Choose whether or not to include highlighting and notes in the print view. Depending on your browser, you may have to change print options to include background colors.
List of Forms by Chapter
Chapter 1 — Maintenance
II. Statute
III. Award of Maintenance
IV. [1.32] Maintenance Guidelines
V. [1.37] Types of Maintenance
VI. [1.42] Collection of Maintenance and Life Insurance as Security
VII. [1.45] Modification, Termination, or Review of Maintenance
Chapter 2 — Premarital Agreements
Chapter 3 — Postnuptial Agreements
II. [3.2] Types of Postnuptial Agreements in Illinois
IV. Appendix — Sample Provisions
Chapter 4 — Property Considerations upon Dissolution and Declaration of Invalidity
I. Basic Principles of Equitable Distribution
II. Classification of Property
III. Classification and Treatment of Specific Types of Property
IV. Factors Considered in Proportional Division of Marital Assets
Chapter 5 — Bankruptcy
II. Conflicts Created by the Intersection of Bankruptcy and Divorce
Chapter 6 — Qualified Domestic Relations Orders and Other Considerations for Retirement Plan Assets upon Dissolution
III. American Bar Association Task Force
IV. [6.7] Qualified Domestic Relations Orders
V. Administrative Provisions
VI. Qualified Domestic Relations Order Tax Treatment
VII. Qualified Domestic Relations Order Practical Considerations
VIII. Use of Individual Retirement Accounts
IX. Problem Areas
XI. Appendix
Chapter 7 — Marital Settlement Agreements
II. Statutory Provisions
V. [7.28] Model Paragraphs for Use in a Marital Settlement Agreement
Chapter 8 — Tax Aspects of Dissolution and Separation
I. Essential Internal Revenue Code and Related References
II. Alimony, Child Support, and Dependency Exemption Provisions of the Domestic Relations Tax System
III. Property Settlements and Transfers Under the Domestic Relations Tax System
IV. Tools To “Straighten Out” Tax Problems Stemming from Marital Settlement Agreements and/or Premarital and/or Postnuptial Agreements
Chapter 9 — Unique Employee Benefits: Stock Options, Employee Stock Ownership Plans, Etc.Erin B. Bodendorfer is an associate at Katz & Stefani, LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on family law. She was appointed to serve on the Cook County Circuit Court’s Domestic Relations Division’s Rules and Forms Committee (2015) and on the Family Law Subcommittee of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice Forms Committee (2018). Ms. Bodendorfer coauthored The New and Improved Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act, Illinois Bar Journal, November 2015. She earned her B.A. cum laude from Loyola University Chicago and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she earned a Certificate in Tax Law.
Gregory K. Brown is a Shareholder at Polsinelli PC in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), fiduciary matters, tax-qualified retirement plans, executive compensation, and ERISA litigation. Beyond his law practice, Mr. Brown is a regular writer and speaker on a range of topics regarding employee benefits law. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the ESOP Association and Chair Emeritus of the ESOP subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Section of Taxation. He also is a Past Chair of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Employee Benefits Section Council and the Chicago Bar Association’s Employee Benefits Committee. He is a Charter Fellow of the American College of Employee Benefits Counsel. He has been included in THE BEST LAWYERS IN AMERICA (1995 – 2020), Best Lawyers in America guide, Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law (1995 – 2020), and the Top Employment Attorneys — Human Resources Executive magazine (2012 – 2018). He received his B.S. from the University of Kentucky and his J.D. from the University of Illinois.
Christopher K. Buch is a Shareholder at Polsinelli PC, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on employee benefits and executive compensation. Mr. Buch regularly writes for national publications and speaks at national conferences on employee stock ownership plans, executive compensation, and employee benefits matters. He is a member of the ESOP Association, the Employee-owned S Corporations of America, the National Center for Employee Ownership, and the Chicago Bar Association, Employee Benefits Committee. He received his B.S. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law.
