Divorce
- Does it matter who files first for divorce?
- It is possible to avoid having a spouse formally served with the divorce documents?
- After a party is served with process, how much time will they have after service to file hire an attorney or file an appearance?
- How long does it take in Illinois to get a divorce?
- What will my divorce cost?
- Will my spouse be required to pay my attorney's fees?
- How do I choose grounds for my divorce?
- What is a legal separation?
- Once a divorce is filed, is the other party required to vacate the marital residence?
Child Custody
- How does a court decide which parent will get custody of a child?
- What is the difference between legal and physical custody?
- Is joint custody better?
- How much does a custody trial cost?
- If I can't afford a custody battle, are there steps I can take in seeking custody without trying the case outright?
Child Support
- Who has the duty to pay child support?
- How much child support will be paid?
- What is the definition of "net income" for child support purposes?
- Must the court always follow the guidelines, or may special circumstances result in higher or lower than guideline awards?
- May the support order be stated in terms of the percentage, and thus vary as the paying parent's income varies?
- What happens when the non-custodial parent's income cannot be ascertained?
- Can a court order an employer to deduct child support from the supporting parent's salary and pay it directly to the receiving parent?
- How are child support orders enforced?
- Must child support terminate when the child reaches age 18 or can it continue?
- Can a parent be required to provide support in addition to the guideline amounts?
- When a supporting parent is unemployed, does the court have any power to require him or her to work and pay child support?
- What impact does a parent's remarriage, or having other children, have on child support?
- Can a parent get out of paying past-due child support?
- Can the child petition the court to enforce or collect past-due support?
- What if the supporting parent is ill and can't work, or loses his or her job?
Maintenance (Alimony)
- What is maintenance?
- Is there more than one type of maintenance?
- Am I entitled to maintenance?
- Can maintenance be modified or terminated?
- What is a material change in circumstances for purposes of modification of maintenance?
- Will my maintenance award be sufficient to allow both me and my spouse to live at the standard of living which we established during the marriage?
- Will my maintenance terminate if I live with someone?
- What is unallocated family support?
Marital and Non-Marital Property
- What is "marital property"?
- What is considered "non-marital property"?
- What is dissipation of assets?
- How are property and debt distributed between the parties in a divorce case?
- If the spouses have not kept their non-marital property separate, but they have combined their ownership in joint tenancies and otherwise, how does the court decide on property division?
