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Links & Resources

The following websites deal with a variety of topic areas specifically related to Illinois divorce and matrimonial law. If you would like to add a site, etc., please use the submission form.

• Legal Organizations
• Research of Illinois Opinions, Compiled Statutes, Legislation
• Illinois Statutory Law
• Business Valuation Sites
• Taxes and Divorce
• Child Support and Information RE State Disbursement Unit
• General Divorce Sites
• Collaborative Divorce and Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Hague Conference
• Divorce Glossaries
• Parenting Sites
• Saving Your Marriage
• Other Chapter WebSites

Legal Organizations

American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) - National
The AAML, our parent organization, contains almost 1600 Fellows who must be recognized by the bench and bar in the area of matrimonial law.

• National Fellow Directory in AAML  The national site is searchable by City, State or Fellow's Name.

American Bar Association, Family Law Section
If you're a member of the ABA's Family Law Section, your member login grants you access to a variety of online materials not available to non members. Non-members, though, are free to subscribe to a number of different family law list services hosted by the section.

• Best-Selling Publications of ABA Family Law Section
• ABA Center for Children and the Law
• Table Summarizing Divorce Law in 50 States from ABA- FLS  The Family Law Quarterly provides charts including alimony factors, custody criteria, child support guidelines, property division factors, and third party / grandparent visitation.

Illinois State Bar Association
Most Fellows of the AAML are members of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA).  It provides many resources for Illinois family law attorneys.

• Family Law Section of the ISBA
  • ISBA’s Link Page: The ISBA’s link page is generally one well done and contains worthwhile links.
• Illinois State Bar Association Mentor Program This is an excellent program. Many Fellows of the AAML are mentors to other Illinois lawyers through this program.

Research of Illinois Opinions, Compiled Statutes, Legislation:

Illinois Case Law:

• Illinois Appellate Court and Supreme Court Opinions  Illinois case law opinions since 1996.
  • Recent Illinois Appellate Court Decisions Uploads -- Generally Last 90 Days;
  • FlashPoints by Schiller, DuCanto & Fleck
  • Gitlin Law Firm Case Law Updates
• FastCase by the ISBA  Free Illinois case law research service available for members of ISBA

Illinois Legislation:

• Illinois Legislation  Illinois General Assembly Legislation Law Site -- look up Public Acts and current legislation

Illinois Statutory Law:

• Illinois Compiled Statutes

  • Family Law Statutes in Illinois
    • Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act This Act contains Illinois divorce and related law.
      
      
    • Illinois Parentage Act of 1984This act is the law regarding paternity cases in Illinois.
      
      
    • Illinois Domestic Violence Act This is the law applying to cases of abuse (domestic violence) in Illinois.
      
      
    • Uniform Interstate Family Support Act This law is known as the UIFSA.  It is the jurisdictional law applying to cases involving child support.
      
      
    • Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act This law is known as the UCCJEA.   It has been enacted by all but a few states and replaces the law known as the UCCJA.
      
      
    • Illinois Mental Health Confidentiality Act  This Act contains law applying to confidential of mental health records and communications.

Business Valuation Sites and Resources:

• National Association of Certified Valuation Analysts The NACVA provides the Certified Valuation Analyst designation (CVA).
  • Online Directory of NACVA

• CPAs as Business Appraisers:
  • The AICPA has an online directory of its members who are Accredited in Business Valuation (ABV) credential holders which can be found here.
  • AICPA Standards for Valuation Services

• American Society of Appraisers: The American Society of Appraisers has an online directory of its accredited members and has two designations.

• Institute of Business Appraisers: The IBA has an online directory of its members and five potential designations.

• USPAP 2008-2009 The Appraisal Standards Board (ASB) of The Appraisal Foundation develops, publishes, interprets, and amends the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP) on behalf of appraisers and users of appraisal services. This version only works in Internet Explorer and is "crippled" to try to ensure that you purchase USPAP biannually.
  • Glossary of Additional Terms:USPAP provides this supplement the above International Glossary.

Taxes and Divorce:

• Internal Revenue Service Publication 504 — Divorced or Separated Individuals: This publication states that it "explains tax rules that apply if you are divorced or separated from your spouse. It covers general filing information and can help you choose your filing status. It also can help you decide which exemptions you are entitled to claim, including exemptions for dependents.The publication also discusses payments and transfers of property that often occur as a result of divorce and how you must treat them on your tax return."

• Index Re Publication 504 - This is a useful index addressing many family law tax issues.

• Request for Transcript of Tax Return - Form 4506-T - pdf.
  
  A tax return transcript shows most line items from your tax return (Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ) as originally filed, including any accompanying forms and schedules. It does not reflect any changes you, your representative, or the IRS made after the return was filed. "In many cases, a return transcript will meet the requirements of lending institutions such as those offering mortgages and for applying for student loans."
  
  A tax account transcript shows any later adjustments either you or the IRS made after the tax return was filed. This transcript shows basic data, including marital status, type of return filed, adjusted gross income and taxable income. They are available generally only for the current and the past three years. The response time is expedited and generally within 10 business days.

