Divorce is not an easy decision to make, especially when you have always believed that you were going to be married forever. However, what you didn’t count on when you promised to stay with your partner forever is that they would drastically change. Your spouse literally became the living form of Dr. Jekyll and Mr./Mrs. Hyde. To say that living with them has become unbearable … Continue reading How To Know When it’s Time to Divorce Your Narcissistic Spouse, By Dr. Natalie Jones, PsyD, LPCC →

In recognition of the World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day on June 1st. Life with a malignant narcissist is crippling.  These cads chip away at your self worth and confidence every day. Like a slow-growing cancer, you often don’t recognize the danger until it’s too late. They always blame you even when it’s not your fault. After being told daily that you are worthless (both directly … Continue reading Stare down the Serpent: A Guide for Divorcing a Narcissist →

For most, their home is the single most valuable asset of the marriage. But did you know that in Illinois, if one owns a house prior to marriage, it is considered his or her non-marital property? Upon divorce, the owning spouse takes back the entire asset (including all the equity accumulated during the marriage). Whether you are already married to somebody who owned a home … Continue reading Residential Roulette: Marital Claims to Non-Marital Real Estate →

Note that I have framed the title of this article in the negative: how to lose a custody case, rather than how to win one. Why is this? It is because there are no sure-fire ways to achieve a successful result in a child custody case. There are, however, ways you can assuredly lose one. Here are ten examples of how to “lose” a child … Continue reading 10 Ways to Lose a Child Custody Case →

After we stabilize the family through temporary agreements or court orders, we work to develop an action plan to move forward.  Child Custody Issues Before tackling the financial issues, we must first determine whether there are any contested issues involving the children. Courts require parents to try to develop a joint parenting plan. The parenting plan reflects the parenting arrangements to be implemented after the … Continue reading Show and Tell: Pulling Back the Curtain Part Two →

What is it that we do when you entrust your divorce case to us? Most are unaware of the ways their lawyer works for them “behind the scenes.” I am writing this article to shine a light on what we do to help our clients through this difficult time. The GO Meeting When you retain our firm, we schedule a GO Meeting with you. During … Continue reading Your Divorce: Pulling Back The Curtain Part One →

With the recent COVID-19 shutdowns, self-quarantines, and social distancing, here is some useful information about your divorce: Court Procedures In the Chicago Metro area, all courthouses are closed until further notice, most probably until mid-April at the earliest. This means that judges will be unavailable to hear routine contested matters. Judges will continue to be available for emergency matters. We are told that some judges … Continue reading Divorce and Covid-19 →

Division of Debt in a Divorce. Living on debt is reality for many American families. Obligations exceed cash flow, and people regularly borrow to make ends meet. And while managing heavy debt loads is commonplace, debt strains marriages and contributes to marital problems. So if the couple does end up in divorce court, how is the debt dealt with by the court?  The answer is … Continue reading Divorce and Debt: Double Trouble →

2005 – Present In 2005 Peskind Law Firm moved to its present location at 2445 Dean Street in St. Charles, where it remains today. The firm continued to concentrate in complex family law litigation. At this time, two exceptional lawyers worked with Steven: Gregory Makismuk, now a partner at a prominent local family law firm, and Vazken Kazandjian, now practicing family law at a boutique … Continue reading The Final Series on the History of Peskind Law Firm →