by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In family law cases, the best interest of the child is the court’s highest priority. The Iowa District Court and Illinois Circuit Court judges who handle custody and divorce cases are required by law to follow that standard. This article discusses the best interests of the child as applied by the courts.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear The holidays can be a wonderful time to spend with loved ones, yet it can also be one of the more difficult times for those with family law issues. Properly addressing such problems can help keep the holidays enjoyable.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear False accusations of domestic abuse are common in divorce and custody cases in Illinois and Iowa. Properly handling such accusations of domestic violence is of the highest importance.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Domestic battery or other instances of domestic violence can have a significant effect upon how the Illinois courts handle child custody decisions in divorce or custody cases.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Parental Alienation is a situation that is often created in custody and divorce cases when one parent (or other individual) attempts to destroy the relationship between a child and the other parent. Illinois law quite correctly sees such improper action on the part of a parent, grandparent, or other person as seriously damaging to the child, and the Illinois
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Parental Alienation is a situation commonly produced in divorce and custody cases when one parent (or other person) tries to destroy the relationship between a child and the other parent. Iowa law recognizes such improper action on the part of a parent, grandparent, or other person is seriously harmful to the child, and the Iowa court system can address the situation.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear A history of domestic abuse can have a serious effect upon the custody determinations that the Iowa court makes in a divorce or custody cases.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Mediation is a process employed by many courts to try and resolve some or all of the contested matters in a divorce case, without having to proceed to a trial. Sometimes mediation is mandatory, and other times it is voluntary. The mediation process has the potential to be useful to parties in a divorce case, but mediation also can lead to problems if it is not handled properly.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In Illinois and Iowa custody cases, the court has the authority to issue in emergency injunction to prevent harm to a child. This article discusses injunctions in the Illinois Circuit Court and Iowa District Court.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Facebook is used by over a billion people every day, and as such it has an important role to play in many divorce, custody, and protective order cases that take place in the states of Iowa and Illinois.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In cases involving children, such as divorce and custody cases, the interactions that occur between the parties that concern the children are quite important. The same is true for protective order cases involving domestic violence allegations, whether or not children are involved.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In divorce, custody, and juvenile cases in the states of Illinois and Iowa, a Guardian ad litem can be appointed by the court to represent the legal interests of a minor child in the case. This article will discuss the role of a Guardian ad litem in
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In cases where a child’s safety or well-being (physical or emotional) would be endangered by regular visitation with a parent, the courts in Iowa and Illinois have the authority to order that visitation be supervised by a
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear All too often in divorce and custody cases, the opposing party will purposely waste a client’s time and money on frivolous court appearances. Such a situation can often be addressed in Illinois or Iowa through a Motion with the court, when such behavior rises to the level of violating various Rules of Civil Procedure.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In Illinois, a person who is not satisfied with the Circuit Court’s ruling in a divorce or custody case can appeal the ruling to
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear When it comes to handling a child custody case, there is no time like the present. There are several reasons this is true, in both Illinois and Iowa custody cases.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Many Iowa counties require that a Settlement Conference be held in divorce and custody cases. The purpose of the Settlement Conference is to get the parties and attorneys to try and work out some of all of the issues in the case, so as
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear In some situations, a court can grant an emergency injunction as part of a divorce or custody case. That emergency injunction can be used to prevent parental kidnapping, injury to children, or other serious
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Divorce and custody cases can be the most important legal system event in a person’s life, as the outcome can influence custody, visitation, property, and financial aspects of the person’s life for years to come. If the outcome of the trial is not favorable, then an appeal should be considered.
by Attorney Eric D. Puryear Under Illinois law, a parent of a child can bring a custody case to have the court legally establish paternity, custody, visitation, and child support. The Illinois law that governs such cases is the Dissolution of Marriage Act, and that law applies for the sake of custody matters whether the parents were married or not. There are some differences in how cases proceed depending upon whether the parents were married, and this article discusses the scenario in which the parents are not married.