Your Virtual Illinois Divorce Attorney

Posted by Erin Birt | Dec 09, 2015 | 0 Comments

One often-overlooked challenge of divorce planning is time. In addition to regular life activities, divorcing couples must also research information, complete a variety of documents, meet with their attorneys, and attend any number of court proceedings. Important and necessary as they are, these...

New Illinois Parentage Laws In 2016

Posted by Erin Birt | Dec 03, 2015 | 0 Comments

Among the specific changes being made to Illinois divorce laws in 2016 are new statues around parentage rights. Key changes in the New Illinois Parentage Laws in 2016 are as follows: New Illinois Parentage Laws NEW PARENTAGE ACT – The Parentage Act of 2015 goes into effect on January 1, 2016, a...

New Grounds For Illinois Divorce

Posted by Erin Birt | Nov 10, 2015 | 0 Comments

As of January 1, 2016, Illinois will be streamlining the specific grounds one can use to plead for divorce. This won't negate the valid reasons that bring couples to divorce planning, only the way in which a divorce attorney can present them in court. OLD ILLINOIS DIVORCE GROUNDS At this point...

Illinois Divorce Act Benefits Children

Posted by Erin Birt | Nov 06, 2015 | 0 Comments

Illinois couples with children who are planning a divorce now or in the near future should note that Illinois divorce laws will change on January 1, 2016. The new Illinois Divorce Act will likely have a significant impact on how your divorce is ultimately resolved. Learn in this post how the new ...

Illinois Divorce And Your 401(k) Plan

Posted by Erin Birt | Oct 28, 2015 | 0 Comments

Although it seems unfair, your personal 401(k) retirement plan is considered marital property and, as such, is subject to the same rules as other marital possessions in a divorce. A recent article by Jerry Shaw on NewsMax.com offered advice on how to ensure this asset is shared equitably between ...

Advice On Divorce From Those Who Know

Posted by Erin Birt | Oct 09, 2015 | 0 Comments

The HuffPost Divorce page recently presented advice from readers/bloggers on how they made their divorce process and co-parenting situations a bit easier to handle. These are all fairly simple suggestions, yet they can create amazingly beneficial results. This post will reveal the best advice on ...

Helping Adult Children Accept Your Divorce

Posted by Erin Birt | Sep 29, 2015 | 0 Comments

Although you're not dealing with child custody and visitation issues, a divorce can be just as or even more difficult for grown children than for younger ones. The good news is that there are a few more ways for helping adult children accept your divorce and move on.  This post will provide tips ...

Teaming Legal and Mediation Services In Your Divorce

Posted by Erin Birt | Aug 25, 2015 | 0 Comments

To get through your divorce with the best concessions in place, hiring a lawyer is always a good idea. To reach those concessions through effective communication and negotiation versus anger and conflict, hiring a lawyer such as a Mediation Consulting Attorney will help you determine those best c...

Is Divorce Truly The Best Solution?

Posted by Erin Birt | Jul 30, 2015 | 0 Comments

If divorce has been put on the table by you or your spouse, stop and consider one very important thing: Are you truly ready for all the emotional and legal issues that come with divorce planning? Is divorce truly the best solution? This idea is explored in a recent article on Mediate.com titled ...

More Effective Illinois Divorce Options

Posted by Erin Birt | Jul 10, 2015 | 0 Comments

Anyone dealing with legal issues, divorce in particular, deserves to have all the information necessary to make the best possible decisions. This can be tricky if you're not a legal professional or can't afford one to help you, but a new Illinois policy will help change this for the better. This ...

Redefining Joint Custody in Illinois

Posted by Erin Birt | Jun 23, 2015 | 0 Comments

The recent Illinois Appeals Court case In re Marriage of Perez shows that the courts now favor a decision of joint custody (often without naming a custodial parent) for minor children in divorce cases.  Yet this is not always the best outcome for the children, writes Champaign County Circuit Judg...

Handling Alcohol Abuse In Divorce Mediation

Posted by Erin Birt | Jun 18, 2015 | 0 Comments

For divorcing families, the mediation process can be extremely helpful but also quite stressful. If anyone in the family struggles with alcohol abuse, they may manage their anxiety by coming to sessions under the influence–making the process more challenging for the mediator as well as the partic...

A Better Father’s Day For Divorced Dads

Posted by Erin Birt | Jun 10, 2015 | 0 Comments

Father's Day for divorced dads can be anything from bittersweet to devastatingly sad, depending on child custody and visitation decisions. According to a recent article on the website Divorce360, “Depression for men is more closely tied to the loss of children than it is to the loss of the marria...

