Family Law Attorneys Orland Park

Family law concerns involve the family, which makes them important concerns. If it involves your parental rights or your financial rights in relation to your marriage (in the event of a divorce), having an experienced family law attorney in Orland Park in your corner can be an important deciding factor in the outcome of your case. 

Common Matters Addressed by Family Law

Family law is an expansive and important branch of the law that addresses nearly any topic that has to do with marriage, divorce, and/or shared children. Issues that are common to family law cases include

• Divorce terms, including parental responsibilities and parenting time, the division of marital property, child support, and spousal maintenance
• Parental responsibilities, parenting time, and child support issues outside the scope of marriage and divorce
• Child support and child custody modifications
• Parental relocation 
• Guardian ad litem (GAL) – a legal representative for the best interests of a child
• Parental alienation concerns
• Orders of protection

Discussing your family law concern with a dedicated family law attorney can help. 

Child Custody Concerns: Legal Custody

Child custody concerns are very common to family law. In Illinois, legal custody is referred to as parental responsibilities, and it relates to who will be making important decisions on behalf of your shared children moving forward. The kinds of big-picture decisions involved include:

• Decisions about your children’s schooling
• Decisions about your children’s religious education
• Decisions about your children’s healthcare
• Decisions about your children’s extracurricular activities

You and your children’s other parent can make these decisions together (one of you may have tie-breaking authority on the matter); one of you may have sole responsibility for making these decisions; or you may divide this decision-making authority according to the type of decisions being made. 

Child Custody Concerns: Physical Custody

Physical custody in Illinois is called parenting time, and it determines how both parents split their time with their shared children. One option is that one of you will become the primary custodial parent, while the other has what amounts to a visitation schedule. Another way to go is by splitting your time more equally (according to whatever schedule makes sense for both of you in your unique situation). 

The Court’s Intervention

If you and your children’s other parent can negotiate terms that work for you between yourselves (with the skilled legal guidance of your respective family law attorneys), you are free to do so. If you’ve exhausted your negotiation options, however, and are no closer to a resolution, you’ll need the court to intervene on your behalf. The court is always driven by the best interests of the children involved, but if you can keep this important decision-making power between yourselves, it’s generally preferable.  

An Experienced Family Law Attorney in Orland Park can Help

The resourceful family law attorneys at SLG Family Law in Orland Park are on your side and here to offer skilled legal guidance in response to your family law concerns. For more information about what we can do to help you, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.