Law Office of Christopher Haaff

12/19/2025

My law office will be closed from Tuesday, December 23, 2025 through Sunday, January 4, 2026 to spend time with family and loved ones. I will have occasional and limited email and phone access during the holidays.

12/01/2025

Last week in Marriage of Reynolds, an Illinois appellate court clarified and confirmed that a parent who seeks to modify only parenting time has to demonstrate a "simple" change in circumstances occurred after the court last ordered or modified the parenting time. The parent does not have to meet the higher burden of showing a "substantial" change in circumstances.

12/20/2024

Congratulations to the Selsing family. They came to court wearing awesome adoption shirts! We finished their adoption of Tanner today, in time for the holidays.
(Posted with their permission).

12/06/2024

Today I provide some helpful hints on things NOT to do at court. These actually happened in one of my local courts yesterday.

1. Do NOT show up for court appearing under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

2. Do NOT tell the judge that you drank "only a couple of beers" before coming to court.

3. Do NOT have a 0.33 blood alcohol content. (Do you realize how MUCH alcohol you have to consume even to reach that level, then sit in court for a few hours?!)

The person who did all of that got held in direct criminal contempt of court and sentenced immediately to seven days in jail.

11/23/2024

Happy National Adoption Day!

05/30/2024

For Zoom court, I have seen litigants (and attorneys) eat, drink, and even DRIVE while on video. Judges often admonished those persons, because Zoom court is still COURT. It should get treated and considered that way.

But the defendant in this case in the video link drove while on Zoom court, to appear for his charge of driving with a suspended license! The expressions and words from the judge and attorneys in the courtroom help provide priceless guidance about what NOT to do.

A Michigan man with a suspended license stunned the judge when he joined his court hearing via Zoom — while he was driving. It did not take long for District...

11/30/2023

Here is some helpful advice for things NOT to do in family law court. Sadly, I saw and heard a man do all of these at court in Woodstock earlier today. He was not having a mental or medical episode.

1. Get on and then stay on his mobile phone after the judge and the court security officer told him to shut it off and put it away.
2. Yell "F**k you!" and "F**k this" repeatedly to the judge, the opposing party, and her attorneys.
3. Resist restraint while FIVE court security officers finally succeeded to handcuff him.
4. Yell "Your children are going to RESENT you!" many times at the mother of his children.

The mother's attorneys, judge, and court staff were all incredible and admirable in handling the situation.

11/27/2023

One issue in many divorces is selling the residence while the case is pending. Very recently the Illinois appellate court held in Marriage of Gabrys that ordering the sale of a residence before finalizing the divorce "is appropriate only in extraordinary circumstances", such as to avoid foreclosure.

Spouses can agree to sell their residence during their divorce, but I have usually opposed a sale when the opposing party wanted it and my client did not. The Gabrys case confirms my arguments were proper.

11/01/2023

My law office is currently working on many different types of adoptions. We can help your family too with questions about adoption.

It is ❤️ Throughout the month of November, we celebrate families who have grown through and raise awareness of the more than 113,000 children waiting in throughout the United States right now. Together, we ensure every child has a safe, loving and permanent family.

Discover ways you can make a difference this month and year-round: davethomasfoundation.org/nationaladoptionmonth-4ways/

08/01/2023

After over 16 years at our previous location, effective August 1, 2023 we have moved our office to 380 North Terra Cotta Road, Suite H, Crystal Lake, IL 60014. Happy to serve your divorce, adoption, support, and many other family law needs.

10/05/2022

The Care4 5K Run/Walk is less than two weeks away. Register now and support the Family Health Partnership Clinic in McHenry County, IL.

Care4 volunteer and participant Law Office of Christopher Haaff returns as a Bronze sponsor again this year! Chris is passionate about making sure that women and MEN get their screenings! In September 2021, Chris’s friend and high school classmate Matt Bowman passed away after HIS second bout with breast cancer.

05/27/2022

The Law Office of Christopher Haaff will be closed from Friday May 27 through Monday May 30 for the Memorial Day weekend.

Memorial Day began in the late 1860s as Decoration Day. Flowers were distributed at graves to honor those died in military service during the Civil War.

Please honor those who sacrificed their lives while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Place flowers at a veteran's grave, perhaps one that has no other decorations. Thank them for their service, and for your freedoms.