Law Office of Daniel J. Grueninger

11/11/2021

Happy Veterans day to all those who have and are currently serving in our armed forces!

08/03/2021

With 50/50 schedules becoming more and more common, it's important to choose a schedule that's right for your family. Not only for the adults but most importantly your children, there are many factors to consider when choosing the right one. Make sure you sit down and weigh the pros and cons of each one.

There are so many factors to consider when evaluating joint custody schedules! Use this helpful guide to make your decision on which schedule is best!

05/11/2021

Our law office is stepping up in the world! Now accepting payments through the paypal and venmo apps! Look for the QR codes at the bottom of next months bills!

05/26/2020

Today is the first day St. Clair county is conducting pre-trial hearings and case management conferences online via zoom. The process seems to be going very smoothly, and I find it to be a more efficient way of handling administrative matters with respect to court appearances. Cases are now able to move along quickly , while advancing each case without hold ups during quarantine. Trials by zoom have already begun, and their process is significantly different than trials in person. If your case was previously stalled as a result of COVID, know we are moving in the right direction. If you have been on the fence about filing due to the COVID restrictions fear not, as you can now get a setting to advance the case. This is not just St. Clair county, other surrounding counties in Southern IL are also taking the same measures to move cases along as well. For trials done by zoom, you will need to download the zoom app and have a camera available on your computer, or you will have to appear at my office for trial, which would be the most preferable for purposes of discussions between us. This is a new day, in that future pre-trials may continue to be done by zoom, even after the distancing from COVID has gone.

05/12/2020

For those who may not be aware, the method of calculating child support in Illinois was changed effective July 1st 2017. Under the prior statute, the non-custodial parent paid a flat 20% of net income for the support of 1 child, 28% for 2 children, etc., without any regard for the income of the custodial parent, as a practical matter.

Now, the court uses the combined net incomes of both parents to determine the 'level of support' the child should receive from their combined incomes, pro rating between the parents based on their respective share of that combined income. Where do the 'support amounts' come from based on the parents' combined income? The Illinois Dep't of Healthcare and Family Services (IDHFS) was charged with determining the amounts, and surveyed the cost of living in various parts of Illinois to set these amounts.

A second change to the statute involved parenting time. If the parent who doesn't have the majority of parenting time, has at least 40% of the overnights (146 overnights per year), then the pro rated amounts are further modified based on the percent of time each parent has the child. Having 40% of the overnights can result in a substantial reduction in child support, and this has become the new battleground for parenting time, while directly affecting child support.

Further complications are involved if the parents have 'split custody', i.e., 2 or more children, and at least 1 child living primarily with each parent. It has now been almost 3 years since the statute was changed. If you are still operating under the prior statute, it may be time to modify.