At NextLevel Law we believe in justice in and out of the office. Please join us in congratulating our Founder and Principal Attorney, Daniel R. Hernandez, on his appointment as Commissioner on the Chicago Commission on Human Relations.

When a marriage ends in a separation or divorce, one of the decisions the court will have to make is who gets primary custody of the child and who gets visitation rights. This is known as a child custody decree, and both parties are required by law to abide by its terms.

However, it is important to note that child custody may require changing. One of the reasons the court may be open to modifying an existing custody order is abuse by the other parent. But, how do you prove it?

Here are three signs that can help you prove abuse during your child custody modification case.

Half of all marriages ending in divorce is a statistic that has been around so long that people automatically consider it gospel. However, reality tells a different story.

In reality, marriage being a half-and-half proposition potentially ending in divorce would discourage the most eager bride or groom-to-be. The percent of marriages that end goes beyond what is considered a flawed statistic. In reality, the long-held percentage is meaningless.

Crunching the divorce numbers

The 2019 American Community Survey provides the most recent data, putting divorce rates at nearly 15 per 1,000 marriages. That represents the lowest number going back more than 50 years. Drilling down to year-by-year numbers presents significant complications.

Recognizing that your marriage is coming to an end can be difficult to come to terms with. Once you have done everything in your power to make it work, divorce may be the only viable option.

The divorce process is never easy, but there are ways to ease the strain. Taking preparatory steps can help negotiations over property division, child custody and spousal support run much more smoothly. Outlined below are some simple measures that could ease the stress of your divorce.

Get on top of your finances

Even a more amicable divorce could result in your finances taking a hit. However, being prepared for this could help to limit any negative consequences. Allocating some time to examine how much savings you have, what your debt situation looks like as well as checking your credit score will all be worthwhile. You will be required to present an overview of your financial situation to the court, and having everything to hand will make this much easier.

In many areas, such as in the workplace, discrimination against the LGBTQ community is illegal. All people are supposed to have the same options and get the same treatment, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In practice, however, this does not happen all the time. Many people within this community still face a tremendous amount of discrimination. It can be disheartening for them to feel like they're not making progress or getting the types of freedoms that are guaranteed to them by law.

One thing to consider may be the presence of additional factors that can make this discrimination even worse. Some studies have reported that people with multiple factors may be discriminated against much more often.