Divorce is a complicated legal process – the results of which are far too consequential to leave to chance. If you have made the difficult decision to divorce, don’t wait to consult with divorce lawyers in Schaumburg. Â
Your Divorce Process
In the end, your divorce is about negotiating terms related to your finances and to child custody arrangements (called parental responsibilities in Illinois). Most divorces are settled out of court – with your respective divorce lawyers’ guidance and with the option of professional mediation. As such, you and your divorcing spouse will negotiate back and forth on all the terms applicable to your divorce, and if you are able to land upon mutually acceptable terms for each, you won’t need the court’s intervention.Â
The Financial Terms
The financial terms involved in divorce include:Â
- The Division of Your Marital Property – The property that you and your spouse acquire as a married couple is considered marital property that will be divided equitably upon divorce. This means that instead of dividing the property exactly equally, you’ll divide it in a manner that is deemed fair given the circumstances at hand. Clearly delineating that property that is marital to begin with and dividing it fairly can very quickly become very complicated, and having one of the best divorce lawyers in Schaumburg representing your interests is well advised.Â
- Alimony or Maintenance – In Illinois, alimony is called spousal support or maintenance, and while it does not play a role in every divorce, it can serve an important purpose when one spouse will experience an economic downturn upon finalization, and the other has the financial ability to help. Factors such as you and your spouse’s separate earning potentials, levels of education, ages, mental and physical health, are some but not all of the relevant factors that will help guide the determination of alimony.Â
Child-Related Matters
Divorce issues that involve and impact your children include:Â
- Your Parental Responsibility Arrangements – Parental responsibility is broken into two parts: Residential and Legal and also if these responsibilities will be designated as shared (Joint) or be designated to be handled by one party over the other (Sole). Residential involves whom the children live with and when they have a visitation schedule with the other parent (if their time isn’t split equally between both parents). This is known as parenting time. Legal refers to the decision-making on important issues such as education, religion, medical and extracurricular activities.
- Child Support – While child support is a financial mechanism, it is generally based on or influenced by the couple’s child custody arrangements. In Illinois the amount of child support owed to one party from the other will be determined by a child support calculator that will take into account both parties’ income as well as the amount of time the children will be spending with either party. The purpose of child support is to help balance the financial responsibility of both parents– in relation to their ability to pay.Â
You Need Divorce Lawyers in Schaumburg on Your Side
At Andrea Heckman Law in Schaumburg, our practice focuses on helping clients like you obtain divorce terms that not only uphold their rights and best interests but that also work for them personally. We’d like to help you do the same, so please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information today.