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Family Law

Key Questions to Ask When Choosing the Best Divorce Lawyer

Divorce is a challenging period, therefore you must always make sure your best interests are served. A Chicago divorce lawyer may assist with all facets of a marriage’s breakdown, such as property split, support, parenting time, and child custody. In addition, a Chicago family law company may help with other connected issues including adoption, restraining orders, legal separation, and protection.

The procedure might be less stressful and perplexing with the help of an experienced divorce attorney in Chicago, Illinois. After reviewing your case, your Chicago divorce lawyer can decide if a settlement or trial would be the most effective way to address all of the concerns.

When one spouse submits a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage to the local court, the procedure starts. The documents must be served to the other spouse, who has 30 days to respond. After that, your Chicago family law lawyer will assist you in completing and submitting the necessary documentation to start the divorce process.

Since Illinois is a no-fault state, the filing spouse can get a divorce without having to provide evidence of the other spouse’s culpability. Rather, the parties must demonstrate that the marriage has failed due to irreconcilable differences. There is an inherent inference that the condition of irreconcilable differences has been satisfied if the spouses live apart for six months before a decision dissolving the marriage is entered.

The spouses are required to reveal their assets and financial information in addition to completing the required legal documentation. An affidavit detailing all income, assets, and obligations must be filled out by both parties. A formal discovery procedure could be required to look into any disagreements or allegations of asset concealment. Following the identification of all assets and obligations, your Chicago divorce lawyer may assist you in negotiating a reasonable property settlement.

Time Spent Parenting and Child Custody
You will need to deal with child custody and visitation (now known as “parenting time” in Illinois) if you have children. Usually, the child’s best interests are taken into consideration while making decisions on these matters. The “income shares model,” a formula that takes into account each party’s earnings to ensure that the child receives a standard of living comparable to what they would have had if the marriage had never ended, is a guideline that the Illinois legislature has established regarding child support.

Your Chicago divorce attorney will go over all of the documentation you and your spouse are required to provide during the divorce procedure. Following that, you and your spouse will meet with your attorney for a pretrial conference when you will each submit to the judge your suggested solutions to all of the unresolved concerns in your case. At this stage, the majority of cases are settled by a judge’s decision or by an agreement between the parties. Your Chicago divorce lawyer will get ready for trial in order to present your case and fight for you if it doesn’t settle.