Amanda Clayman is a Senior Partner at Katz & Stefani, LLC, in Chicago, where she concentrates her practice in family law. She is admitted to practice in Illinois, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Ms. Clayman received her B.A. from Middlebury College and her J.D. from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Mitchell B. Gordon is a Founding Partner of Bradford & Gordon, LLC, a well-respected family law practice in Chicago. He approaches his cases with the goal of problem-solving through the understanding that each client has a unique set of circumstances, and he works closely with his clients to find reasonable and practical solutions. In addition to his litigation background, he has extensive experience conducting settlement conferences and drafting marital settlement agreements, parenting agreements, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Furthermore, he is a skilled appellate advocate, having litigated numerous family law cases at the appellate court level. Gordon was named a Litigator of the Year by the American Institute of Trial Lawyers in 2020 and has been recognized for more than 10 consecutive years by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine as one of the “Top Young Lawyers in Illinois” and as one of the “Ten Best Attorneys in Illinois for Client Satisfaction” by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. In 2011, he was honored with IICLE®’s inaugural Rising Star Award. For more than a decade, Gordon has taught courses through IICLE® on various areas of family law including child support, the use of social media in litigation, parental alienation, contribution to college education, the determination of income in divorce, removing children from the State of Illinois, bankruptcy and divorce, dissipation of assets, child support enforcement, ethics, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, same-sex marriage, and nontraditional visitation arrangements. He has been quoted as a legal expert in Money Magazine, Fast Company, VICE News, and Good Morning America, among others, and has appeared as a legal commentator on NBC, Fox, and other local, national, and international news networks. Gordon received his BA from the University of Iowa and his JD from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Joshua M. Jackson is a Partner at Jackson Buckley & Pfanenstiel in Lake Forest, where he focuses on family law. Mr. Jackson has been recognized in Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s Forty Under Forty (2018), Best Lawyers in America (2016 – 2022), and Illinois Super Lawyers (2022 – 2023). Mr. Jackson earned his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law, where he was a member of the Brehon Law Society.
P. André Katz is Principal at Katz & Stefani, LLC, in Chicago, and concentrates his practice on family law. House Speaker Michael Madigan named Mr. Katz Chair of the Illinois Family Law Study Committee, which was enacted by House Resolution 1101. He was also named as one of the 40 Illinois Attorneys Under Age Forty to Watch by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company in 2000. Mr. Katz coauthored The New and Improved Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act for the Illinois Bar Journal. He received his B.A. with distinction from the University of Wisconsin and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he was published in its law journal.
David P. Leibowitz is a Managing Member of Law Office of David P. Leibowitz, LLC — Lakelaw in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on bankruptcy. He is a recipient of the Excellence in Pro Bono Service Award from the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois (2006); the Liberty Bell Award from the Circuit Court of the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit (2010); and the Annual Service Award from the American Bankruptcy Institute for his work with its Consumer Bankruptcy Extravaganza (2023). Mr. Leibowitz received his BA from Northwestern University and his JD cum laude from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Claire R. McKenzie is a Senior Partner at Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP, in Chicago, where she concentrates her practice in family law. She is a certified public accountant and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and she has been recognized by the Best Lawyers in America (2011 – 2023) and Super Lawyers (2012 – 2023). Ms. McKenzie earned her B.S. cum laude and with university honors from Northern Illinois University and her J.D. cum laude from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Patrick T. Ryan is a Partner at Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP, in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in family law. He is a Certified Financial Planner and holds a Mediation Certificate from Northwestern University. He is also a board member of the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center at the DePaul University College of Law. Mr. Ryan earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from the DePaul University College of Law.
Daniel R. Stefani is a Principal with the firm of Katz & Stefani, LLC, in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on family law. He has been an author for Chicago Lawyer Magazine since 2008 and a repeated author for the Illinois State and American Bar Associations. He has also been named to Leading Lawyers and Super Lawyers for over 15 years. He earned his B.A. from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
Justin R. Storer is a Partner at the Law Office of William J. Factor, Ltd., in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on bankruptcy. He is a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Illinois State Bar Association. Mr. Storer earned his BS from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and his JD from the DePaul University College of Law.
Katherine Welz Herr is an associate at Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on family law. She has been recognized as a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers (2021 – 2023) and One to Watch by Best Lawyers (2022 – 2023). Ms. Welz Herr earned her B.A. summa cum laude from Benedictine University and her J.D. cum laude from the DePaul University College of Law.
Ashley D. Wood is a Partner at Katz & Stefani, LLC, where she concentrates her practice in family law. She is a member of the Illinois State and Chicago Bar Associations and a board member of the Children’s Home and Aid Society of Illinois Emerging Leaders Board. She has also been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers since 2019. Ms. Wood received her B.S. from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. from University of Notre Dame, where she received the Judge Joseph D. Mahoney Award for Outstanding Leadership.
An IICLE® Online Library subscription is required to view this content. For more information or to subscribe, click here.
Free monthly e-updates in 15 practice areas