Rolling Meadows Family Lawyer

Family law is an important area of the law that helps families address concerns related to divorce generally, the separate terms of divorce, paternity, and beyond. Because a family law concern can have a significant impact on your future, having an experienced Rolling Meadows family lawyer on your side is in your best interests. 

Divorce and the Terms of Divorce

Even divorces that are relatively amicable can be difficult, and when the divorce is contentious to begin with or involves complications, the process is likely to be that much more challenging. While the terms of divorce are static, the degree of complication involved can vary considerably. The basic terms of divorce that must be resolved include:

• Parental responsibilities and parenting time – or child custody arrangements
• Child support 
• The division of marital property
• Alimony 

Factors that tend to complicate the divorce process include:

• High assets
• Complicated assets
• Hidden assets
• Business ownership
• Divorce based on fault, such as adultery

Family law helps couples facing divorces that range from the amicable dissolution of a marriage to the most hotly contested battles and includes collaborative divorces and same-sex divorces. Additionally, family law allows couples to address issues like the following:

• Post-divorce modifications to the separate terms of divorce (other than the division of marital property)
• Child custody arrangements and child support between parents who are not married
• The establishment of paternity

Parental Responsibilities and Parenting Time

Parental responsibilities establish who will be taking on the central parenting decisions, such as those related to health care, schooling, and extracurriculars. Parenting time sets the schedule whereby parents divide their time with their shared children. 

Child Support

Child support is calculated according to state guidelines that factor in a range of variables. The primary determinative factors, however, are each parent’s income and the number of overnights the children spend with each parent.

The Division of Marital Property

The assets acquired during a marriage are marital, and upon divorce, they must be distributed between the spouses equitably, which translates to fairly when a range of relevant circumstances are factored in.

Alimony

Only if a spouse is left without the means to support themself financially upon divorce and the other spouse is capable of helping is alimony awarded. 

Paternity

When parents are married at the time of a child’s birth, paternity – or the issue of who the child’s father is – is presumed and is, therefore, generally not a concern. When the parents are not married, however, paternity may need to be established, and this can be accomplished through agreement on the part of the parents that leads to filing a form with the court or through DNA testing if either parent requests it or the court requires it.

It’s Time to Consult with a Rolling Meadows Family Lawyer

The accomplished Rolling Meadows family lawyers at the SAM LAW OFFICE LLC dedicate their practice to helping clients like you favorably resolve their family law issues. Your case is important, so please don’t wait to reach out and contact us for more information about how we can help today.