Best Divorce Lawyers Near Me

Best Divorce Lawyers Near Me

If you’re facing a divorce, protecting your financial and parental rights is key. Divorce is a major transition as well as a complex legal matter, which makes working closely with one of the best divorce lawyers near you from the outset critical. 

The Terms of Your Unique Divorce

No two families are exactly alike, and neither are any two divorces. Your divorce will, however, need to address the same terms addressed by others, including:

• The division of marital property, including assets and debts
• Child custody arrangements, which is parental responsibilities in Illinois, including decision-making and parenting time
• Child support
• Maintenance or Alimony 
• Valuation of business interests

Dividing Your Marital Property

In Illinois, those assets that couples acquire while married are deemed marital assets, and who made the purchase has no bearing. These marital assets must be distributed between the spouses equitably – or fairly – in the event of divorce. To make this division fair, wide-ranging factors are taken into consideration.

Establishing Parental Responsibilities

Parental responsibilities address the matters of parenting time and decisions on behalf of the children, and the kind of decisions involved include those related to all the following:

• Where the children make their primary home
• The health care the children receive
• Where the children attend school or daycare
• The extracurricular activities and travel the children participate in
• The children’s religious upbringing

The decision-making aspect of parental responsibilities can be shared by both parents, or one parent can be solely responsible for making these primary decisions.

Determining Parenting Time

Parenting time determines the schedule by which the children will divide their time between both parents. While parenting time schedules can vary considerably, they are all contained within the following two classifications:

• Both parents divide their time with the children relatively equally
• One parent takes on the primary role with the majority of the parenting time while the other has more limited time with the children

Calculating Child Support

Divorce does not alter a parent’s financial responsibility to their children, and child support is the state’s tool for ensuring that each parent contributes according to their financial resources. The primary factors when it comes to calculating child support are each parent’s income and the amount of parenting time each parent has.

Resolving the Issue of Spousal Maintenance

Only when the terms of divorce leave one spouse unable to continue supporting themself at or near the standard of living achieved during the marriage – while the other spouse has the financial ability to help – does alimony or maintenance come into play. Spousal maintenance typically lasts only long enough for the recipient to become more financially independent through further education or job training.

Consult with One of the Best Divorce Lawyers near You for the Help You Need Today

The seasoned Illinois divorce attorneys at WARD FAMILY LAW, LLC, are well prepared to help smoothly guide you through the divorce process – with your rights intact and with divorce terms that support you and your children’s future. For more information about what we can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.