If you are going through a divorce or a breakup that involves children, a primary concern is often your child custody arrangements. Splitting up is hard on everyone, but it is often most difficult for the children involved, and you naturally want to do everything you can to help ensure the continued happiness and well-being of your children. The best path forward for both you and your children is to obtain the professional legal counsel of one of the top Chicago child custody lawyers available.
When it comes to your child custody arrangements, also known as the allocation of parental responsibilities in Illinois, it is always in your best interest to find a path forward in which you and your divorcing spouse can come to an agreement. This does not mean that you have to work happily and harmoniously together from the start, but it does mean that working through the negotiation or mediation process together puts your children first, which is probably what both of you want. If you and your soon-to-be-ex are not able to arrive at a mutually acceptable arrangement, the court will do so on your behalf.
If you and your spouse are unable to come to terms that you can both agree to, the court will need to step in and do so for you. The court’s motivation is always to ensure the best interests of the children are protected. However, the judge assigned to your case may have a limited understanding of your situation and your children’s needs, which makes the court’s determination less likely to meet with anyone’s satisfaction, including you, your divorcing spouse, and your children.
Taking your child custody arrangements before the court should be reserved for extreme situations in which you fear for your children’s safety or in which your divorcing spouse simply refuses to compromise in any capacity (which certainly does happen). None of this is to say that you should accept child custody arrangements that you believe oppose your children’s best interests – discuss your concerns with a top Chicago child custody lawyer today.
You are a parent, and your children should be your first concern. If you’re going through a divorce, it’s obviously difficult to accept the fact that your children likely won’t be living with you 100 percent of the time any longer (except in extreme situations). With this in mind, there is a hierarchical system for proceeding with negotiations regarding child custody arrangements, including:
Whatever your situation, the dedicated child custody lawyers at Arami Law can help. Our compassionate legal team is here for you and your children, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.
We are here to help you succeed and protect what you value most.