Cowden Adoption Lawyer, Illinois


Judy A. Baker

Trusts, Child Custody, Adoption, Collection, Estate Planning
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  32 Years

Mary Beth Welch Collins

Adoption, Divorce & Family Law, Criminal, Civil Rights
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  29 Years

M. Kirsten Crouse Bays

Adoption
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  34 Years

Duane Young

Traffic, Estate Planning, Adoption, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  51 Years

Dawn Dee Behnke

Estate Planning, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Adoption, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  26 Years

Dawn Behnke

Estate Planning, Guardianships & Conservatorships, Adoption, Elder Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  26 Years

Kelli Gordon

Landlord-Tenant, Estate Planning, Adoption, Divorce & Family Law
Status:  In Good Standing           Licensed:  26 Years

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Free Help: Use This Form or Call 800-943-8690

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800-943-8690

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LEGAL TERMS

GUARDIAN

An adult who has been given the legal right by a court to control and care for a minor or her property. Someone who looks after a child's property is called a '... (more...)
An adult who has been given the legal right by a court to control and care for a minor or her property. Someone who looks after a child's property is called a 'guardian of the estate.' An adult who has legal authority to make personal decisions for the child, including responsibility for his physical, medical and educational needs, is called a 'guardian of the person.' Sometimes just one person will be named to take care of all these tasks. An individual appointed by a court to look after an incapacitated adult may also be known as a guardian, but is more frequently called a conservator.

STEPCHILD

A child born to your spouse before your marriage whom you have not legally adopted. If you adopt the child, he or she is legally treated just like a biological ... (more...)
A child born to your spouse before your marriage whom you have not legally adopted. If you adopt the child, he or she is legally treated just like a biological offspring. Under the Uniform Probate Code, followed in some states, a stepchild belongs in the same class as a biological child and will inherit property left 'to my children.' In other states, a stepchild is not treated like a biological child unless he or she can prove that the parental relationship was established when he or she was a minor and that adoption would have occurred but for some legal obstacle.

PETITIONER

A person who initiates a lawsuit. A synonym for plaintiff, used almost universally in some states and in others for certain types of lawsuits, most commonly div... (more...)
A person who initiates a lawsuit. A synonym for plaintiff, used almost universally in some states and in others for certain types of lawsuits, most commonly divorce and other family law cases.

FAMILY COURT

A separate court, or more likely a separate division of the regular state trial court, that considers only cases involving divorce (dissolution of marriage), ch... (more...)
A separate court, or more likely a separate division of the regular state trial court, that considers only cases involving divorce (dissolution of marriage), child custody and support, guardianship, adoption, and other cases having to do with family-related issues, including the issuance of restraining orders in domestic violence cases.

CONSOLIDATED OMNIBUS BUDGET RECONCILIATION ACT (COBRA)

A federal law requiring that employers offer employees -- and their spouses and dependents -- continuing insurance coverage if their work hours are cut or they ... (more...)
A federal law requiring that employers offer employees -- and their spouses and dependents -- continuing insurance coverage if their work hours are cut or they lose their job for any reason other than gross misconduct. Courts are still in the process of determining the meaning of gross misconduct, but it's clearly more serious than poor performance or judgment. COBRA also makes an ex-spouse and children eligible to receive group rate health insurance provided by the other ex-spouse's employer for three years following a divorce.

DIVORCE

The legal termination of marriage. All states require a spouse to identify a legal reason for requesting a divorce when that spouse files the divorce papers wit... (more...)
The legal termination of marriage. All states require a spouse to identify a legal reason for requesting a divorce when that spouse files the divorce papers with the court. These reasons are referred to as grounds for a divorce.

NEXT FRIEND

A person, usually a relative, who appears in court on behalf of a minor or incompetent plaintiff, but who is not a party to the lawsuit. For example, children a... (more...)
A person, usually a relative, who appears in court on behalf of a minor or incompetent plaintiff, but who is not a party to the lawsuit. For example, children are often represented in court by their parents as 'next friends.'

CONDONATION

One person's approval of another's activities, constituting a defense to a fault divorce. For example, if a wife did not object to her husband's adultery and la... (more...)
One person's approval of another's activities, constituting a defense to a fault divorce. For example, if a wife did not object to her husband's adultery and later tries to use it as grounds for a divorce, he could argue that she had condoned his behavior and could perhaps prevent her from divorcing him on these grounds.

JOINT CUSTODY

An arrangement by which parents who do not live together share the upbringing of a child. Joint custody can be joint legal custody (in which both parents have a... (more...)
An arrangement by which parents who do not live together share the upbringing of a child. Joint custody can be joint legal custody (in which both parents have a say in decisions affecting the child) joint physical custody (in which the child spends a significant amount of time with both parents) or, very rarely, both.

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Adoption of SG v. SG

On May 22, 2008, the Champaign County circuit court entered a written order, terminating the parental rights of SG's father, Justin Hixson. In re SG, No. 06-JA-85 (Cir. Ct. Champaign Co.). The order noted the guardian administrator of respondent, the Illinois Department of ...

In re EB

... 848, 807 NE2d 472. In Illinois, the authority to involuntarily terminate parental rights is purely statutory and the scope of the court's authority is defined by the Juvenile Court Act and the Adoption Act. In re DC, 209 Ill.2d at 295, 282 Ill.Dec. 848, 807 NE2d 472. ...

In re Leona W.

... Following that hearing, a hearing officer recommended a new goal: substitute care pending a determination by the court as to whether the biological parents' parental rights should be terminated and a guardian appointed with authority to consent to LW's adoption. ...