Visitation for Non-Parents After a Chicago Divorce

After a divorce in Chicago, other family members may be frustrated by their ability to spend time with the minor children from the marriage. For example, a grandparent might be accustomed to spending a particular amount of time with the kids and may be angry about the way in which the court allocated parental responsibilities. Adult siblings also may want to have the ability to spend time with their younger siblings despite the way in which parenting time has been[...]

What to Expect When a Parent is Not Allocated Significant Decision-Making Responsibilities

In a Chicago divorce involving minor children from the marriage, parental responsibilities will be allocated through a parenting plan developed by both parents or through an allocation judgment issued by the court. In either scenario, the way in which parental responsibilities are allocated must be in the child’s best interests. As you may know, parental responsibilities include both significant decision-making responsibilities and parenting time. Before child custody matters were revised in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act (IMDMA),[...]

Which Apps can Make My Divorce Easier?

Are you planning to file for divorce? Do you have minor children from your marriage? If so, it is important to know that you will need to find ways to communicate with your ex-spouse for the sake of your children and sharing parental responsibilities. For many families in Cook County, communication can be difficult, especially when the divorce was contentious. Even when the parties have a relatively amicable relationship under the circumstances, communication can become strained. According to an article[...]

What Role Does Religion Play in the Allocation of Parental Responsibilities?

Divorces involving minor children from the marriage often are more complicated than divorce cases in which there are no minor children since the divorce process will need to involve the allocation of parental responsibilities. In some situations, the parents are able to develop a parenting plan in which they allocate parental responsibilities themselves in a way that is still in the best interests of the child but permits the parents to play a bigger role. If parents cannot reach an[...]

What is a Restriction of Parental Responsibilities?

If you are getting divorced and have minor children from your marriage, you may know that the court no longer awards child custody to the parents, but instead allocates parental responsibilities. The term parental responsibilities includes both important decision-making responsibilities (what many Chicago residents knew previously as “legal custody”) and parenting time (what we used to call “physical custody” and “visitation”). Generally speaking, courts want to allow both parents to play an important role in the life of their child,[...]