As you approach a Cook County Domestic Relations Courtroom you’ll notice a numbered list hung beside the courtroom door. That list will contain your case number, your name, your spouse’s name, and the names of a hundred other people whose cases are before the judge that day. And almost all of these cases will be…
In Illinois, throughout the divorce or parentage process the parties are required to exchange and submit parenting plans. A parenting plan is “a written agreement that allocates significant decision-making responsibilities, parenting time, or both.” 750 ILCS 5/600(f) The parties come to an agreement on the parenting plan or the court orders a parenting plan that…
In Chicago, Illinois, the general rule is that courts have the exclusive authority to modify child support and are not bound by the parties’ agreements concerning child support. Blisset v. Blisset, 123 Ill. 2d 161, 167 (1988). In Blisset, Illinois’ supreme court held an out of court agreement to waive child support in exchange for…
For years Illinois had a “grandparents’ rights” statute in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution Act. Then in 2002, Wickham vs. Byrne, 769 N.E.2d 1 (2002) was decided in the Illinois Supreme Court holding that the grandparents’ rights portion of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution Act was unconstitutional. Then in 2016, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution…
What Is Sole Custody? In Illinois, sole allocation of parental responsibilities (formerly known as “sole custody”) allows a parent to be solely responsible for making decisions for a minor child. Statutorily, these decisions are broken down into four different areas, namely: Education, Religion, Medical, and Extra Curricular Activities. Generally, the parent who is allocated sole…
New relationships of your ex can always be full of concern. You find yourself dealing with a third-party who has not been vetted and someone who your ex has selected. While many significant others are harmless, in some instances, they can have a criminal past. This becomes especially concerning if they are classified as a…
Before 2016, the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution Act allowed a court to grant a custodial parent permission to remove a minor child from Illinois when it is in the child’s best interests. The parent seeking the removal had the burden of proving by a preponderance of evidence that the removal would be in the child’s…
When changing anyone’s name in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois you must proceed under statute 735 ILCS 5/21-101 which requires that the person whose name is being changed be an Illinois resident for at least 6 months. You may change your name, your spouse’s name and your children’s name all together, if you so desire, under…
