Family Law and Divorce

Family Law is a comprehensive area of law that encompasses such areas as: adoption, child custody and visitation, child support, maintenance, separation agreements, division of the marital estate, wills and will contests, probate, social security, tax law, real estate, pre-nuptial agreements, and other legal issues pertinent to the family.

A Divorce is the termination of a marriage by legal action, requiring a petition or complaint for dissolution by one party. There are two types of divorce in Illinois -- fault and no-fault.   A fault divorce is a judicial termination of a marriage based on marital misconduct or other statutory cause. A no-fault divorce is a judicial termination of a marriage based on irreconcilable differences and difficulties.

Illinois laws require at least one spouse to be a resident of the state of Illinois for 90 days to file for divorce.  You can file the divorce documents in the county where you live, or where your spouse lives.  In order to obtain a no-fault divorce, you must live separate and apart for a period of a period of two (2) years unless the parties agree to waive such requirement.  Grounds for a fault divorce include the following: 

1. Impotency;
2. Adultery;
3. Willful desertion or abandonment for at least one (1) year;
4. Habitual drunkenness for at least one (1) year;
5. Attempting the life of another;
6. Extreme and repeated physical and mental cruelty;
7. Conviction of a felony; or
8. Infecting the other spouse with a sexually transmitted disease.

We will take all necessary steps to end any adverse and wrongful actions taken by the opposing party even if litigation takes us out of Domestic Relations Court. We have successfully tried several cases and obtained favorable judgments and settlements for our clients - not only in Domestic Relations Court but also in Probate Court, Bankruptcy Court, Criminal Court and Appellate Court. We would be honored to assist you in resolving your current family situation.