Mokena Child Custody Lawyer

Whether you are getting a divorce or need to initiate a separate child custody action, it is crucial to retain an experienced Mokena child custody lawyer to assist you. Child custody disputes can become contentious quickly, and you do not want a lengthy court battle. Divorce and child custody disputes can be harmful to your children. If you can quickly resolve these outstanding matters, it can also help preserve a better co-parenting relationship going forward.

Parental Responsibility and Parenting Time

In Illinois, child custody is now referred to as the allocation of parental responsibility, while visitation is known as parenting time. The court’s primary goal in deciding is to act in the best interests of your children. The law also explicitly states the child’s best interests must be the primary factor for any decisions made. There is no specific legal definition that explains what is “the best interests of the child.” Every situation is different, and that requires the court to look at each case individually. There are some guidelines the court can use when determining what course of action is the best.

If your child is old enough, the court may inquire what their wishes are. They also look at your child’s relationship with each parent, your financial situation, and any history of domestic violence or abuse.

Our experienced Mokena child custody lawyers understand how to help you show the court that a relationship with you is in your child’s best interest. Unless there are concerns about domestic violence or safety, Illinois courts want children to have relationships with both their parents.

Hire a Skilled Mokena Child Custody Lawyer

In some cases, parents can reach an agreement between themselves and ask the court to enter this agreement. However, if you and your ex cannot agree, then the court will be the one to issue the binding decision. They will rule on four primary areas of decision-making responsibility. These include health, education, religion, and extracurricular activities.

Having a Mokena child custody lawyer on your side is invaluable, especially in cases in which there are allegations of domestic violence, or you cannot seem to make any headway with negotiations. To give your new co-parenting relationship a chance to grow, you need to remove yourself from the situation. Most parties struggle to be objective and keep emotions out of the negotiations process. That is understandable since you are making legal decisions that impact your children. Instead, let your attorney argue on your behalf. We can be objective and look at the big picture when you cannot.

Contact Our Illinois Family Law Attorneys

Deciding on an allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time can be challenging, but our legal team can help things run more smoothly. Contact SLG Family Law today to schedule an initial consultation.