens on real property, freezing bank accounts, and contacting the Secretary of State to attempt to suspend an Illinois driver’s license. With all these services available to anyone, regardless of income, there’s no reason that any family seeking child support in Illinois shouldn’t be able to get what they deserve. Determining child custody, however, is something that has to be settled in court and is best done with an experienced family law attorney. If you or someone you know requires child support assistance, contact a dedicated Illinois family lawyer today. Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Adoption is a beautiful process in which couples that are having difficulty conceiving their own children can experience raising a child. It is a process that can also be difficult based on the emotions of birthparents and other mitigating factors. On December 28th, Russian President Vladimir Putin made it more difficult for American parents looking to adopt orphans from Russia. This new legislation is expected to have far-reaching circumstances in the United States. Last year, almost one thousand Russian orphans were adopted by American families. While the number has been dropping over the last few years Russia is the third most popular country for Americans to adopt from, behind China and Ethiopia. According to UNICEF, Russia has over 700,000 abandoned children searching for good homes. The law was seen to be a form of retaliation against a law which was signed by Barack Obama on December 14th 2012. That bill was called the Magnitsky Act which was named after a Russian lawyer who exposed the largest tax fraud perpetrated in the history of Russia. It’s America’s attempt to restrict travel and finances for people who are human rights abusers from Russia. While certain families are experiencing the heartbreak of losing their Russian children, there are still kids who need loving homes. If you and your family are considering adopting an addition to your household, then it is important to have the direction of a legal professional. Contact an experienced family law attorney in Wheaton who can assist you with this exciting time in your life.
Taneil Curtis was visiting with one of her children on November 7th. The visit was supervised by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services at a McDonald’s in South Holland. During the visit, Curtis asked the case officer for permission to get a glass of water with her son. That was when she made a daring escape while kidnapping her 21-month-old son. She darted out of the restaurant and into a waiting U-Haul rental truck. After the police were alerted and the investigation began, they found the U-Haul truck abandoned near South Holland. They determined that Kirk Alexander, the boyfriend of Curtis, rented the vehicle. After more than a month of trying to find Curtis, the authorities located her in Memphis, Tennessee. Fortunately, her 21 month-old was also safely found. This is not the first issue that Curtis had with custody of her children. DCFS had taken her custody rights to her three older children due to substantial risk of physical harm. "This is a woman who's having all of her parental rights taken away on all of her other children, for God knows what reasons. She has active warrants out for her arrest. She tries to run over a case worker. The possibilities were limitless on how horrible this thing could have turned out," Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart said of 32-year-old Taneil Curtis. When you plan to divorce, it is important to identify the reasons why a spouse may be unfit for custody. If your spouse has partial custody of your children, it is important to keep them from relocating with your children. Contact an experienced family law attorney in DuPage County who can be your advocate in custody issues.
It is very common for families to delay taking steps of separation slower, or stopping them completely, until after the holiday season is over. For many couples, separation includes worrying about their children being affected by the family breaking apart.
The first few steps are the hardest to take, and many couples hope that time together with their family will provide an opportunity to rethink such big decisions.
Adding to the stress of separation, is the overspending of the season that most people surrender to every year. Financial realities get set aside for a few months. Come January, credit card statements will resurface and the tensions and worries, for those already confused as to how to restructure financially if they separate, resurface as well. Some ideas to take into consideration over the holidays to prepare for the separation include:
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