Wheaton Divorce Attorney

Divorce Attorneys Serving DuPage County and Kane County

Divorce is an emotionally-draining process that brings forth complex issues, making it a difficult experience for everyone involved. Dealing with issues such as asset division, allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time, child support, and spousal support can cause significant stress, especially if you are uncertain about how the final decisions will be made in your case. While in the long-term, your divorce could be a positive step forward, this can be a small comfort during the emotional and tumultuous process of ending your marriage. Making critical decisions while trying to sift through legal, financial, and practical details can seem overwhelming. Not knowing what lies ahead can add to this anxiety. To get through this process successfully, you will need a strong legal advocate on your side.

The experienced Wheaton, IL divorce attorneys of Andrew Cores Family Law Group are prepared to discuss your divorce and related family law matters. We have helped people through the divorce process throughout Illinois from our offices in DuPage County and Kendall County, including Naperville, Geneva, Schaumburg, Joliet, and Yorkville. Our divorce lawyers have extensive experience providing legal representation for clients in both contested and uncontested divorce cases. We can help you understand the laws that apply in your case, and we will work to protect your rights and ensure that you will be able to resolve your family law issues successfully.

During this difficult and emotional time in your life, you deserve a divorce attorney who understands what you are going through and who can provide the necessary legal help to ensure that your family is protected. We are here to fight for your financial interests as well as the best interests of your children—with empathy, care, and compassion. When you work with our law firm, you can rest assured that you will have a strong advocate on your side to help you get through this difficult process and move on to a more positive future. Call Andrew Cores, an experienced family law attorney, at 630-871-1002 to set up a free consultation and learn more about our legal services.

DIVORCE REPRESENTATION FOCUSED ON PROTECTING YOUR INTERESTS

We strive to tackle marital and family issues proactively, always understanding that cooperation and respect are essential if you want the divorce process to be less stressful. We will help you negotiate or mediate a settlement in an amicable way, but when necessary, we can also fight for your rights in the courtroom. Our goal is to aggressively protect your interests throughout the entire divorce proceedings.

Our esteemed divorce attorneys are highly competent negotiators, certified mediators, and renowned trial lawyers who work closely with our clients to handle all types of legal issues that may play a role in divorce cases, including:

• Division of Property

  It is important to ensure that all marital assets are considered correctly during the divorce process. Our divorce attorneys will work with forensic accountants to identify assets, classify them correctly, and determine the value of property that must be divided. We can help negotiate marital property settlements to ensure that you will be able to keep the items that are important to you and that you will have the financial resources you need going forward.

• Division of Marital Debt

  Different types of debts, including credit cards, home mortgages, or business debts, must also be considered during divorce negotiations. We will take the necessary steps to protect your financial interests and negotiate for an acceptable division of marital debts. We will also help you make sure you understand the obligations that will apply to you following your divorce so that you can avoid unexpected surprises in the years to come.

• Spousal Support

  In some divorce cases, alimony or spousal maintenance may be awarded to help one spouse meet their needs and maintain their standard of living as they work to become financially self-sufficient. When you work with a divorce lawyer at our firm, we will evaluate your situation and explain the factors that may come into play in determining whether one spouse should receive support payments from the other. If necessary, we can negotiate for an appropriate amount of support based on the guidelines in Illinois law.

• Parental Responsibilities (Child Custody)

  Our divorce attorneys have extensive experience helping parents establish custody agreements that address how they will make decisions about their children's medical care, education, activities, and religious matters. While shared custody will be appropriate in most situations, we can help you negotiate a parenting plan that will ensure that you will be able to work together with the other parent to make important decisions for your children.

• Child Visitation/Parenting Time

  Our divorce lawyers will work to create a parenting schedule that addresses when each parent will have physical custody of minor children, how transportation arrangements will be handled, how parents should communicate about changes, and other related issues. We can also help you understand the rights that apply to grandparents and other family members who may want visitation time with your children, ensuring that they will be able to maintain important family relationships.

• Child Support

  Illinois law requires both parents to provide financial support for their children. We can help you calculate the amount of support that should be paid based on statutory guidelines, and we will ensure that related issues will also be addressed, such as additional child-related expenses or children's college expenses.

