Family Law Lawyers Near Me

If the legal matter you’re facing involves your family or children, it is an important matter that deserves careful legal attention. If this is the situation you find yourself in, the first order of business is consulting with a dedicated family law lawyer near you. 

Family Law

Family law is a broad arm of the law that concerns itself with those legal matters that affect families. While this includes the terms of a divorce, there is more to family law than that. Consider the following:

• Divorce terms, including parental responsibilities and parenting time, child support, division of marital property, and alimony (called spousal support in Illinois)
• Post-divorce modifications of child support, alimony, and parental responsibilities and parenting time
• Father’s rights 
• Mother’s rights
• Contempt of court and enforcement
• Mediation 
• Paternity

Family law concerns are wide-ranging and important in your life. 

Divorce Terms

Divorce terms are common matters in family law, and many of them are also addressed outside of marriage (such as parental responsibilities and parenting time and child support issues for parents who were never married and post-divorce modifications of these terms). The basic divorce terms include:

• Parental responsibilities and parenting time (also known as child custody)
• Child support
• The division of marital property
• Alimony

Parental Responsibilities and Parenting Time

Parental responsibilities determine who will be making important life decisions on behalf of the children, including decisions about the following:

• Their schooling
• Their health care
• Their extracurricular activities
• Their religious education

These responsibilities can be taken on by one parent, shared, or divided according to the kind of decision being made. Parenting time relates to how the parents divide their time with the children (according to what parenting time schedule). 

Child Support

There is generally very little wiggle room when it comes to child support, which is calculated according to careful state guidelines and is intended to ensure that both parents continue supporting their children financially. If there is a compelling reason for doing so, such as a child’s special needs, the court has the discretion to order child support outside of the standard calculation parameters. 

The Division of Marital Property

The property that a couple accumulates while married is considered marital property, which must be divided equitably – or fairly – in the event of a divorce. The division of marital property is often one of the most contested issues in divorce. 

Alimony

Alimony is intended to help balance a financial imbalance that was created by the divorce. If one spouse needs financial assistance and the other has the means to help, alimony may be ordered (generally in an amount and for a duration that allows the recipient to become more financially independent through education, experience, or job training). 

Turn to an Experienced Family Law Lawyer Near You for the Legal Guidance You Need

If you’re facing a family law concern, the trusted family law lawyers at the SAM LAW OFFICE, LLC – proudly serving Barrington, Illinois – understand the serious nature of the matter and are committed to employing their impressive experience in focused pursuit of your case’s most beneficial resolution. To learn more, please don’t wait to contact us today.