Bolingbrook Family Law Attorney

Most people will never have to interact with a criminal law or personal injury attorney. You can easily live your life without getting arrested or seriously hurt by another party. However, there is one type of lawyer that you are almost guaranteed to need at some point in your life: a family law lawyer. Even if you only want to make a simple will, the primary job of Bolingbrook family law attorneys is to protect you and your loved ones from financial harm. If you want to protect yourself and your family, you should consult with a family law attorney in Bolingbrook several times throughout your life.

What Bolingbrook Family Law Attorneys Do

Lawyers Who Help During the Best and Worst Times of Your Life

Typically, there are two reasons you are likely to consult with a family law lawyer in Illinois. The first is that you are seeking to protect the financial future of your loved ones through estate planning. The second is that you are considering a divorce from your spouse.

Estate Planning

Protecting the Future of Your Loved Ones

Estate planning is something you do to protect your loved ones. It typically isn’t a very expensive service, which means that even people with smaller estates should consult with a Bolingbrook family law attorney from Wolfe & Stec Ltd. at some point in their lives. The following are common estate planning options that you might consider taking advantage of.

Writing and Updating a Will

Most people will consult with an Illinois family law lawyer when they create a will. While a will is a relatively simple legal document, it still needs to be consistent with the laws of the state. If you make any mistakes, your loved ones could be tied up in probate actions for years before getting the assets that you wanted them to have after your death. Our legal team will help you craft a legally sound will and can testify, if needed, to its authenticity.

The best time to write a will is as soon as you become an adult. Then you should change it whenever a major event happens in your life, like getting married or having children. Even if nothing happens, you may want to have our family law lawyers look your will over once every few years.

Assigning Durable Power of Attorney

This is another thing you can do to protect your loved ones, particularly your children. By assigning durable power of attorney for your finances and health care, you ensure that someone you trust can make decisions for you if you become incapacitated. This is particularly important for single parents and older individuals. Our family law attorneys in Bolingbrook will help you choose the right people for these roles and help them perform them if needed.

Creating a Trust

The tax implications of inherited property and assets can be complicated. Creating a trust can potentially smooth over many of those complications. However, a trust isn’t ideal for every estate. Our family law attorneys in Illinois will discuss your options and help you determine whether this is the right approach for you and your family.

Divorce

How Wolfe & Stec Ltd. Can Help During One of the Worst Times of Your Life

Unfortunately, one of the more common legal processes that clients ask for help with is the dissolution of a marriage. If you are considering getting divorced, you should consult with one of our family law attorneys as soon as possible. Our attorneys will help with:

• Filing paperwork
• Dividing property
• Identifying all assets, including potentially hidden ones
• Determining child custody
• Setting up child support
• Maintaining visitation rights.

Whenever possible, we seek to resolve all divorce issues without including the courts. This will keep down the costs of your divorce and result in a better outcome for all parties involved. Even if there are issues that need to be determined by a judge, the more issues that you resolve in advance, the more smoothly your divorce will go.

Even if you aren’t certain when you might want the divorce to happen, you should consult with our legal team. We are compassionate attorneys who understand how difficult a decision it is to end a marriage. Our family law attorneys in Bolingbrook will help you know your legal options and connect you with support services that may better guide you to the right decision.

If you need any type of family law services in Illinois, the law firm of Wolfe & Stec Ltd. can help you. Contact us at 630-305-0222 as soon as possible to schedule a free consultation with an experienced Illinois family law lawyer.

Other Family Law Services

Divorce and estate planning aren’t the only things our Bolingbrook family law lawyers can help you with. While the following services aren’t requested as commonly, they are available at Wolfe & Stec Ltd.

Adoption

If you are looking to adopt a child, our attorneys can help you complete the paperwork and meet all requirements. Adoption doesn’t have to be difficult, but there is a lot of red tape. Our experienced lawyers understand the process and can help you navigate it as smoothly as possible.

Paternity Testing

Paternity testing is a simple way to protect the interests of a child. It can be used to prove that you are or are not the father of a child. If you are the mother, you can use it to prove to the father of your child that they have a responsibility to fulfill.

Domestic Abuse and Orders of Protection

If you are the victim of domestic abuse, you are not alone. Our law firm can help you get orders of protection to prevent current or former partners from continuing to abuse you. We can also guide you to resources that can help you recover from abuse financially, emotionally, and physically.

Why Choose Us?

Natalie M. Stec of Wolfe & Stec Ltd. has spent nearly her entire career handling family law cases. She understands every aspect of Illinois family law. She also has a criminal defense background, which means she can recognize when aspects of family law interact with criminal law. Attorney Stec is a passionate representative of every client. She will listen closely to your concerns, guide you through every legal process, and aggressively litigate your case if it ends up in court.

We have an exceptional record at Wolfe & Stec Ltd., having helped thousands of clients over the decades. There is no such thing as an unimportant matter when you hire our family law attorneys in Bolingbrook. We put as much effort into writing a simple will as we do into litigating a complex divorce. You deserve our fullest effort, regardless of your situation, and you will always get that when you hire one of our family law attorneys in Illinois.

FAQ

If you have never consulted with an Illinois family law attorney before, you likely have a lot of questions. It is easier for us to provide you with services if you understand your legal options and what we can do for you. For that reason, we try to answer many of your questions in advance.

Can I file for divorce if I live in Illinois and my spouse lives in another state?

Yes. Whether you can file for divorce or not depends on where you live, not where your spouse lives. Your divorce will typically be more complicated if your spouse lives in another state, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get divorced.

How much does a family law attorney cost at Wolfe & Stec Ltd.?

That depends on what type of services you are receiving. Writing or reviewing a relatively simple will is reasonably inexpensive. However, litigating a contested divorce is much more expensive. We will discuss our fees at a free consultation before you decide whether to hire us.

Do I need a lawyer for family law services in Illinois?

While you are legally allowed to represent yourself in divorce proceedings or write your own will without a lawyer, that isn’t a good idea. That can create problems if you run afoul of laws you weren’t aware of.

What should I bring to a free consultation?

You should bring documentation that can help our Bolingbrook family law lawyers better understand your situation. Usually, this means financial documents. However, other types of information may also be helpful for certain services.

We are always ready to answer any other questions you might have during your free consultation.

Contact an Illinois Family Law Attorney at Wolfe & Stec Ltd.

Family law protects you and your family in the best and worst of times. An experienced lawyer can make Illinois family law work for you.

Don’t delay talking to a family law attorney when you think you need one. Contact our law firm at 630-305-0222 as soon as possible to protect the people you love.