Recent Blog Posts
What Happens if My Child Refuses to Go With the Other Parent?
If your child refuses to go with the other parent, you're still generally required to follow your custody order. You need to encourage the visit. Simply allowing your child to skip parenting time can put you at risk of a contempt charge.
Attorneys Joel Brown and Gregory Reeder bring over 30 years of combined experience to these cases. They built their practice on honesty, integrity, and great customer service. If you're dealing with this stressful situation in 2026, our Joliet, IL family law attorneys can help you understand your obligations and options.
Are You Legally Required to Force Your Child to Go With Their Other Parent?
You are generally required to follow the parenting-time schedule in your court order. This means you should make reasonable efforts to have your child available and encourage them to spend the scheduled time with the other parent.
What is the Difference Between Assault and Battery in Illinois?
In Illinois, assault means putting someone in reasonable fear of being physically harmed. Battery means actually causing physical contact that is harmful or offensive. These terms are often used interchangeably in 2026. But they cover two different types of conduct under Illinois law. Understanding this difference means knowing what you're actually being accused of and how to respond. Our Plainfield, IL assault and battery defense lawyers can help you understand exactly what charge you're facing.
How Does Illinois Law Define Assault?
Illinois defines assault under 720 ILCS 5/12-1. This offense doesn't require any physical contact at all. Instead, it requires that you knowingly engaged in conduct that placed another person in reasonable fear of receiving a battery. This means someone can be charged with assault simply for making a threatening gesture. Raising a fist or lunging toward someone, even if no contact ever occurred, is often enough.
How Can You Enforce the Terms of Your Divorce Decree?
When a divorce is finalized, the court enters a divorce decree that both parties are legally required to follow. But having a court order and actually getting the other party to follow it are two very different things. If your ex-spouse is not paying child support, ignoring a property division order, violating a parenting agreement, or failing to pay spousal support, you have legal options to force compliance. If you are dealing with an uncooperative ex in 2026, the Joliet, IL post-divorce enforcement lawyers at Reeder & Brown, P.C. can help you take action.
What Are the Most Common Violations of a Divorce Decree?
Violations come in many forms, and some are more obvious than others. Knowing what counts as a violation helps you understand when it is time to take legal action.
What Happens if You Refuse a Breath Test During a DUI Stop in Illinois?
Refusing a breath test does not make a DUI charge go away. Unfortunately, it comes with its own consequences. But it also removes one of the most powerful pieces of evidence the prosecution would otherwise have against you. If you’ve been charged in 2026, our Plainfield, IL DUI defense lawyers can help you figure out the best path forward from here.
Illinois operates under what is called an implied consent law. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-501.1, when you drive on Illinois roads, you automatically agree to submit to chemical testing. This can include a breath, blood, or urine test if an officer lawfully arrests you for DUI. You can refuse, but the law treats that refusal as a violation of that agreement. That’s when the consequences kick in automatically.
How Long Will I Have To Pay Alimony in Illinois?
How long you will have to pay alimony, known as spousal support or maintenance in Illinois, depends largely on how long you were married. Illinois law uses a formula that ties the duration of alimony directly to the length of the marriage. Several factors can also change how a judge handles it in your specific case. If you are going through a divorce in 2026 and trying to understand what you might owe, Will County, IL divorce lawyers can help you get a clear picture of what to expect.
How Does Illinois Calculate How Long Spousal Maintenance Lasts?
Illinois uses a formula under 750 ILCS 5/504 to figure out how long maintenance should last. The formula multiplies the length of the marriage by a percentage that goes up the longer the marriage lasts. Some examples of how it works in practice include:
Can Prescription Pills Lead to Criminal Drug Charges?
Prescription pills can lead to criminal drug charges in Illinois, and it can happen to people who never expected to find themselves in this situation. Having a pill bottle with your name on it does not always protect you from arrest. The circumstances around how you got the medication, how you are carrying it, and what the police think you plan to do with it all matter under Illinois law.
