There are two main and different considerations in regard to life insurance and divorce proceedings. First, if the parties have minor children and/or a party is obligated to pay child support, maintenance (also known as alimony) or property payments then the court may order or the marital settlement agreement will likely include language that requires a party to obtain or maintain life insurance for the duration of the financial obligation to the other party. While this may seem like an unfair obligation, the courts have determined that the burden placed on the party who has a duty to make the payment far outweighs the possibility of the other party or family members to seek state or federal government aid after the death of a party that still has an existing obligation.
Second, if a party has no financial obligations to the other party after a divorce, then each party must also keep in mind that obtaining a divorce in Illinois does not automatically remove the former spouse as a beneficiary to a policy and each life insurance policy should be awarded to one party. It is important to ensure that settlement terms are clear as to which party is being awarded which life insurance policy, as changes (such as beneficiary) will have to be made after the case is finalized. Oftentimes, there are also cash values or monthly payments that must be made to ensure continuing coverage or payout, so clear guidance from a family law attorney on the life insurance policy aspect of a divorce is important since the long-term future ramifications can be significant. Contact the knowledgeable attorneys at WARD FAMILY LAW, LLC, to learn more about life insurance in divorce.
I am writing a review because I think a lot of times people make the same mistake that I did at the beginning of my case. I had a wonderful talk with Jennifer before my case started and I was very comfortable with her demeanor and her explanations of the Chicago Divorce process. I decided to go with another lawyer because the retainer was a little lower. Big mistake. I didn’t really like the lawyer when we spoke but I was more focused on the money instead of the big picture. I felt like there was no communication during my…
My Husband, now ex, and I wanted a friendly, fast divorce. We had nothing to fight about and nothing really to divide. We thought that would make it easy but when we saw all the paperwork we knew that we needed help. It takes one piece of paper to get married and 100 pieces of paper to get divorced in Chicago!! Ward Family Law made the divorce a smooth process for us and got it done faster than we thought. If you want to be friends with your ex but still want the divorce then look no further and call…
I had a very complicated divorce with a lot of family-owned businesses and assets. Jennifer and her team of professionals help navigate the formal discovery and litigation process with great knowledge, strategy, and patience with all our questions. My family was very concerned about the impact and outcome and we are all pleased with the results. From the appraisers to the business valuators, Jennifer utilized the right people at the right time to shore up our case for the best settlement position at pre-trial. We were happy with the Judge's recommendations, we believe, based on all her hard work and…
Highly recommended! We waited until the last minute to get our prenup done. Jennifer stepped in and got everything put together. We got to focus on the wedding and she got our prenup drafted and finalized with time to spare. If you want professional, trustworthy and thorough then go to Ward Family Law.
My girlfriend and I had a baby and broke up just after he was born. I did not realize that I was not automatically the dad in the Chicago system even though I was on the birth certificate. I am glad I reached out to Jennifer - she explained the process for unmarried parents and options to establish me as the Dad through paternity in the court system. She also helped with parenting time. Huge thank you.
It was harder than I thought to find the right family lawyer for me. She understood the underlying issues presented by my family and her being educated on the LGTBQIA2S+ community is hugely important to us. Strongly recommend her and the Ward Family Law team to anyone looking for the perfect fit for ALL
I knew that our custody case was going to be long and we would both be fighting hard for our kids. What I did not know is that the laws in Chicago had changed for custody and how that is handled in court. Jennifer took the time to explain the new legal terms like allocation judgment and parenting time and decision making and the steps that a case will require when the parents do not agree on anything for the kids. Once she knew how I felt and what I wanted, Jennifer and her legal team worked hard for me…
My boyfriend and I had a kid a few years ago. He was on the birth certificate so I thought we were fine and we were not. When it came time to get child support I needed to establish him as the dad with the court. After talking to WARD Family Law I knew that I needed a lawyer to get the paternity test, get child support and other money from him and set a schedule. They helped me understand how to help move the case forward so that we could get it over quickly and I really needed the…
I chose to hire Jennifer Ward after speaking with attorneys at several different firms. I chose her because 1) She's brutally honest, even when information being shared may not be what you want to hear. 2) She's very intelligent and experienced. 3) She's dedicated and tough as nails. On our initial phone call, after I'd shared with her some details of my separation, she shared some truths that hurt but were necessary for me to hear. I knew she wasn't going to be someone to hold my hand and soothe me (I have friends and a therapist for that!), but…
Jennifer represented me during a very difficult case and time in my life. I cannot thank her enough for her thorough representation of my case. She is definitely someone I would highly recommend to others!
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