Your divorce will be unique to you and your situation, but defending both your parental and financial rights is always key. Divorce law is complicated, and challenges often arise, which makes having the best divorce lawyer in Chicago on your side to your immense advantage.Â
In Illinois, all those assets that either spouse acquires – or that both spouses acquire – during the course of the marriage are marital property, and upon divorce, this marital property must be divided equitably, which means fairly. While this fair division can mean dividing your marital estate equally between the two of you, it doesn’t necessarily mean an equal division.Â
Any assets that belonged to you or your spouse prior to marriage will remain separate property if the owner manages to keep the property separate throughout the marriage. There are a lot of gray areas when it comes to whether or not an asset is separate or marital, and this term of divorce has the potential to become especially contentious.Â
In Illinois, child custody is addressed in terms of parenting time and parental responsibilities. Parenting time sets the schedule by which you and your ex will divide your time with your shared children. Illinois courts attempt to maximize the amount of time children have with each parent, but – depending upon the circumstances – one of you may be assigned the role of the primary custodial parent while the other has a visitation schedule.
Parental responsibilities, on the other hand, guide decision-making in relation to primary matters such as the following:
When the decisions that need to be made relate to everyday matters, the parent whom the children are with at the time is responsible for making them – and the same is true for decisions that need to be made in emergency situations.
Child support is calculated in accordance with each parent’s ability to pay, and factors such as the amount of parenting time each of you has also play a role. Even when parents split their time with the kids evenly, however, the parent with higher earnings generally makes child support payments to the other.Â
In Illinois, alimony is called spousal maintenance, and it’s designed to help a spouse who is left financially disadvantaged by divorce become more financially independent. Alimony is typically set for an amount and duration that allows the recipient to become more financially independent through education or job training.Â
The accomplished Chicago divorce lawyers at Arami Law, Inc., appreciate the challenges you face and are committed to helping you skillfully navigate the path forward toward fair divorce terms that support both your parental and financial rights. For more information about what we can do to help you, please do not hesitate to contact us today.
We are here to help you succeed and protect what you value most.