When a family law problem develops, the legal questions are often intertwined with practical concerns. Where will your children live? What happens to the family home? How will two households be supported? What should you do if your former spouse is not following an existing court order?
Keller Legal Services represents individuals and families in Downers Grove and throughout DuPage County in divorce and family law matters. For more than 30 years, our attorneys have helped clients address the legal, financial, and parenting issues that can arise when family circumstances change.
Our approach begins with understanding what is actually at stake. Some clients need to prepare for a divorce. Others are already involved in litigation, need to establish parenting arrangements, or are returning to court because circumstances have changed. Keller Legal Services helps clients understand Illinois law, evaluate their options, and determine a practical strategy for moving forward.
Family law covers a wide range of legal relationships and disputes. Although divorce is a significant part of our practice, a person does not necessarily need to be married or getting divorced to need a family lawyer.
Our family law attorneys assist with matters involving:
The issues frequently overlap. A divorce involving minor children, for example, may require the spouses to address property, support, parenting time, decision-making responsibilities, and other matters before the marriage can be dissolved.
The objective is to identify those issues early and understand how decisions about one part of the case may affect another.
Ending a marriage requires more than deciding that the relationship is over. A divorce must also separate the legal and financial relationship between spouses.
Depending on the circumstances, questions may include what happens to the home, how retirement accounts will be treated, whether maintenance is appropriate, how debts will be allocated, and what parenting arrangements will apply.
Keller Legal Services represents clients through the Illinois divorce process, including negotiations, mediation, discovery, contested hearings, and trial when necessary.
Clients whose primary concern is ending their marriage can also find more location-specific information on our Downers Grove divorce attorneys page.
Many divorces are ultimately resolved through an agreement rather than a trial.
Settlement can give spouses greater control over the terms of their divorce and may reduce the time and expense associated with contested litigation. It can also be particularly valuable when parents will need to continue communicating after the marriage ends.
That does not mean an agreement should be reached simply for the sake of avoiding court. Before agreeing to terms, a person should understand the financial and legal consequences.
If meaningful disagreements remain, the court can decide contested issues. Keller Legal Services helps clients evaluate when compromise is productive and when continued advocacy is necessary.
One of the most consequential parts of many divorces is determining how the marital estate will be divided.
Illinois does not require an automatic 50/50 division. Under 750 ILCS 5/503, courts classify property as marital or non-marital and divide marital property in “just proportions” after considering statutory factors.
That distinction can become important when spouses own:
An asset being titled in one spouse’s name does not necessarily mean that spouse will keep it in a divorce. Likewise, property owned before marriage does not always make the analysis simple if marital and non-marital funds were later combined.
Our page on property division in Illinois divorce addresses these issues in greater detail, while clients concerned about loans, credit cards, and other liabilities can review information about dividing debt during divorce.
Spousal maintenance may also become important when the parties leave a marriage in substantially different financial positions.
Illinois law considers several factors when determining whether maintenance is appropriate. If maintenance is awarded, additional rules govern its amount and duration.
The financial analysis may be especially important after a longer marriage, when there is a substantial income disparity, or when one spouse’s employment opportunities have been affected by decisions made during the marriage.
Our maintenance and alimony resource provides more information about how Illinois approaches spousal support.
For parents, a family law case often changes the structure of the family without changing the importance of both parents’ relationships with their children.
Illinois law uses the term “allocation of parental responsibilities” rather than relying solely on the traditional concept of custody. Significant decision-making can include decisions involving education, healthcare, religion, and extracurricular activities.
Under 750 ILCS 5/602.5, courts allocate significant decision-making responsibilities according to the child’s best interests. The statute directs courts to consider factors including the child’s needs and adjustment, the parents’ past participation in decision-making, their ability to cooperate, their schedules, and the distance between their residences.
Parenting time is a related but distinct issue. A parenting plan may need to address ordinary weekly schedules as well as:
Parents facing these questions can find additional local information on our Downers Grove child custody lawyers page.
