Family Lawyers Orland Park

Family law addresses legal matters that relate to family members, which makes it an especially important and broad area of the law. Some of the primary concerns that family law addresses include those terms that commonly apply to divorce, post-divorce modifications of divorce terms, and parental rights outside of marriage and divorce. If you have a family law concern, it’s time to reach out to an experienced family lawyer in Orland Park for the legal guidance you need.

Parental Responsibilities

Parental responsibilities is the term Illinois uses for legal custody, and it determines who will be making the primary parenting decisions on behalf of the children moving forward. Parental responsibilities can be either sole or joint, and the kinds of decisions involved include those related to:

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

Parenting Time

Illinois uses the term parenting time to address physical custody, and you and your children’s other parent can split your parenting time between your children fairly evenly (according to any schedule that works for you) – or one of you can become the primary custodial parent who provides your children with their primary home while the other parent has a regular visitation schedule. 

Child Support

Like other states, Illinois requires both parents to provide for their children financially, and child support is the mechanism that is employed to ensure that this happens when the parents are not together. Child support is calculated according to state guidelines, but – very generally – the parent who is the higher earner is typically the parent who pays child support (even if you split your parenting time equally). 

The Division of Marital Assets

The properties and assets that you and your spouse acquire as a married couple – regardless of who makes the purchase or whose name is on it – is marital property. In the event of divorce, this marital property will need to be divided between you in a manner that is fair given the circumstances of your marriage (although it may not necessarily be divided equally). Those assets that you own prior to marriage and that you keep separate throughout it will remain your own separate property. 

Alimony

Alimony is a financial tool that the state employs to help balance divorce-related financial discrepancies. For example, if divorce will leave you unable to support yourself financially and your ex has the financial ability to help, alimony may be ordered. Alimony is generally set for an amount and duration that allows the recipient to become more financially independent through either further education or job training. 

Don’t Put off Consulting with an Experienced Family Lawyer in Orland Park

If you are facing a legal concern that affects your family, the matter is too important to ignore or leave to chance. Addressing the issue head-on is the best path forward, and the accomplished family lawyers at SLG Family Law in Orland Park have the experience, legal insight, and compassion to help. For more information, please don’t wait to contact us today.