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Illinois
Family and Divorce Law Links
The Gitlin
Law Firm, P.C., Woodstock, Illinois © 2008
www.gitlinlawfirm.com
Introduction:
American
Bar Association Section of Family Law Civility Standards These
standards are not mandated for Illinois family lawyers. They should
be.
Legal
Organizations:
Research
of Illinois Opinions, Compiled Statutes, Legislation:
Illinois
Case Law:
Illinois
Statutory Law:
Web Sites
for Regional Circuit Courts
Pension
Valuation, QDROs, QILDROs and QMSCOs:
- Web Sites of Use in Determining Mortality
- Edmund's
Used Cars
-
Kelley Blue Book, Used Car Values
[This site is broken down into used car retail prices (values
expected when shopping for a used car from a dealer) and private party
prices (values expected when purchasing a used car from another consumer).]
- This is an online tool which should not be mistaken for a professional
valuation. The information that is helpful in this site is providing
information regarding the value of houses in the area -- which might
be useful for determining "comps." Comps are comparable
sales. Again, do not use this tool as a substitute for obtaining
a professional appraisal of a house.
Social
Security
Business
Valuation Sites:
Web
Search Engines
The two search engines
that I use are listed below:
Lawyer
Search:
Martindale-Hubble Lawyer Locator: By Name: www.martindale.com
It is somewhat more difficult to search for this site for peer
reviewed lawyers with the top rating being an A-V peer review rating.
Leading Lawyer Network: http://www.leadinglawyers.com/
Super
Lawyers: The selection
process in this web site states, "Law & Politics performs
the polling, research and selection of Super Lawyers in a process
designed to identify lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer
recognition and professional achievement. Super Lawyers is a comprehensive
and diverse guide to outstanding attorneys, representing a wide range
of practice areas, firm sizes and geographic locations."
 Best
Lawyers in America: Best Lawyers in America is web site
states, " Published biennially since 1983, The Best Lawyers
in America is widely regarded as the preeminent referral guide
to the legal profession in the United States. The Best Lawyers
lists, representing 80 specialties in all 50 states and Washington,
DC, are compiled through an exhaustive peer-review survey in which
thousands of the top lawyers in the U.S. confidentially evaluate their
professional peers. The current, 13th edition of Best Lawyers (2007),
is based on more than 1.8 million detailed evaluations of lawyers
by other lawyers."
Divorce
Source (Search for lawyers and other general information re divorces)
Divorce
Find: This contains a good thumbnail summary of the divorce
laws in each state. It has a good
discussion of children and divorce.
Articles
by Lawyers at Gitlin Law Firm Available Online:
Article Available
online by Gunnar J. Gitlin and Chris Haaff: Appellate Review in Domestic
Relations Cases: The Elusive Final and Appealable Order:
http://www.isba.org/IBJ/aug00lj/p444.htm
See
Also For Lawyers Only Section of this Web-Site
Child
Support Forms and Computer Programs:
Credit
Reports:
The three major
providers of credit reports are Equifax, Experian
and Trans Union.
Generally, I have liked Equifax best but all three services are similar.
In the midwest starting March 1, 2005, there is now a right to a free
credit report. You are entitled to receive one free credit file
disclosure every 12 months from each of the nationwide consumer credit
reporting companies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. One of the key
numbers is an individual's FICO score. See, e.g., http://www.myfico.com/
A good FAQ discussion
of credit reports is available at: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/helpfaq
Equifax
Credit Report or “3 in 1” Credit Report
General
Information Re Credit Reports, Credit History, etc.
Taxes
and Divorce:
- Internal
Revenue Service Publication 504 — Divorced or Separated Individuals
- IRS'
Q&A 1.6 re Copies and Transcripts of Tax Returns
- Request
for Transcript of Tax Return - Form 4506-T
-- Be aware of IRS terminology:
- A tax return transcript shows most line
items from your tax return (Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ) as it
was originally filed, including any accompanying forms and schedules.
