Divorce Advice for Men | Fathers Rights Divorce | Child Custody

Question:

I want to serve my wife with divorce papers that I have drawn up on my own, but I cannot get a hold of her to obtain her social security number.

What would be my next step? Can I file for divorce without knowing all of my wife's legal information?

Question:

My pension does not vest until I have been working for 20 years, which is 8 years away. I have been told my soon-to-be-ex is entitled to half of my pension.

But what half is she entitled to? Half of the contribution amount that is in the account as of the file date or half of my pension when benefits are paid after 20 years?

By Rachel D.S. Schmidt

Attorney, Cordell & Cordell

When Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Civil Union Act in January, Illinois joined about a dozen other states in providing legal protection to same-sex couples.

The bill allows for civil unions defined as a "legal relationship" between two persons of either the same or opposite sex. Civil unions give same-sex couples many of the same rights traditional married couples receive from their state.

However, not all states recognize civil unions and the federal government currently does not recognize civil unions either.

Question:

We are approaching our trial to figure out what debt of my wife's I have to pay.

Can I file for bankruptcy on the court order saying what I have to pay? Or do I actually have to pay all of it back? If I do, will they go after her for the debt I file bankruptcy on?

By William Halaz

Attorney, Cordell & Cordell

In my first series of articles on contempt of court, I addressed the legal concept of contempt and what it means.

A typical excerpt of a Motion for Contempt reads like this: "Respondent’s failure to abide by the Judgment and Order of Dissolution, which included the parties’ Parenting Plan, is willful, deliberate, contumacious, and without just cause or excuse."

In this article, I will outline the conditions that must be met for contempt.