Top Chicago Divorce Attorneys

Top Chicago Divorce Attorneys

Divorce is never easy. In fact, divorce tends to be one of life’s more difficult transitions. If you have made the decision that you need a divorce or are already facing a divorce, turn to one of the top Chicago divorce attorneys for the professional legal guidance you need.

Parental Responsibility

One of the primary elements of every divorce that involves children is your child custody arrangements, which are called parental responsibilities.  Parental responsibilities include both decision-making and parenting time in the State of Illinois. The decision-making aspect of Parental responsibilities refer to the responsibility of making important big-picture decisions on behalf of your children, including decisions about the following:

• Your children’s education
• Your children’s religious upbringing
• Your children’s medical care
• Your children’s extracurriculars

In addition to decision-making in regards to parental responsibilities is parenting time, which correlates closely with what you probably think of as physical custody and visitation. Parenting time can be divided evenly between you and your children’s other parent, or nearly any other variance of a parenting schedule.

In the end, you and your divorcing spouse are free to create whatever kind of parenting plan that works for you and that you are able to mutually agree upon. Because parenting time tends to be a hot-button issue, however, this can be a tall order. If you exhaust your negotiation options without reaching a consensus, you’ll need to turn to the court to decide on your behalf. 

Division of Marital Property

Those assets and properties that you and your spouse acquire together during your marriage are considered marital property, which is to be divided equitably in the event of a divorce. Equitably means dividing the assets in a fair manner (taking the unique circumstances involved into consideration). Separate property, which is also known as non-marital property, for example, those assets you bring into the marriage with you and keep separate – remains separate, but the dividing line between marital and separate, non-marital property is rarely as clear as you might think. 

Child Support

Parents are required to support their children financially throughout their childhood years, and when children’s parents aren’t together, that financial support flows through child support, which is calculated according to state guidelines.  Illinois now utilizes a model called the Income Shares Model, which takes the income of each party into consideration along with how much parenting time each parent is awarded.

Alimony / Spousal Support / Maintenance

If one ex-spouse will experience a financial slump upon divorce, while the other has the funds to help, the court may order alimony, spousal support or maintenance. These payments are generally intended to help the payee find more stable financial footing and begin supporting himself or herself independently.

Reach out to a Top Chicago Divorce Attorney Today

Divorce concerns are serious concerns, but the accomplished Chicago divorce attorneys at WARD FAMILY LAW LLC have the experience, legal insight, and drive to help you obtain divorce terms that work for you and your children. To learn more about how we can help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.