Family Law

Deciding to get a divorce is not an easy choice to make. It can split up families, cause stress, and lead to financial losses. It is even more difficult to decide to get a divorce from an abusive spouse, even when that abuse is not physical. It can be hard to take your own emotional…

While infidelity can ruin a relationship in an instant, it can be an especially charged situation when a child is involved. One particular case that has recently gone viral is a woman who found her child’s father was cheating on her while she was in labor. The woman on TikTok describes how her boyfriend at…

While times have changed over the decades and women do more than just give birth and raise children, finances can look a bit differently in marriages. There are now two breadwinners and when a woman is pregnant, she will have to take time off of work, which means there is one less income for the…

Even with constant fighting and sleepless nights, married couples often avoid “the D-word.”. After all, the idea behind marriage is till death do you part, a final commitment to another person to stay with them through the good and bad, so it is common for people to feel like a divorce is a failure of…

Winning the lottery is a dream many of us share, and for good reason! We fantasize about receiving enough money to not only pay off all debts, bills, and mortgages, but to live glamorously and luxuriously as well. How many times on a Monday morning have you imagined scratching that winning ticket and leaving your…

A recent post on the online forum Reddit highlighted a rare, but fascinating, legal and personal conundrum for one father. The anonymous dad – we can call him “Joe” – posted on Reddit asking for advice after his ex-girlfriend “Jane” contacted him after years of no contact to inform him he was not only the…

Custody and support issues can be complicated to sort out in any typical divorce. When you and your spouse have a child with special needs, however, these matters become even more complex. Who makes decisions about visitation, healthcare, and education? Does one parent have more resources to care for the child? Is the child physically…

During a separation or divorce when children are involved, parents determine a custody agreement. Sometimes they figure out that arrangement together, and sometimes the court develops that arrangement for them. Either way, that custody agreement is always made in the best interests of the child. We know that parents who do not cooperate with child…

When a friend is going through a divorce, it can be hard to watch. Not only is it often a stressful time, but an expensive one. They’re dealing with a separation of their spouse and possibly their children, depending on who gets custody. It may be difficult to know exactly how to show your support…

Getting a divorce is a stressful time in anyone’s life, even when you’re on good terms with the person from which you’re separating. There’s the hassle of dividing assets, of finding a new home, dealing with child custody, not to mention the legal fees of going to court. However, there is an alternate way of…

It’s no secret that there are vast differences between Millennials and Baby Boomers. Everything from style to opinions to where they eat for brunch vary a great deal. It might be expected that the way Millennials date, marry, and divorce are very different from Boomers as well; but why? Is it because Millennials are as…

When we’re getting married, especially when we’re deeply in love, we might not think that a premarital agreement is necessary. We cannot imagine we might one day not be in love with this person we’re marrying – that we might wish to separate or divorce them. Unfortunately, that’s the truth of the matter for many…

You may be a divorcee that shares custody of your children with your spouse. Even though the divorce has been difficult at times, you and your ex-spouse have done a great job putting the children’s needs first, and both of you have borne the financial burdens with equanimity and equality. However, with the current pandemic,…

Usually, when people hear about a couple deciding to divorce, they react from a place of sympathy. Regardless of whether the couple’s family and friends were supportive of the marriage or not, no one wants to hear that a couple has decided to divorce. However, when we hear certain aspects of, say, a celebrity couple’s…

There was a time in American society where blended families were rare. Today, blended families are the norm for many. Divorced parents and their new partners are becoming accustomed to stepparent roles and responsibilities. New stepparents are learning their roles in matters such as their stepchild’s medical history, educational goals, and discipline. When it comes…

The divorce process consists of many difficult choices. In addition to the division of marital assets, one of the most difficult decisions revolves around child custody agreements. Establishing which spouse should receive custody of the children and which spouse is responsible for paying child support are sources of tension for many parents. As difficult as…

Even during a day and age where half of the marriages are expected to end in divorce, there are still some outdated and antiquated views about premarital (sometimes called “prenuptial”) agreements. Some couples feel that even requesting a premarital agreement is a sign that the marriage will not last. Even if you fear your partner’s…

Maybe it starts on a smaller level. A wife may notice her husband has had too much to drink at a party, and she makes excuses for her husband’s erratic behavior. The next week, the same situation repeats itself. Within six months, the wife becomes accustomed to seeing her husband in a drunken state more…

Not every divorce ends in a contentious battle to the emotional and financial death. For some couples the decision to go their separate ways, at least legally, can be a very difficult decision to make. When you think about a couple weighing the pros and cons to divorcing, you might picture them talking about their…

Many couples, even ones whose divorce is relatively amicable, may have a moment (or ten) where they briefly wonder, How can I get even with my soon-to-be ex-spouse? For some, though, it is more than a passing thought. It becomes a way of life to see how much trouble they can throw into the life…

You are out for drinks with friends or just walking down the block from work to pick up lunch, but you make eye contact, exchange smiles and feel an instant spark with a total stranger. There is just no getting around the fact that the first thing that attracts two people to one another is…

On August 10, an Illinois judge barred Rebecca Firlit from seeing her 11-year-old son because she is not vaccinated against COVID-19. After being met with a barrage of commentary and outcry online, however, Cook County Judge James Shapiro abruptly and with little explanation reversed his order on August 30th. Many experts claim Judge Shapiro greatly…

The name Jennifer Wilbanks may not be recognizable to many people, but we bet her moniker of “The Runaway Bride” is. Wilbanks was given the nickname after she made the decision not to show up at her own wedding in April of 2005. Although she initially claimed to have been kidnapped and sexually assaulted by…

There is nothing better than a high-profile custody case to put things into perspective. Most of us read the headlines of superstars fighting over their children and property and cannot believe what we have just read. The amount of time and money that gets thrown into a contentious case can leave you questioning why it…

Since 2015, it has been legal in every state for LGBTQ+ individuals to marry. Gay and lesbian couples, however, often face unique issues and concerns that opposite-sex couples do not. These concerns can make the divorce process more challenging, especially when it comes to child custody and support. At Epperson Law Group, we believe that…