Child Custody Lawyers Orland Park

One of the terms of divorce that has the potential to become the most hotly contested of all is child custody. Child custody disputes can also arise outside of divorce, and matters related to child custody tend to be legally complicated, which makes working closely with an experienced child custody lawyer in Orland Park well advised. 

Parental Responsibilities

Child custody – both physical and legal – is now called parental responsibilities in Illinois, but the basics have not changed. These responsibilities include decision-making authority and your parenting time (how you and your ex divide your time with your children) – both of which are incorporated in your parenting plan. 

Decision-Making Authority

A fundamental responsibility of parenting is making important decisions on behalf of your children, including decisions related to the following:

• Their schooling
• Their health care
• Their religious upbringing
• Their extracurriculars

You and your children’s other parent can share decision-making authority by making decisions together or by dividing them between you according to the kind of decision being made. Conversely, one of you may take on sole decision-making authority (or may have tie-breaking authority).

Parenting Time

You and your ex will divide your time with your children in one of two ways. Either one of you will take on the role of the primary custodial parent, or you will divide your parenting time more evenly between you. Within these primary groupings, there is considerable room for variance. 

Negotiating Parenting Terms

If you and your divorcing spouse are able to negotiate terms between yourselves (availing yourselves of your respective child custody lawyer’s guidance and alternative dispute resolution options, such as mediation), the matter will not require the court’s intervention. If you can’t, however, find a middle ground, the court will need to intervene. 

The Best Interests of the Children

When the court makes determinations that pertain to children, they always allow the best interests of those children to guide them. As such, the following factors come into play:

• The preferences of the children involved (taking their level of maturity and ability to authentically express themselves into account)
• Each parent’s wishes on the matter
• The unique needs of the children
• The level of adjustment each child currently has at home, at school, and within the community at large
• The physical and mental health of both parents and each child
• Each parent’s level of past participation in parental responsibilities 
• Any prior agreement made between the parents in relation to decision-making authority
• The parents’ overall ability to cooperate in making child-related decisions 
• Any past or present issue with domestic abuse
• Any physical violence or threat of physical violence by either parent against any child in the family
• Each parent’s level of commitment and ability to facilitate the other’s ongoing relationships with the children
• Any other factors the court finds relevant

Seek the Legal Guidance of a Child Custody Lawyer in Orland Park

The formidable child custody lawyers at SLG Family Law in Orland Park dedicate their practice to skillfully advocating for child custody terms that uphold their clients’ parental rights. If you are facing a child custody concern, please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.