Divorce Lawyer 60656

Norridge is a tranquil island within the Windy City, but sometimes there is trouble in paradise even here. The hardest part of divorce is admitting to yourself that it is happening. It is only human to secretly hope that the problems will all blow over, even after your spouse has moved out of your marital home and into a new home with his new girlfriend or even after a process server hands you a divorce petition. Rebuilding your life after divorce is a challenge, especially if you have minor children, but with the help and support of your family, your friends, and your Norridge divorce lawyer, you can find your stride again.

Illinois Divorce Law Basics

Divorce is when the court legally dissolves a marriage. To do this, it must distribute the marital property and marital debts between the parties, much like, when a business partnership dissolves, the former partners distribute the assets that the business owned. Illinois is an equitable distribution state, which means that the family law courts must divide the marital property in the fairest possible way, even when that does not mean dividing it equally. The good news is that the courts do not make this decision in most divorce cases; the spouses and their lawyers work out a property division settlement during mediation. The judge only decides how to divide the property if the case goes to trial because the spouses could not reach an agreement during mediation.

The law defines marital property as any income that either spouse acquired during the marriage and any assets that either spouse purchased with that income. Therefore, stay-at-home mothers do not lose out on the right to a fair share of marital property just because they earned very little income during the marriage. Property that one spouse has owned since before the marriage is that spouse’s separate property. The court cannot order you to share your separate property with your ex-spouse. In some divorce cases, the spouses disagree about whether a certain asset or debt is separate or marital.

Chicago Family Law Attorney

Hiring a family law attorney to represent you in your divorce case does not always mean that you will have a contentious divorce. It might even reduce the chances that your case will go to trial. Your Norridge divorce lawyer will help you avoid mistakes that could lead to disputes that could bring you and your ex-husband back to court. In the long term, it is better to speak up now about the fact that you need a certain amount of money to get through the next few years as you reenter the workforce and adjust to life as a single mother than to stay quiet for the sake of keeping the peace, only for your resentment to show up later in the form of a conflict-ridden co-parenting relationship with your ex.

Contact Women’s Divorce and Family Law Group About Your Divorce

A Chicago family law attorney can help you get a fair share of the marital property in your divorce. Contact Women’s Divorce & Family Law Group in Chicago, Illinois, to discuss your case.