Going through a divorce is a difficult and stressful experience, but a Bolingbrook divorce attorney at Wolfe & Stec can relieve some of the anxiety and burdens involved. Our attorneys understand that divorce involves making major changes that will affect you and your children into the future, and it’s natural to feel worried about how you will manage. We know that going through a divorce involves much more than just dividing up assets. As a result, in addition to handling your legal needs, our compassionate divorce lawyers will be there for you to provide guidance and sensitively address all of your concerns throughout the entire process.
Call Wolfe & Stec today at (630) 305-0222 for a free, confidential consultation to discuss your issues, even if you are just considering a divorce. You can rely on our Bolingbrook divorce lawyers to work diligently and fight to achieve the most satisfactory outcome for you and your children.
Illinois divorce laws can be complicated, and making mistakes can be costly, so it can help to have an attorney on your side to fight for your interests and make sure everything is done properly. Even if you think you and your spouse are in agreement on the issues, this can change at any time, and a once cooperative spouse can become adversarial and even refuse to sign the divorce agreement. Our Bolingbrook divorce attorneys are aware of the potential for problems and will make sure you understand all the issues involved in divorce, including:
Illinois has a residency requirement that at least one of the divorcing spouses must be a resident of Illinois for 90 consecutive days before filing divorce paperwork.
If the residency requirement is met, you or your spouse must then file a petition for dissolution of marriage with the Circuit Court in the county in which you or your spouse live to start the divorce process. The other spouse will be served with the petition and will have 30 days to respond.
In Illinois, you can file for divorce on “fault” or “no-fault” grounds. No-fault divorces are most common and generally are easier to resolve. They are granted based on irreconcilable differences, without holding anyone to blame. Fault divorces may be granted for reasons that include mental cruelty, physical cruelty, adultery, excessive alcohol or drug use, and other grounds.
Illinois courts divide marital property based on “equitable distribution,” but this doesn’t always mean an even split. The judge will look at all relevant factors in the divorce case, such as how long the marriage lasted, whether there were prenuptial agreements in place, the age of the spouses, each spouse’s earning potential and more. For example, courts may award a larger portion of marital assets, including stocks and bank accounts, to the lower-earning spouse.
Again, the courts will examine factors relevant to your individual situation and tax effects.
As in every state, judges in Illinois consider the best interests of children in making custody rulings. They may look at factors that include:
Spousal support may be awarded to grant a measure of independence to a financially dependent spouse. For example, a spouse may have given up their career to be a homemaker in order to support the other spouse’s having a higher career level. There is a formula for determining the amount and length of spousal support awards, and the court must consider all relevant factors.
We will provide guidance throughout every stage of your divorce, handle all paperwork and court appearances, and fight for your interests should disputes arise. It makes sense to have us fighting for you from the beginning, so call our Bolingbrook divorce lawyers today for a free and confidential consultation at (630) 305-0222.
Chances are that you and your spouse both wish to get the divorce over quickly so you can go on with your life. However, the time it takes to get a divorce in Illinois varies greatly, depending on the individual marriage situation. If you haven’t been married long, have no children, and don’t have much property and assets, your divorce may be over quickly, but if your circumstances are complicated or contentious, a divorce can drag on for years. The main factor in determining how long a divorce will take is whether your divorce is uncontested or contested.
If both spouses agree on the terms of the divorce, it can often be completed quickly. Some uncontested divorces take as little as two months to complete. However, for an uncontested divorce, there must be agreement on all the details and issues including:
If there is even one area of disagreement, the divorce becomes a contested one which will take a lot longer to be finalized.
In a contested divorce, both sets of attorneys will attempt to negotiate the issues that you haven’t agreed upon. If they cannot be settled through negotiations, divorcing spouses and their attorneys may end up going to trial. In situations where there is a lot of conflict regarding the terms and conditions of a divorce, it can take as long as two years or more to be finalized through the courts.
Most people don’t make the decision to divorce lightly and may spend months or years thinking about whether they should end their marriage. They may worry whether they are doing the right thing, especially when children are involved or they are concerned that they may not be left with enough money to maintain their lifestyle.
When you contact a compassionate Bolingbrook divorce lawyer from Wolfe & Stec, you will never be pressured into making a decision you might not be ready for. We will listen carefully to you and answer your divorce questions based on your individual situation. When you are ready to go ahead, we will be there to provide guidance, handle all paperwork and legal issues, negotiate on your behalf, and fight for your interests in court if necessary.
Don’t delay. Call us today for a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your divorce issues at (630) 305-0222.