When most people think of family law, they think of divorce. Divorce is a big part of family law, not just because it is a complex process in itself, but because many other types of family cases, like enforcing child support orders and modifying spousal maintenance amounts, follow divorces.
The Law Office of Gina L. Colaluca, LLC is focused on divorce and other family law case types. This focus allows us to give every client a hands-on, detail-oriented approach linked with fair, favorable outcomes.
Understanding the Divorce Process
A few key facts about Illinois divorces are
- To file for divorce in Illinois, at least one spouse must have been a resident of the state for 90 days or longer;
- Divorces are handled by the circuit court of each county. In Chicago, this is the Cook County Circuit Court; and
- In Illinois, divorcing couples’ marital assets are divided according to the doctrine of equitable distribution.
What to Expect from your Divorce
Your divorce will not necessarily be a contentious courtroom battle. If you and your spouse are able to work cooperatively together, you could be candidates for an uncontested divorce or divorcing through mediation. Talk to your lawyer about completing an uncontested divorce, which is a divorce where both partners agree on the key points of their settlement and simply submit a divorce plan to the court, rather than having the court develop a divorce plan for them after a contentious trial.
Expect to compromise with your former partner. Expect to prioritize your own divorce goals and decide which are most important for you to achieve and which you are willing to let go in exchange for reaching certain other goals.
You should also expect to be treated fairly by the court. If you and your spouse opt for a courtroom divorce, the court will apply the rules outlined in the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act to determine your property division, spousal maintenance, and parenting plan agreements. Expect these rules to be applied according to the law and to be treated fairly regardless of your gender or whether you are ending a heterosexual or LGBTQ marriage.
Other Family Law Issues We Handle
Although divorce is one of our primary practice areas, it is not our only one. Often, divorces intersect with other types of family law issues, like creating a parenting plan or establishing a child support order. Other family law case types we handle, which can be in conjunction with a divorce or independent of one, include:
- Domestic violence issues;
- Property division;
- Spousal maintenance orders;
- Parenting plans; and
- Civil appeals.
Contact a Chicago Divorce Lawyer Today
To start working on your divorce or other family law case, schedule your legal consultation with a family lawyer who will listen carefully to everything you have to say and provide you with compassionate, detail-oriented legal advice and representation. Contact The Law Office of Gina L. Colaluca, LLC today to get started with our firm.