If you are facing charges related to prescription medication in 2026, our Joliet, IL drug crimes defense lawyers at Reeder & Brown, P.C. are here to help you figure out where you stand and what to do next.
Can You Be Arrested for Having Prescription Pills in Illinois?
Under the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, prescription medications are treated as controlled substances. That means they are subject to the same possession laws as other drugs. Having a prescription gives you the legal right to possess that medication in the amount your doctor ordered. However, there are situations where even a prescribed drug can lead to an arrest.
Do You Have To Live Separately Before Divorce in Illinois?
You do not have to live in separate homes before getting divorced in Illinois. Many people are relieved to learn that you can file for divorce even if you and your spouse still live in the same house. Illinois law focuses on whether the marriage has broken down due to irreconcilable differences. If you are considering divorce in 2026, our Plainfield, IL divorce lawyers can help you understand your rights and what to expect.
Do You Have To Live Separately To File for Divorce in Illinois?
Illinois law does not require spouses to live in different homes before filing for divorce. Under 750 ILCS 5/401(a), the only legal ground for divorce is irreconcilable differences. This means the marriage has broken down beyond repair.
The court does not require proof that one spouse moved out. Instead, the court looks at whether the relationship has ended emotionally and practically. This means you can begin the divorce process while still living in the same residence.
Your Miranda Rights and Your Illinois Criminal Charges
Many people have heard the phrase "you have the right to remain silent," but fewer understand how Miranda rights actually work during real police questioning. These rights matter because statements made early in a criminal case can strongly affect what happens next.
In 2025, the American Psychological Association highlighted that police-induced confessions can be risky and may contribute to wrongful convictions. Safeguards like Miranda warnings and recorded interviews are so important.
As of 2026, Illinois courts continue to closely examine how police questioning is handled, especially when statements are central to the prosecution’s case. If police have questioned you or charged you with a crime, speaking with Will County, IL criminal defense lawyers early can help protect your rights.
How Does Paternity Affect Custody and Parenting Time in Illinois?
Paternity plays a major role in child custody and parenting time cases in Illinois. Until legal paternity is established, a father may have no enforceable rights, even if he has been involved in the child’s life from the start. If you have concerns about your parental rights, our Plainfield, IL child custody lawyers can help. Once paternity is established, you can focus on what matters most, your child’s best interests.
Why Is Paternity Important for Custody and Parenting Time in Illinois?
Paternity does more than confirm biology. It establishes legal parenthood. Without it, an unmarried father has no automatic right to parenting time or even a say in major decisions about his child's life. This is true regardless of his relationship with that child.
Once paternity is established, the legal landscape changes entirely. Both parents can petition the court for parenting time, decision-making authority, and child support. Paternity opens the door to rights, but it also creates enforceable responsibilities like financial support and following court orders.
When Does a Home Become a ‘Drug House’ Under Illinois Law?
Illinois law takes drug-related property crimes very seriously, and one of the most misunderstood offenses occurs when a home is labeled a "drug house." In some cases, even when the owner of the house never touched narcotics or sold drugs and was not personally arrested, the house could be designated as a drug house. Under Illinois law (740 ILCS 40/), a property becomes a designated drug house when it is used for the manufacturing, storing, selling, or delivering of controlled substances.
Prosecutors can pursue drug charges based on patterns of activity, guest behavior, or even a roommate's actions. This can lead to felony charges, property forfeiture, eviction, and other significant collateral consequences. Unfortunately, many people charged with this offense never knew drug activity was occurring inside their home or were unaware that they could be held criminally responsible for someone else’s behavior. If you are being charged with having a "drug house," an experienced Plainfield, IL drug crimes attorney can help you achieve the best possible outcome.
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From our office in Joliet, Illinois we serve the communities of Plainfield, Lockport, Crest Hill, New Lenox, Mokena, Romeoville, Homer Glen, Bolingbrook, Naperville, Aurora and Will County.
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