Naperville Divorce Attorney
If you live in Naperville and are going through a divorce, you don’t want to go it alone. Even if you and your spouse think you can have a friendly divorce, unexpected situations and conflicts can arise without warning, and an experienced Naperville attorney will protect your rights. Remember, once your divorce is final, mistakes are almost impossible to undo, and not only can they cost you financially, but you and your children can suffer effects that last a lifetime.
The knowledgeable and compassionate Naperville family law attorneys at Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., always focus on our clients’ needs and feelings, and we work to resolve the issues they are facing in the most effective and efficient manner. We offer a free consultation to help you find the best solutions for your individual divorce situation. Contact us online or call our Naperville divorce attorneys today to schedule your free initial consultation.
The Divorce Process is Complex and Changing
In January, 2016, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act was revised, and changes have been made to the law and terminology. Our Naperville attorneys can help you through the steps and processes and will explain the changes along the way, including:
- Filing the divorce petition – To start the divorce process, you must file a petition and ask for what you want as far as an equitable division of property, spousal support, and child custody or visitation arrangements. If your spouse files a petition, you must provide an answer within 30 days.
- Custody and visitation — Under the new law, the old way of determining sole or joint custody has been abolished. When determining what was formerly known as “parental custody” of a child, the court is now required to “allocate parental responsibilities.” One parent may still have most of the decision-making responsibilities in the major areas of life, including health, education, and religious upbringing, or these responsibilities may be split between the parents. “Parenting time” is the new term for Children may spend most of their time with one parent, or they may split their time fairly evenly with both, based on what the court feels is in the child’s best interests.
- Support and maintenance — There are new Illinois formulas for determining child support, based on the income of both parents. Also, both Federal laws regarding how spousal support is to be handled tax-wise and Illinois laws regarding spousal support are changing. On January 1, 2018, changes to Illinois divorce law went into effect concerning the threshold and the length of spousal maintenance. These changes can be confusing, and making mistakes can be costly, so it makes sense for divorcing couples to seek guidance from an experienced Naperville divorce attorney.
- Division of property — Dividing property requires an investigation into both spouses’ financial situation. Illinois is an equitable distribution state, which means property is not divided equally but according to what the courts deem is fair and equitable.
As part of the divorce process, both spouses are required to provide a complete disclosure of their financial information — incomes, assets, and debts. You will have to provide pay stubs, income tax returns, and bank statements supporting the information listed in the affidavits. If inaccurate information is provided, the court can impose monetary penalties.
- Trial — If you and your spouse can’t negotiate a settlement, you will have to go to a pretrial conference with a judge who will make recommendations. If you still cannot agree, you may have to go through an expensive divorce trial, after which the judge decides the issues and gives a final divorce judgment. With so much at stake, you don’t want to go to trial without an attorney’s assistance.
Divorce Attorneys Know the Law
Every divorce case is different, and a local Naperville attorney will know your rights under the Illinois legal system and advocate for your best interests in court. Our attorneys can help you divide assets properly by using legal discovery methods such as depositions, subpoenas and requests for your spouse to produce documents. And even after the divorce, we will take care of paperwork, follow-up tasks, and return to court should additional problems arise.
Contact Us For Help And a Free Consultation
Illinois laws and guidelines can be difficult to interpret, and making a mistake could mean returning to court and nasty and costly drawn-out battles that adversely affect you and your children. Fortunately, there is help available when you have a lawyer on your side. The seasoned Naperville family law attorneys at Wolfe & Stec handle all cases with sensitivity, respect, and discretion.
At Wolfe & Stec, Ltd., we made our reputation one client at a time, and we put every ounce of our ability into each case. There are no ready-made solutions in divorce and family law – every case needs to be considered on its own merit. Our lawyers take the time to delve deeply into the problem and to understand your goals and concerns. Then we develop a legal strategy designed to achieve those objectives.
There is no charge for the first consultation. Delaying can only complicate your situation and make matters worse. Contact us online or call us today for your free consultation.