Parents have a financial responsibility to support their children regardless of whether they were married to each other.
Illinois uses statutory child support guidelines that consider the parents’ financial circumstances. Support issues can arise during a divorce or parentage case and may later return to court when financial or parenting circumstances change.
Some cases involve relatively straightforward income. Others become more complicated because a parent is self-employed, receives commissions or bonuses, has multiple income sources, or disputes arise about the financial information being provided.
There may also be questions about health insurance, childcare, educational expenses, medical costs, and other child-related expenses beyond the basic support calculation.
Our Downers Grove child support attorneys page addresses these issues in more detail.
Marriage is not a prerequisite for a family law dispute involving children.
Unmarried parents may need legal orders addressing parentage, decision-making responsibilities, parenting time, and financial support. Establishing a clear legal framework can become particularly important when parents disagree about their respective rights or responsibilities.
Keller Legal Services represents clients in paternity and parentage matters and helps fathers understand how establishing parentage relates to their rights as parents.
Once parentage and parental responsibilities have been legally established, future disagreements may involve many of the same issues that arise between divorced parents.
Family law orders are entered based on circumstances at a particular point in time. Families, however, continue changing.
A parenting schedule that worked when a child was young may become impractical after school or extracurricular schedules change. A parent’s employment or income may change significantly. A former spouse may fail to make required payments or repeatedly disregard provisions of the judgment.
Depending on the issue, the appropriate response may involve modification, enforcement, or both.
A person should be cautious about simply ignoring an existing order because the arrangement no longer seems practical. Until an order is properly modified, its existing terms may remain enforceable.
Keller Legal Services assists clients with post-decree enforcement and modification when disputes arise after an initial family law case has concluded.
Some family disputes involve allegations of abuse, harassment, threats, or other conduct that raises immediate safety concerns.
Illinois law provides legal remedies that may be available in appropriate circumstances. An order of protection can impose restrictions intended to protect an abused person and other protected individuals.
These proceedings can also intersect with divorce and parenting cases, making it important to understand how one legal issue may affect another.
Keller Legal Services represents clients dealing with orders of protection and related family law proceedings.
Downers Grove is located in DuPage County, making the county’s court system particularly relevant to local divorce and family law matters when DuPage County is the proper venue.
Understanding Illinois family law is only one part of navigating a case. Filing requirements, court procedures, deadlines, and the particular issues requiring judicial attention all affect how a matter proceeds.
Keller Legal Services represents clients throughout the area, including individuals seeking broader DuPage County family law representation.
Keller Legal Services also represents families in surrounding DuPage County communities, including Glen Ellyn and Wheaton, in divorce, parenting, support, and other Illinois family law matters. For Downers Grove residents, our focus is on identifying the legal and practical issues affecting their family and developing a strategy appropriate for their circumstances.
Downers Grove is in DuPage County. Whether DuPage County is the proper venue for a particular proceeding depends on the applicable Illinois venue requirements and the parties’ circumstances. An attorney can review where a case should be filed before the process begins.
No. Illinois requires marital property to be divided in just proportions after consideration of statutory factors. That does not necessarily result in an equal division.
Parents can reach an agreement concerning parenting arrangements and submit a parenting plan for court approval. If they cannot agree, the court may need to determine parenting time and decision-making responsibilities.
The appropriate response depends on what provision is being violated. Enforcement proceedings may be available when a party fails to comply with obligations established by a judgment or court order.
You do not need to have every issue resolved before speaking with an attorney. In many situations, the purpose of that first conversation is to determine which issues actually require attention and which decisions do not need to be made yet.
Keller Legal Services helps Downers Grove residents understand the legal framework surrounding divorce, parenting, support, property, and post-decree disputes so they can make informed decisions about their next steps.
Call 630-505-1515 or contact Keller Legal Services to schedule a free consultation.
