Skokie Divorce Attorneys

Every divorce is unique because all the factors that go into it are unique, too. You should beware of any law firm that tries to give your case a cookie-cutter solution. Instead, you should work with our Skokie divorce lawyers, who always take a personalized approach to a divorce case. We sit down with you to get a full understanding of the situation and discuss your expectations and goals. No matter how complicated your case might seem now, please know that we can handle it. 

We are here to help with all aspects of your divorce, including:

• Alimony: A court can approve alimony or spousal maintenance if one spouse made significantly more income than the other. The purpose of alimony is to allow both spouses to continue to enjoy the standard of living that existed during the marriage.
• Child support: Children are also deserving of the same standard of living after their parents get a divorce. Child support is paid by one ex-spouse to the other to help ensure that the children still have access to day-to-day care, special interests, sports activities, and so on. Child support must be used for the benefit of the child, not necessarily the entire household.
• Child custody: The court will decide which parent should be allowed to make important decisions and live with their children. From the beginning, the court will want to assign child custody rights to both parents because it is generally accepted that children feel happier in a household with two parental figures if that is what they expect.
• Visitation: A parent who does not have the parental rights to live with their child after a divorce can still receive visitation rights. For example, they might be given the right to visit their child on weekends, holidays, and special occasions.
• Property division: In Illinois, marital property must be divided by equitable distribution rules. The property that you acquired during the marriage will be split based on what is fair, not what is equal. Separate property that belongs solely to you should not be divided.

How to File for Divorce

Our Skokie divorce attorneys believe that filing for divorce should be a simple process. If you are feeling like it is time to end your marriage for the better, but you are worried about the legal steps to make that happen, please come to our firm today. We can guide you through divorce, starting with the first steps to begin one.

Five first steps of any divorce in Illinois will include:

• Wait to file: In Illinois, you cannot file for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences unless you have been separated from your spouse for at least 24 months. However, the waiting period can be reduced to 6 months if you and your spouse both agree to an uncontested divorce and sign a waiver.
• Make the divorce papers: While the waiting period is pending, you can come to our Skokie divorce attorneys for legal help. We can begin making the divorce papers or the “petition for dissolution of marriage” in advance. This way, you can be ready to file as soon as possible.
• File the petition: We can file your petition or divorce papers with the right court. The petition will be ready for filing once it accurately reflects why you want a divorce and what you want out of it, such as how you would like marital property to be split. Matters relating to your children can be discussed, but the court must review them with the most current information possible.
• Serve the divorce papers: After the court accepts the divorce petition, it will need to be officially served to the other spouse or respondent. We can help you arrange for the papers to be served.
• Get a response: Before the divorce case kicks off and starts developing further, you will need to get a response from your spouse. The response can either say that they approve of the divorce petition, which makes it an uncontested divorce. Or it can say that they disagree with some of it, which makes it a contested divorce.