When experience matters choose the Law Firm of Wendy R. Morgan. Established in 1981, we are the attorneys to see for all your divorce and family law issues in Arlington Heights, IL. Wendy is a respected member of the American Trial Lawyers Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. You can call us anytime thanks to our 24/7 phone service. We will do everything in our power to get you a favorable result.
Our practice areas include:
• Divorce
• Paternity
• Child support
• Post decree matters
• Adoption
• Orders of protection
• Bankruptcy Chapters 7, 11 and 13
We hope that our firm can become one that you always rely on. Our dedicated team looks forward to serving you and answering any questions you may have. We'll always listen to your specific situation before developing a plan that best suits you.
Call the Law Firm of Wendy R. Morgan today for more information.
Military divorces can differ from standard divorce cases in several ways, especially when it comes to domicile or residence requirements for filing, obtaining service upon an active duty spouse, compliance with military rules and regulations, and the division of the military pension, which is often the parties' largest asset. A thorough understanding of these issues is necessary to successfully resolve your family law action. Here at The Law Firm of Wendy R. Morgan, we are familiar with military benefits and can assist you in navigating the difficult and emotional decisions that are part of every divorce. Our compassionate attorneys provide professional advice to help you protect your financial interests and the best interests of your family.
Child Support
Child support is a person's legal obligation to provide financial support to his/her minor child or children. Since the statutes were amended in July 2017, child support is now based on both parties’ respective net incomes and imputed net income to a spouse and is also based on the number of overnights a parent has with the child (ren). There are statutory charts utilized and the determination of net income can vary depending on what additional statutory factors are applied and the manner of determining net income based on Illinois Department of Revenue standards. This is a substantial change and departure from the prior statute which required only a percentage of net income, which percentage varied on the number of children born to the marriage but is now more in accordance with many other state’s calculations.
Child Custody and Visitation
Our attorneys have extensive experience, knowledge and skill obtaining Grandparents' Rights to visitation with grandchild(ren). Grandparents' visitation rights are considered pursuant to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act.. Courts acknowledge a parent's fundamental rights to raise his or her child and to make decisions concerning the child free from State intervention, absent a showing of harm or threat of harm to the child's mental, emotional, moral and physical well-being and safety. Court ordered grandparent visitation is necessary when the grandparents have or had a close and nurturing relationship with the grandchild and the parent ceased the visitation or relationship causing the child to suffer harm to the child's well-being, as described above. This often happens when a parent has used the grandparent to assist with the raising or care of his or her child and when the parent is rehabilitated or otherwise moves on with his or her life, that parent abruptly ceases the relationship between the child and the grandparents. In other circumstances, the primary custodial parent dies and the other parent takes control and denies access to the child by the grandparents who have established a close relationship with the child and the denial of access is harmful to the child's well-being as described above.
Adoption
Creating a family by adoption is a life-affirming event. Illinois recognizes a wide range of relationships created by adoption to help you build your family. One of the most common Illinois adoption arrangements is step-parent adoption, in which a step-parent takes on the legal responsibility for a child, terminating the birth parent's responsibility.
Paternity
Parentage or legal paternity cases in Illinois mainly encompass situations where children are born to couples who are not married when the child is born. Today, it is not uncommon for children to be born to unmarried couples living together or to single women in non-marital relationships who later claim their child resulted from those relationships. In some cases, the sexual partner claims to be the father of the child. In all these situations, the relationship has produced a child requiring support. In these cases, the Illinois Court must determine the custody rights of the parents, support for the minor child, a visitation and parenting time schedule, and other issues. A child born
Premarital Agreement
A premarital agreement, also commonly referred to as a prenuptial or antenuptial agreement, is a contract entered into by the parties before marriage that defines what will happen if the marriage ends, either by dissolution or the death of one of the parties.
