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Top Reasons For a Postnuptial Agreement

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DuPage County family lawyerEven the most happily married couples can benefit from drafting a postnuptial agreement. Though it may have been better to sign a premarital agreement before tying the knot, a postnuptial agreement can still enable both parties to protect their interests in the event the blissful union comes crashing down in the future. For help with drafting either a premarital agreement or postnuptial agreement, consult an experienced and qualified lawyer.

What is a Postnuptial Agreement?

Premarital agreements occur before getting married. Both parties sign a contract defining what belongs to them and remain with them should a divorce happen sometime after saying their vows. A postnuptial agreement, or postmarital agreement, is similar but happens after the marriage has already started.

In a postmarital agreement, each spouse will decide which future assets should belong to whom in case they ever choose to dissolve the marriage. You can think of a premarital agreement as legal protection for the past, whereas a postmarital agreement protects your assets for the future.

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How to Spot an Adoption Scam

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DuPage County adoption lawyerThe thought of bringing a child into your loving home should be one of joy and anticipation. Housing a child in need of a family is a tremendous display of bravery and commitment. However, there are those in the world who are corrupt and would choose to rain on your parade through deceptive tactics. Choosing to adopt means remaining vigilant to possible adoption scams and professionals out to disrupt your happiness. Though not necessary, seeking legal counsel and support from a trusted and experienced attorney before engaging in the adoption process is highly recommended.

Common Adoption Scams

Adoption scams can occur in situations that you may not expect otherwise. The most common, according to many wrongful adoption cases, comes directly from the agencies where adoption takes place. Oftentimes, the adoption agency may fail to provide the full background information on a child to the adoptive parents.

Adopted parents can also be scammed online by pregnant or birth mothers making false promises of adoption opportunities. They may request prospective adopters to support them financially and provide medical expenses or other costs and fees without ever intending to provide the adopting family with a child.

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Should you let teachers know about a divorce?

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If you’re getting a divorce and your children are in school, you may be considering telling their teacher about what’s going on. On the other hand, you may think that this is oversharing and that the teacher doesn’t need to know, or you may even feel awkward bringing it up because it is such a personal subject.

But it can actually be beneficial to tell teachers that you are getting a divorce. You don’t necessarily have to go into much detail. Making them aware can be helpful for a few different reasons.

Changes in the child’s behavior

For one thing, there may be some differences in your child’s behavior at this time. Divorce can be a bit stressful and children usually adjust very well to it after time, but those initial months can be hard. When a teacher knows why these behavioral changes are occurring, it makes it easier to navigate.

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Divorce is a difficult undertaking for everyone involved. Divorce can specifically, be difficult for the children. As such, the court takes an exceptional interest in the children’s post-divorce living arrangements.

Basically, the court will rule on custody and parenting plan based on what it believes to be the best interest of the child. But what exactly does this mean?

The best interest of the child as defined by the family court

The doctrine of the best interest of the child may not be straightforward. However, it basically means that the child’s post-divorce living arrangements (custody, visitation and parenting plan) must focus on promoting and encouraging the child’s safety, happiness and overall health (physical, mental and emotional).

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Handling custody with a narcissist

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When you’re in a relationship with a person who has a narcissistic personality, it can be scary to try to go against anything they want. Whether they’re seeking out custody of your child or trying to manipulate the entire situation in their favor, you deserve the opportunity to fight back and make sure the court rules in a way that is in the best interests of your child.

Narcissistic personality traits make it so a person has a few unusual aspects to their personality, such as a lack of empathy or a need for admiration. They may have a self-imposed image of grandiosity and think they’re much more powerful or commanding than they are.

Engaging with this kind of person during a divorce can be difficult, as they often try to manipulate issues and could decide to try to punish you in some way. For example, they might start gathering up information about what a bad parent you are when you decide that you don’t like a specific schedule they want. Then, if you cave in, they may suddenly recant those statements and start singing your praises again.

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