The term “pre-nup” is part of pop culture’s nomenclature. We hear about it on television, we hear about celebrities and athletes entering into pre-nuptial agreements, and we hear about it in music. However, how does a pre-nuptial or premarital agreement actually work, and what is the legal reason people actually enter into pre-nuptial agreements? Pre-nuptial…
In 2017 millions of people invested in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Millions of people also got divorced. Therefore, several Bitcoin owners got divorced and had to address the division of their marital assets…which included this new and strange asset which is difficult to verify and difficult to value. Chicago is where the world’s commodities get…
Jewelry is a peculiar asset: it’s value has to be estimated and it can often “disappear”. Most all, it is usually a gift. In Illinois, the first step is determining whether the jewelry is marital property or not. Section 750 ILCS 5/503(a) of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act defines marital property as…
My first advice to any potential client is that you have to take care of yourself first. Take care of your physical, mental and emotional health. Most often this means moving out and away from your ex. Nothing good will happen while you live with your ex. I encourage clients to pay for a deposit…
In 12 years of practicing family law in Chicago, Illinois I’ve found that parties almost always separate and begin pursuing separate lives before they even file for divorce. Often, the parties will then believe that a “line in the sand” has been drawn where their earnings are no longer the property of their spouse as…