Illinois Family Law Case Summaries

Posted by Erin Birt | Jun 01, 2015 | 0 Comments

Here are summaries of two recent family law cases from the Appellate Court of Illinois. PAYMENT OF OVERDUE CHILD SUPPORT – In re Marriage of Rocha When this couple divorced in 1998, the husband was ordered to pay child support of $150 per week. In 2001, three years after the initial “Judgment...

What Your Kids Want To Say About Your Divorce

Posted by Erin Birt | May 27, 2015 | 0 Comments

In a recent Huffington Post article, 12 Things Kids Think About Divorce But Are Too Afraid To Say, family therapist Tara Kennedy-Kline outlines what your kids probably want to tell you about the divorce, “but don't have the world experience to say directly.” She developed this list after counseli...

Reinstating An Illinois Driver’s License

Posted by Erin Birt | May 15, 2015 | 0 Comments

While the law firm often focuses on divorce and family matters, it also provides services relating to reinstating driving privileges. In Illinois, a DUI offense–driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs–can result in a restricted driving permit or revocation of your driver's license. In som...

Create A Workable Post-Divorce Parenting Schedule

Posted by Erin Birt | May 04, 2015 | 0 Comments

Being a parent is often challenging; parenting after a divorce can be even more so for both custodial and non-custodial parents. Creating the right parenting schedule can make this very difficult situation that much easier. From a recent article on the site SinceMyDivorce.com, here are some tips ...

DuPage County Legal Resources

Posted by Erin Birt | Apr 20, 2015 | 0 Comments

For lawyers and non-lawyers alike who live in DuPage County, Illinois, the DuPage County Bar Association (DCBA) is a valuable resource offering educational seminars, community service programs and even social functions to bring people together. HISTORY AND MISSION STATEMENT The DCBA was charter...

A Positive Outlook For Divorce Mediation Services

Posted by Erin Birt | Apr 03, 2015 | 0 Comments

Mediation has become a successful tool for settling family law cases such as divorce or child custody. It's actually just one part of a broad range of processes known as Family Dispute Resolution or FDR. There is a positive outlook for Illinois Divorce Mediation Services. Over the last 25 years,...

Recent Illinois Family Law Decisions

Posted by Erin Birt | Mar 27, 2015 | 0 Comments

In an on-going effort to share helpful information for anyone currently or previously involved in Illinois divorce proceedings, here are summaries of two recent cases from the Appellate Court of Illinois concerning paternity and a Motion Regarding Finding No Paternity. REMOVAL OF A CHILD FROM IL...

3 Reasons To Use Mediation In An Unwanted Divorce

Posted by Erin Birt | Mar 20, 2015 | 0 Comments

There are many reasons why it happens, but sometimes a spouse chooses to end a marriage with little or no warning to their significant other. For the unsuspecting party who didn't see it coming, this sudden life change can leave that person shocked, angry and depressed–often meaning they have no ...

How Social Media Can Impact Your Illinois Divorce

Posted by Erin Birt | Mar 13, 2015 | 0 Comments

Social media (Facebook, Twitter, texting and more) has become a favorite way for people to share information about their lives in real time.  However, if you're involved in a divorce and/or child custody case, what you post or text can have a huge effect on the ultimate outcome, and you need to b...

Child Custody And Visitation For Parents In Different States

Posted by Erin Birt | Mar 06, 2015 | 0 Comments

Today's mobile society often creates difficult decisions for divorced parents and their children, particularly when a parent needs to move out of the state where the children reside. Last October, I wrote a blog about the importance and value of collaborative divorce for couples with children, wh...

Making Divorce Mediation More Effective

Posted by Erin Birt | Feb 25, 2015 | 0 Comments

Many people believe that a divorce mediator will resolve the issues that are stalling their Illinois divorce process. However, successful divorce mediation results from the commitment and involvement of the parties involved in the divorce, not the mediator alone.  A recent article by Sandra Crawf...

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Family Centered Divorce ∙ Mediation ∙ Co-Parenting

Birt Family Law is the family centered law and mediation practice with a focus on restorative divorce; offering creative and supportive legal and mediation solutions with one goal: keeping the separating family out of court and working together towards a peaceful resolution.

We offer multiple options to achieve this goal including mediation, coaching, co-parenting strategies, and restorative divorce services. 

Are we the right fit for you?

Birt Family Law is committed to keeping the separating family out of court and working together towards a peaceful resolution.

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