It does not reflect any changes you, your representative or
the IRS made after the return was filed. "In many cases,
a return transcript will meet the requirements of lending institutions
such as those offering mortgages and for applying for student
loans."
- A tax account transcript shows any later
adjustments either you or the IRS made after the tax return
was filed. This transcript shows basic data, including marital
status, type of return filed, adjusted gross income and taxable
income. They are available generally only for the current
and the past three years. The response time is
expedited and generally within 10 business days.
- Request
for Exact Copy of Tax Return -- Form 4506 - T.
Available generally for current and six years.
Allow 60 days for a response.
- Splitting
Tax Refunds: Starting in 2006, individuals can now split
income tax refunds between more than one account. The
IRS' web site provides Q&As regarding splitting refunds.
In part it states, " Q: If I am filing a joint return
with my spouse, must our refund be deposited to a jointly-held account?
A: You can ask IRS to direct deposit a refund on a joint return
into your account, your spouse’s account, or a joint account. However,
state and financial institution rules can vary and you should first
verify your financial institution will accept a joint refund into
an individual account." See
IRS Form 8888.
Illinois
Trial Practice Web Log: This web log
is written by T. Evan Schaeffer and is a worthwhile resource for
Illinois trial lawyers. While it is not written for family
lawyers it is a good lawyer's resource.
The
Family Law News Blog: This web log has
contributions by a number of authors including Richard and John
Crouch, Ron Nelson, Randy Kessler, Greg Herman, Pauline Tesler and
others. I know many of the people writing for this blog.
It is an excellent resource.
Links Re
Collaborative Law and Collaborative Divorce:
Books Regarding
Collaborative Law and Collaborative Divorce Practice:
- http://www.cooperativeparenting.com/
Cooperative Parenting & Divorce
was written by Susan Boyan and Ann Marie Termini as part of a video
based educational program created to give divorced parents the skills
to become effective co-parents for the sake of their children. One
of the authors, Susan Boyan, was one of the trainers for Collaborative
Law Illinois' 2004 collaborative law training. The materials
she uses are worthwhile for the child's specialist and parents in
a collaborative law setting.
- Collaborative
Law: Achieving Effective Resolution in Divorce without Litigation,
Second Edition
(August 2008). This is a comprehensive update of the 2001
book on Collaborative Law drafted by Pauline Tesler and published
by the American Bar Association. It does not exclusively promote
the collaborative divorce (interdisciplinary) model. All collaborative
law professionals should read this relatively short book.
Our Family
Wizard Web Site: The web site states, "The OurFamilyWizard
website provides life management tools designed to help families
with scheduling and managing important family information. It allows
families to quickly store and access important family information
from anywhere in the world."
McHenry
County Youth Service Bureau: McHenry County Youth Service
Bureau (YSB) is located at 101 South Jefferson Street, Woodstock,
IL. 815 338 7360. It offers several grounds such as
positive parenting, etc.
 School Match.
This is a web site which self-promotes and sells a service.
FERPA
General Guidance for Parents: This is a lay-person's
guide to the federal law (Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act - FERPA) that applies to educational agencies and institution
that receive certain funding. Parochial and private schools
at the elementary level do not generally receive such funding and
are generally exempt from FERPA. It allows for disclosure
of school records, etc.
The
Gitlin Law Firm provides the above information as a service to potential
and current clients. A person's accessing the information contained
in this web site, is not considered as retaining The Gitlin Law Firm
for any case nor is it considered as providing legal advice. The Gitlin
Law Firm cannot guarantee the outcome of any case.
*The
Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties
in the practice of law and that any certificate, award or recognition
is not a requirement to practice law in Illinois.
The Gitlin
Law Firm
Practice Limited to Family Law
663 East Calhoun Street
Woodstock, IL 60098
815/338-9401
Updated:
December 30, 2008
www.gitlinlawfirm.com
© 2008, Gitlin Law Firm, P.C.
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Beyond
Reason