Section Newsletters

Articles From Sean P. Sullivan

Reunification Therapy and How It Can Be Used to Help Children By Sean P. Sullivan Child Law, April 2025 It is the responsibility of attorneys looking to practice family law or become GAL’s to become familiar with the basics of child psychology and the various therapeutic approaches that can be utilized to help children in difficult or dangerous environments, like the unhealthy environment that prolonged separation from a parent can cause. Unfortunately, a situation that experienced family law practitioners and GAL’s face all too often. Reunification therapy is a therapeutic approach that is specifically designed to combat this very issue.
International Child Abduction: An Overlooked Form of Abuse By Sean P. Sullivan Child Law, April 2024 When a child is wrongfully detained in a foreign country by a parent, it can seem overwhelming and daunting for the custodial parent to imagine how they would ever get their child back. 
GAL’s Perspective on Proposed Amendments to 750 ILCS 5/506 Representation of a Child By Sean P. Sullivan Child Law, April 2023 Several Illinois legislators have proposed legislation to amend or alter the language of 750 ILCS 506 of the Ilinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, which governs how children are represented in the court system.
Is Grandparent Visitation a Viable Cause of Action Under the IMDMA? By Sean P. Sullivan Child Law, May 2022 Many potential clients insist that they have a right to see their grandchildren because they are a grandparent. Illinois law does not provide that simply by virtue of being a grandparent someone has a right to demand visitation with a grandchild. However, grandparents may fall into the class of “non-parents” who may have standing to seek visitation with a minor child. 
‘What Can Be Given Can Be Taken Away’: In re Parentage of D.S. By Sean P. Sullivan Child Law, October 2021 A summary and analysis of In re Parentage of D.S.

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