Barrington Divorce Lawyers

Barrington Divorce Lawyers

In many ways, the Village of Barrington has much to do with transition. Barrington is technically a Chicago suburb, but the village’s environment, which includes many square miles of wetlands, parks, and trails, is about as far from an urban center like Chicago as one can imagine. Additionally, the wilderness of Wisconsin lies just a few miles away from Barrington.

Divorce usually involves transitions as well. These changes are both emotional and financial. At Andrea Heckman Law, our Barrington divorce lawyers ease these transitions for Cook County families. We help families reach clear and fair agreements which effectively divide parenting time. Additionally, when it comes to family support obligations and property division, we ensure that your legal and financial rights are preserved.

Emotional Issues of a Divorce

The American family is much different today than it was in the 1970s. Situations like single parents and blended families were quite rare back then, and they are quite common today. To keep pace with these changes, Illinois legislators recently overhauled the state’s family laws. One of the biggest changes, or transitions, was a co-parenting law.

This law presumes that children benefit from frequent and consistent contact with both parents. Furthermore, this law requires both parents to assume an active role in the child-rearing process, at least in most cases.

As a result, the traditional every other weekend and every other holiday arrangement does not work for many families. This division usually results in about a 70-30 parenting time division.

So, alternatives are available. For example, block scheduling is gaining popularity. Children generally spend two weeks with Parent A, two weeks with Parent B, and the cycle repeats. This division remains largely intact 12 months a year, aside for some minor deviations around birthdays and major holidays. Block scheduling obviously works well only in limited situations.

A family’s emotional dynamics do not remain the same for long. When these things change, our Barrington divorce lawyers can change the divorce orders as well, so these orders reflect the new normal.

Financial Issues

Domestic support obligations, like spousal and child support, usually dominate a divorce’s financial agenda. Property division matters are equally as important in many cases.

The aforementioned legal changes also affected spousal support decisions. Previously, Illinois had a subjective alimony law. The amount and duration of payments depended on the application of several different factors. Now, a mathematical formula, which accounts for the length of the marriage and the income of both parties, usually determines the amount and duration of payments. Judges may deviate from the guidelines in some cases.

Roughly these same principles apply to child support. Illinois is an income share state. So, the guideline amounts, which are presumptively reasonable, account for things like the income of both parents and the parenting time division. Once again, deviation is possible in some cases. Furthermore, if financial or other circumstances change, the judge usually modifies the support obligation.

The property division is still subjective. Illinois is an equitable distribution state. So, the judge applies a number of factors so that the divorce is not an unfair financial burden on either party. A 50-50 division is presumptively reasonable, but that is not always the way it works out.

Reach Out to a Savvy Attorney

You do not have to navigate divorce all on your own. We can help. For a dependable experienced family law attorney in Barrington, contact Andrea Heckman Law. Convenient payment plans are available.