Top Chicago Divorce Attorney

Top Chicago Divorce Attorney

Divorce is never easy, but it happens with considerable regularity across marriages at every financial level and within every social group. If you are facing a divorce, you are facing both an emotional journey and a complicated legal concern, which makes working closely with a top Chicago divorce attorney a great place to start. 

The Terms of Your Divorce

While your divorce will be as unique as a fingerprint, the terms addressed (as applicable to the circumstances of your divorce) will be the same as those addressed in every other divorce, including:

• The division of your marital assets
• Parental responsibilities, decision-making and parenting time 
• Child support
• Spousal support (also known as spousal maintenance and alimony)

The Division of Your Marital Assets

Your marital assets refer to all those properties and things of value that you and your spouse acquire over the course of your marriage (as offset by your debts). These assets must be divided between you equitably upon divorce, and in this context, equitably means fairly – once the circumstances deemed relevant by the court are factored in. While the separate property that you brought into your marriage with you and kept separate throughout will remain separate, the dividing line between separate and marital property can be difficult to maintain throughout the years of a busy marriage. 

Your Parental Responsibilities and Parenting Time

Parental responsibilities refer to who will make the important, overarching parenting decisions moving forward, including those related to the following:

• Your children’s schooling
• Your children’s religious upbringing
• Your children’s health care
• Your children’s extracurricular activities

Parenting time determines when you have your children and when they will be with their other parent. If you can agree on a schedule between yourselves, you can get as creative as you would like with it, but if the court is required to weigh in, you can expect a standard parenting time schedule. 

Child Support

The calculation of child support is generally straightforward and follows state guidelines. The factors that are generally weighted the heaviest in the calculation process include the number of overnights each of you has with the children and you and your ex’s incomes (relative to one another). Illinois uses the income shares model in calculating child support, which also takes in account how many overnights each party has in regards to a division of parenting time. 

Spousal Support / Maintenance

Spousal support or maintenance is now a statutory calculation that takes many factors into consideration, including income and duration of the marriage. This issue can often be a contentious issue in divorce cases that can prolong the process in many situations. 

It’s Time to Consult with a Top Chicago Divorce Attorney

If you are either headed toward divorce or are already facing divorce, the top Chicago divorce attorneys at WARD FAMILY LAW recognize the gravity of your situation and are well prepared to skillfully advocate for your case’s most advantageous resolution. To learn more about what we can do to help you, please do not hesitate to contact us today.