DuPage County, Illinois Divorce Attorneys

Lawyers Assisting With Property Division, Child Custody, and Other Divorce-Related Issues in DuPage County

For many couples in the United States, divorce is an unavoidable reality. Despite attempts that may have been made to save a marriage, a couple may find that it will be best for everyone involved to end their relationship and go their separate ways. However, doing so will require a couple to make multiple types of decisions about their shared finances, their living arrangements, their children, and other aspects of their lives. To make sure divorce-related issues will be handled correctly, it is important for a person to make sure they have legal representation from an experienced attorney.

At Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices, we provide dedicated legal help to people in DuPage County who are taking steps to end their marriages and complete the divorce process. Our attorneys understand how difficult a divorce can be, and we work to ensure that our clients will be fully prepared to address and resolve any legal issues or conflicts they may encounter. We provide practical advice on the best ways to resolve disputes between spouses, and we work to protect our clients' rights throughout every stage of a divorce.

Client-Centered Divorce Representation

Brad Giglio and Mevorah Law Offices make a great legal partner for any family.

They can handle a variety of issues related to personal, business, or family matters. Their broad team bring a diverse set of skills to handle your needs. I highly recommend their services, and trust in their abilities.

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Division of Marital Property

Some of the key issues to address during a divorce will be related to a couple's physical belongings, financial assets, and debts. When dividing marital property, Illinois law does not require couples to split their assets equally. However, it does require property to be divided in a way that is fair and equitable for both spouses.

Multiple types of property may be considered during a divorce. Anything that was acquired after a couple got married and before they were legally separated will usually be included in their marital property. All of these assets will need to be divided.

Non-marital property, which may include the property either spouse owned before getting married, inheritances or gifts that were received at any time, or items excluded from marital property by a prenuptial or postnuptial agreement, will not be divided between spouses. Each spouse will be able to maintain ownership of their respective non-marital assets. However, disputes may arise about whether property is marital or non-marital or whether the commingling of assets caused non-marital property to become marital property.

Spouses may need to address a wide range of assets and debts, including their marital home, retirement accounts and pensions, investment portfolios, vehicles, business interests, and debts. Business valuations may need to be performed to determine the value of family businesses, and decisions about continued business ownership will need to be made. Other types of appraisals may need to be performed for high-value assets. Our attorneys can help clients work with financial professionals to evaluate their assets and make decisions that will protect their financial interests.

Child Custody and Parenting Plans

When a divorcing couple has children, decisions about child custody may be some of the most important issues to address during their case. Disputes related to children can quickly become emotionally charged, especially when parents disagree about how their children should be raised, where they should live, or how other issues related to parenting should be addressed.

Decision-Making Responsibilities

One key aspect of child custody involves decision-making authority for children. Parents will need to determine how certain types of decisions will be made, including those related to:

• Education: Decisions about school enrollment, educational programs, and other academic issues.
• Healthcare: Decisions about children's medical treatment, therapy, and health-related concerns.
• Religion: Choices related to children's religious upbringing and participation in churches or other religious organizations.
• Extracurricular Activities: Decisions about children's participation in sports, music, or other organized activities.

Parents may decide that they will share equal authority in all types of decisions, or one parent may be the primary decision-maker in certain areas. Courts will usually encourage parents to put arrangements in place that will allow both parents to be involved in major decisions.

Parenting Time

Another important aspect of child custody will be related to the time that children will live or stay with each parent. A parenting time schedule will need to be created to ensure that the parents understand when their children will live with or spend time with each parent. Courts will typically try to ensure that these schedules will provide children with reasonable amounts of time with each parent while also providing for children's best interests.

What Goes Into a Parenting Plan

As part of their divorce decree, parents will need to create a parenting plan that will detail all decisions made about child custody, parenting time, and related issues. The issues addressed in a comprehensive parenting plan will typically include:

• Regular Parenting Time Schedule: The day-to-day or week-to-week schedule for where the child will reside.
• Holiday and Vacation Schedules: How children's time will be divided between parents during holidays, school breaks, and family vacations.
• Transportation: How children will be exchanged between parents while following the parenting time schedule.
• Communication: How parents will communicate with each other and how children can communicate with a parent while they are in the care of the other parent.
• Dispute Resolution: How disagreements about parenting or child-related issues will be handled in the future.

Spousal Maintenance

In some divorce cases, a spouse may need financial support to address their ongoing needs, cover their expenses, and maintain their standard of living. Financial support that is paid by one spouse to the other may be known as spousal maintenance, spousal support, or alimony. following a divorce.

Maintenance will only be awarded if a court finds that it will be necessary or if a couple agrees that it will be paid in their divorce settlement. In general, spousal support may be appropriate if one spouse earns the majority of a family's income or if a spouse who earns a lower income will be unable to fully meet their own needs.

If maintenance is awarded, a formula defined in Illinois law will be used to calculate the amount that will be paid, and this amount will be based on each party's income. The amount of time that payments will last will be based on the length of a couple's marriage. In most cases, spousal support will be paid for a fixed amount of time. There may be some situations where support payments may be reviewed after a certain number of years, or maintenance may be paid indefinitely if a couple has been married for more than 20 years or if the recipient has a disability or other issues that could prevent them from fully supporting themselves.

Contact Our DuPage County, IL Divorce Attorneys

The decisions made during a divorce will have long-lasting consequences. To make sure you are making the right decisions and are taking steps to protect your interests, you can work with the attorneys at Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices to address the legal issues during your case. Contact our DuPage County divorce lawyers today by calling 630-932-9100 to schedule a free consultation.