Divorce Lawyers Orland Park

No matter how you approach the matter, divorce represents a difficult transition in life that signals challenges ahead. If you have come to the painful decision that you need a divorce – or are already facing a divorce – an experienced divorce lawyer in Orland Park is standing by to help. 

The Role of the Family Court

If you are able to resolve all the divorce terms that apply to your situation between yourselves – with the professional legal guidance of your respective divorce lawyer – you won’t need the court’s intervention on the matter, other than for finalizing your divorce decree. If not, however, you’ll need the court to address any terms that remain unresolved after you have exhausted your negotiation options and come to the difficult conclusion that a compromise is not a possibility. As such, keeping your focus on finding a middle ground as your divorce proceeds will serve you well. 

Your Divorce Terms

While your divorce will not look exactly like anyone else’s, the terms that you’ll need to work out between yourselves do not vary between couples and include (as applicable):

• Parenting time and parental responsibilities
• Child support
• The division of your marital property
• Alimony

Parenting Arrangements

Parenting time in Illinois relates to how you and your child’s other parent will schedule your time with your child. The basic options include splitting your time evenly or making one of you the primary custodial parent (while the other has a visitation schedule), but your scheduling options remain limitless (as long as you don’t require the court’s intervention on the matter. 

Parental responsibilities, on the other hand, determine who will be making the challenging parenting decisions on your children’s behalf moving forward, including decisions about:

• Your children’s schooling
• Your children’s health care
• Your children’s extracurriculars
• Your children’s religious upbringing

There are also different options for sharing these responsibilities, and the arrangement that works best will depend on your specific circumstances.

Child Support

In Illinois, child support is determined via the state’s calculation guidelines, but the factors that take precedence include each parent’s income and the number of overnights each parent has with the children. Generally, the higher earner shoulders the child support responsibility – even if the number of overnights is divided relatively evenly. 

The Division of Marital Property

Those assets that you and your spouse accumulate while married must be divided fairly between you upon divorce. 

Alimony

Alimony is only applicable when divorce leaves one spouse facing a financial downturn and the other spouse with the financial means to help. This can often be a contentious issue in a divorce, and the court often needs to get involved. 

It’s Time to Consult with an Experienced Divorce Lawyer in Orland Park

The accomplished divorce lawyers at SLG Family Law in Orland Park, Illinois, have impressive reserves of experience protecting the financial and parental rights of clients like you, and we’d be proud to do the same for you. For more information about how we can help, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.