Guardianship
Grandparents' Rights may also involves guardianship of a grandchild (See Guardianship Section) and grandparent(s) seeking custody of a child. For custody, the grandparents or stepparent first have to establish standing under Section 601 of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. To obtain standing, the grand-parent(s) or stepparent must prove by clear and convincing evidence that there has been a voluntary relinquishment of the child(ren) by the parent, which is not simply in whose possession the child is in at a given time but requires a showing that the parent intended the grandparent to keep the child permanently.? When one of the parents is deceased, a grandparent(s) or stepparent of third party must show that either the surviving parent had been absent from the marital abode for more than one month without the deceased spouse knowing his or her whereabouts, the surviving parent was in State of Federal Custody, the surviving parent had (i) received supervision for or been convicted of any violation of Article 12 of the Criminal Code of 1961 directed towards the deceased parent of the child or (ii) received supervision, or been convicted of violating an order of protection for the protection of the deceased parent or the child. The issue of standing is intensely fact-based and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Spousal Support
There does not seem to be any middle ground on the issue of maintenance, formerly known as alimony. The spouse seeking maintenance views it as fair compensation for the sacrifice of a career, years out of the workplace while raising the children and taking care of the home, or for a disabled spouse or a spouse who is limited in earning income due to health conditions or other problems. The spouse paying maintenance views it as an unfair payment to an ex-spouse who seems to have every advantage in the job market.
Legal Separation
Orders of Protection are sought both in conjunction with and independently of a divorce, legal separation and/or paternity action. Where there is imminent danger of future harm, an Order of Protection is a
Annulment
Child Abuse
Andrew also focuses on domestic disputes. After his time with Barrington Police Department and practicing law for the Domestic Violence Clinic under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 711, he possesses a unique understanding of his clients personal and psychological needs. Andrew has enjoyed giving back to his community by volunteering in Willow Creek’s Awana program and accepting a board member position with the KlaasKids Foundation to help continue the fight against child abuse.
Wendy just recently returned from a Rotarian Humanitarian Project in Guatemala where she worked with Mayan Children teaching English as a Second language and self-defense. In Guatemala she also had the opportunity to work with the Madre Whistle world organization, which fights against gender violence and murder of women, a serious problem in Guatemala and third world countries.
Joseph is a seasoned litigator. As of May 12, 2019, he will have reached thirty years of practice. He has been practicing extensively in family law throughout his career. He has handled all manner of family law cases from child support issues and contested parenting hearings to divorces. He is also very knowledgeable regarding Bankruptcy, Consumer Matters, Real Estate Transactions, Traffic cases, and Criminal Defense.
Andrew concentrates his practice in litigation, civil disputes, personal injury, workplace accidents, employment disputes, medical malpractice, catastrophic injury, general litigation, and estate planning. His experience has taught him to represent on behalf of his clients while recognize their needs for the present and future.
Medical Malpractice
Medicaid Planning
Planning for the long-term care of aging parents or loved ones with special needs is undeniably complicated, and with baby boomers retiring, elder care and Medicaid planning for older adults with assets is more important than ever. Unfortunately, it is such a complex and confusing area that many families delay in making decisions until it's too late. The field of Elder Law covers all aspects of legal problems with the aging and individuals with special needs including but not limited to
At the conclusion of your divorce, in order not to make all of your efforts for naught, you need to examine and re-organize your estate plan. If this detail is forgotten at the conclusion of your case, all of your assets could fall back into the hands of your ex-spouse, either by direct inheritance or as trustee for your children. The Law Firm of Wendy R. Morgan is fully equipped to prepare all of the estate planning documents needed to up-date your financial affairs.
Wills
While wills and trusts are especially important for the aging and individuals with special needs, they are not something reserved for just those individuals. A proper estate plan will avoid the chaos and waste of assets of an unclaimed estate, enhance your sense of security, and provide a dimension of personal well-being to your loved ones. Whether you are younger or older, married or single, a parent or without children, you should investigate of a need for an estate plan and/or a will.
Trusts
Privacy and confidentiality: When a will is entered into probate, all of its provisions become a matter of public record. Since a living trust is a private arrangement, its terms are not made public at your death. Your assets and intentions are known only to your trustee and beneficiaries.
Power of Attorney
Probate of wills, guardianship, guardianship avoidance, powers of attorney, living wills, testamentary wills, testamentary trusts, and various other types of wills and trusts.
Bankruptcy is a major event in your life. Not only that, but you can only file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy once every 8 years. Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy are also subject to certain limitations. If you are thinking about filing a bankruptcy case, you will need to consult with our attorneys to have your situation properly evaluated.
Foreclosure
If you are engaged in a legal dispute with your mortgage lender, whether you have received threats of foreclosure, are seeking a loan modification, are considering strategic foreclosure or any other legal action, it is important to know and protect your rights.