Family Law Spring Training 2012 – From Rookie to Major League

 

Get the information you need to ensure your success as a family law practitioner with this comprehensive review of important family law essentials. Topics include: current statutory requirements for pleadings under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act; creating strong attorney-client communications; parentage pleadings; creating strategically accurate financial disclosure statements; temporary relief, custody, and support issues; antics during discovery; negotiating a reasonable settlement; avoiding tax problems in divorce cases; running your law practice like a business; and much more. The program closes with a judicial panel discussion that centers on persuading the trier of facts and maintaining appropriate attorney communications before the bench. Family law attorneys, general practitioners, and lawyers working in the child law arena – with basic to mid-level practice experience – will benefit from the information presented throughout this full-day seminar.

 

 

 

 

 

This comprehensive overview outlines the current statutory requirements of a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, Petition for Legal Separation, Petition for Declaration of Invalidity of Marriage and/or Civil Union, and Petition for Dissolution of Civil Union. Additional topics include: the required preparation for filing the pleadings (including investigation); client management and practice techniques to better facilitate attorney-client communication; and troubleshooting faulting pleadings after they are filed.  

 

This segment addresses the special considerations in parentage pleadings, including jurisdiction, statutory presumptions, voluntary acknowledgment of paternity (and its impact on pleadings), and the putative father registry. Potential complications that can arise due to adoption and/or the Services Members Relief Act are also examined.

 

 

Strategical accuracy is an important part of the financial disclosure statement process. This presentation offers tips and tricks for helping your client create strategically accurate financial disclosure statements, and also demonstrates how to persuade the bench that your client’s affidavit is more accurate than your opponent’s.

 

Get a litigator’s view on the key to successful trial practice, as well as how to use temporary relief to set the stage for your case. Topics include: custody, support, maintenance and fees, and much more!

 

 

Our seasoned practitioner offers advice on learning to expect, identify, and combat the shenanigans of opposing counsel during the discovery process.

 

There is no dispute that settlements equal happy clients and happy judges. Learn to successfully negotiate a reasonable settlement, while understanding the difference between being strong and being stupid during negotiations. Additional topics include achieving resolutions and understanding why posturing is a waste of time (and why everyone does it).

 

2:30 – 2:45 p.m. Break (refreshments provided)

 

Indentifying major tax traps is an important part of the lawyer’s role in a divorce case. Gain a better understanding of the top ten tax problems that every lawyer must be aware of with this informative session.

 

 

Persuading the trier of fact is the key to most successful practices, and family law is no exception. This judicial panel discussion illustrates how common sense truly isn’t all that common and offers practice suggestions on a myriad of issues centering on attorney communication before the bench.