Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Inside a Secret-Until-Now Celebrity Separation – Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s 7-Year Separation
This year already has presented the Chicago public with a number of celebrity divorces. From Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez, to Britany Spears and Sam Asghari, and to the most recent split between Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas, celebrity divorce news has been in the media cycle throughout most of 2023. However, something less… Read More »
Canadian Judge Rules Child Not Required to Return to Father in U.S. after Mother’s Abduction to Canada, Finds Hague Convention Exception Applies
A Canadian court issued a perhaps surprising ruling this year that demonstrates the complexities of the Hague Convention and the exceptions under the law for the return of a child to the child’s home country after being abducted by a non-custodial parent. In the case of Harley v. Harley, filed in the Ontario Superior… Read More »
Are You Curious about Your Entitlement to Alimony Payments in Your Separation in Chicago? If You were Never Married, Here’s What You Should Know
Most Chicagoans are fairly familiar with the process of divorce in Illinois. Under Illinois marriage and family laws, a married couple that no longer wishes to be married can file a petition for dissolution of marriage in Chicago, and go through the court process to hammer out all of the various issues in a… Read More »
Divorce vs. Separation: 3 Potentially Surprising Differences When It Comes to Splitting Up
In Chicago, most people know the basics of the legal divorce process: a couple who was married and who no longer wants to be married files a case in court in order to legally “dissolve” the marriage. What is likely less well-known, however, among Chicagoans, is the difference between the legal divorce process and… Read More »
Unmarried with Children: Why an Unmarried Parent may Owe Child Support Payments in Chicago after a Separation
Often some of the most controversial issues that come up in Chicago divorce cases are the matters of child custody and child support. Under Chicago marriage and family laws, when a married couple gets divorced, and children were born or adopted in the marriage, child custody will be determined during the divorce proceedings. This… Read More »
Think “Common Law Marriage” Laws Apply to Your Separation without Being Married in Chicago? Think Again
Most Chicagoans have likely heard the term “common law marriage.” However, perhaps fewer Chicago residents know whether common law marriage applies to them if they are separating from their significant other or partner. In order to help Chicago couples better understand the concept of a “common law marriage” and whether “common law marriage” laws… Read More »
For the Love of the Game: Three Things to Consider when Co-Parenting a Child Athlete after a Chicago Divorce
Let’s face it: some parents love sports, encourage sports, and maybe even live a little vicariously through their child’s young sports career, while some parents simply find kids’ sports to be expensive, dangerous, and potentially a distraction from core educational subjects. Whatever type of parent an individual may be, there is no doubt that… Read More »
We Want a Chicago Divorce but We Don’t Want to Fight it Out in Court. Am I Permitted to “Settle” My Chicago Divorce Out of Court?
Most Chicago residents likely associate the Chicago divorce process with emotional and financial stress and strain, a long, drawn-out court battle, and arguing between soon-to-be ex-spouses. The truth of the matter is, however, that a divorce does not have to be what we all are familiar with from television shows and movies – an… Read More »
Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, their Children, and the Hague Convention: What Does it All Mean?
By now, news of Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner and Jonas Brothers boy band member Joe Jonas’ recent divorce filing has peppered online newsfeeds and social media timelines. However, the beginning of the end of the 4-year marriage between the two young A-listers is not only making headlines because of the shock of… Read More »
Monasky vs. Taglieri: Supreme Court Rules Against American Mother Claiming Abuse, Hague Convention Violations Against Daughter’s Italian Father
Almost nothing could likely be worse for a parent than the prospect of parting ways from their young child by thousands of miles and vast seas. Indeed, for probably almost all parents, the idea of needing to hop aboard a plane just to see their own child is petrifying – a nightmare to say… Read More »