• Request for Exact Copy of Tax Return -- Form 4506 - T. Available generally for current and six years. Allow 60 days for a response.

• Form 8332 - Release of Dependency Exemption The form applying in many divorce cases where one parent waives the right to claim the dependency exemption.

Child Support and Information re State Disbursement Unit

• State Disbursement Unit General Information  Payments of child support in Illinois are generally paid through the State Disbursement Unit (SDU)
  • Interactive Web Site of SDU Generally The website of the SDU provides the opportunity to view payments, print forms, etc.

• National Child Support – Child Support Guidelines Website

General Divorce Sites

• Findlaw
  Probably the most comprehensive source on the Internet for caselaw at the state and federal levels. The Cases & Codes area gives visitors access. Visitors can search the archive of U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to 1893, and access state statutes, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), the U.S. Code and more.

• Divorcecentral.com
  This site offers fairly extensive information about legal, financial, parenting and other aspects of divorce. The Expert Online area offers weekly in-depth explorations of specific topics by professionals; past appearances have been archived and can be read. The Total Parenting Handbook section of the site offers sound advice on parenting as a divorced parent.

• Divorcenet.com
  This site offers daily and weekly Q&A sessions with legal and mental health professionals, as well as interactive bulletin boards/chat rooms. Resources are listed by state.

• Divorcesupport.com
  This site offers state-specific guidebooks, a large divorce-related bookstore, links to resources and message centers, and, for a fee, child support calculations for your state.

• Divorceonline.com
  This website provides numerous articles about the impact of divorce on children and parents. It also has a book review section, question/answer area (which includes legal, financial, psychological, and real-estate information), and a chat area.

Alternative Dispute Resolution Sites:

• Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois
  This is the website of Illinois Collaborative Divorce professionals which includes several Fellows of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals: http://www.collaborativepractice.com
  Site of the umbrella organization for Collaborative Law/Collaborative Divorce and information for subscriptions to the Collaborative Review

• AFCC: The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, an international and interdisciplinary association dedicated to the constructive resolution of family disputes.

• Mediation Counsel of Illinois Many Fellows of the AAML are also trained mediators This is the website of the state-wide mediation organization.

Hague Conference and Uniform Laws:

• The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction in family law circles is sometimes simply referred to as the Hague Convention although there are many Hague Conventions.

Status of countries (referred to as states) which have ratified the Convention

• List of Hague Conventions Addressing Family Law Issues

• Uniform Matrimonial, Family and Health Laws Locator

Glossaries Pertinent to Family Law Issues:

• International Glossary of Business Valuation Terms

• Glossary of Terminology for Appraisals – This glossary is worthwhile. However, this is a commercial website.

• Glossary of Investor Words – This advertises itself as the biggest, best investing glossary on the web.

• Illinois Fellow's Glossary

Parenting Sites:

• www.kidsturn.org
  This is the site for Kids Turn, the non-profit organization offering workshops to parents and kids going through a separation/divorce; the thoroughly researched list of reading materials for kids and for parents is a superior resource

• www.ParentsPlace.com
  Look under the Family section for a listing of topics including divorce, single parenting, bereavement, etc. Chats and message boards on specific topics are listed in this area. Parents can search for information on a particular issue and a list of previously answered questions will be listed. Therapists answer the questions. Many other health-related news articles are reprinted here.

• www.makinglemonade.com
  This is a whimsical and informative single parenting support site. There are extensive links to other sites, resources, advice about kids, dating tips, even business networking. Mediators, attorneys and child psychologists world can advertise their services in the Making Lemonade Resource Guide.

• www.ourfamilywizard.com
  This is a tool for developing shared custody calendars and assisting parents in structured communications about parenting issues.

Saving Your Marriage:

• Making Marriage Last: A Guide to Preventing Divorce can be found at the AAML national website www.aaml.org or by calling 1-800-422-6595: This booklet is premised on the belief that "..divorce isn't always the answer. Though some marriages should be abandoned...many "unsalvageable" unions can be saved. If you are willing to devote some time and energy to identifying and correcting the problems in your marriage, chances are, you can avoid the financially and emotionally draining process of divorce."

• Smart Marriages: "...all couples disagree about all the same basic issues - money, kids, sex, housework, in-laws and leisure time. The difference between successful and unsuccessful couples is how they handle their differences. Successful couples disagree in a way that makes their relationship stronger. They also have other skills and attitudes which help them build long-term happiness and satisfaction. The good news is that anyone can learn to do it better and smarter. . ."
  

Other Chapter WebSites:

• Alabama
• California – Northern
• California – Southern
• Florida
• Kentucky
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Texas
• Virginia
• Washington
• Wisconsin

For more information about the Illinois Chapter of AAML and the services we provide, please contact us at 1-312-263-7682 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST), fill out our contact form, or email us at info@aaml-illinois.org.