• High Asset Divorce

  There are a variety of complex financial issues that may come into play when spouses have high incomes or own large assets. We can ensure that all forms of income will be considered in these situations, and we will work with financial experts to determine the value of different types of assets. We can ensure that issues related to property division, spousal support, and other financial concerns will be handled correctly during a high net worth divorce. Our goal is to negotiate a divorce settlement that will protect your interests and ensure that you can maintain financial security.

• Complex Divorce

  We can address numerous types of complicated divorce-related concerns, including in divorce cases involving complex financial issues. We can help protect professional practices, determine how to divide investment and retirement accounts, and address ownership of residential and commercial real estate property, vehicles, and high-value property such as jewelry, artwork, designer clothing, or collectibles.

• Business Valuation

  When one or both spouses are business owners, it is important to determine the value of the company in order to reach an equitable property settlement. We will work with financial experts to determine the best methods for accurately assessing the value of a business. Once the full value of the business is understood by both parties, we can help determine the best ways to divide business assets in a way that will help our clients accomplish their goals.

• Finding Hidden Assets

  When divorce is on the horizon, it is not uncommon for spouses to attempt to conceal assets in order to gain an advantage in their divorce settlements. In some cases, a spouse may hide assets that they do not want to share with the other party, or a person may attempt to reduce their reported income in order to minimize the financial support they may be required to pay. Our divorce attorneys can investigate these issues and help ensure that all money and property are accurately accounted for. We work hard to protect our clients' financial interests and secure a fair and equitable divorce settlement.

• Dissipation of Marital Assets

  Spouses are legally obligated to maintain the financial integrity of the marital estate prior to divorce. If a spouse has misused assets for their sole benefit or attempted to spend money or transfer assets in an effort to gain an advantage in the divorce or harm the other party, our divorce attorneys can provide guidance on how to address this issue. We will investigate these matters, identify any uses of marital assets by a spouse for non-marital purposes, bring these actions to the attention of the court, and advocate for solutions that will protect our client's financial interests.

• Post-Divorce Issues

  If necessary, we can assist with the enforcement of court orders and ensure that an ex-spouse meets their child support or spousal support obligations and abides by the terms of their parenting plan. We can also help pursue post-divorce modifications based on changes in a family's circumstances, including modification of child custody orders or modification of spousal support.

Marriage And Divorce Rates

Frequently Asked Questions About Divorce in Wheaton

What Are the Grounds for Divorce?

In Illinois, the only grounds for divorce that are recognized are "irreconcilable differences." When a person files for divorce, they will state that the couple has encountered relationship issues that have caused their marriage to break down beyond the point where it can be repaired and that attempting to reconcile would not be in the best interests of the family. While Illinois law recognized fault-based grounds for divorce in the past, such as adultery or substance abuse, no-fault divorce is now the only option available. This helps ensure that rather than being caught up in disputes over why their marriage is ending, spouses can focus on resolving the legal issues that will need to be addressed in order to terminate their marriages.

How Do I File for Divorce?

To begin the divorce process, you will file a petition for dissolution of marriage in the county court where either you or your spouse are currently living. In addition to stating that you wish to end your marriage because of irreconcilable differences, your divorce petition will include requests for temporary relief, which will ask the court to make decisions about how issues such as child custody, child support, and property division will be handled while the divorce process is ongoing. You will then serve the divorce petition to your spouse, and they will be required to file a response or court appearance within 30 days. An initial hearing will be held where requests for temporary relief will be addressed. If your spouse does not file a court appearance or response or does not appear at the initial hearing, a default judgment may be issued, and your requests for relief may be granted.

What Is the Average Cost for a Lawyer in a Divorce Case?

Prior to your divorce, it is difficult to know the exact cost of hiring a divorce lawyer to represent you. The total costs will depend on the complexity of the issues that will need to be addressed in your case, the amount of time that will be necessary to resolve any disputes that may arise, and a variety of other factors. At Andrew Cores Family Law Group, our family law attorneys can help you understand the ways you may be able to reduce the costs of your divorce, such as by using mediation to resolve disputes with your spouse.

How Much Is a Retainer Fee for a Divorce Lawyer in Illinois?

Your retainer fee may vary depending on the circumstances of your case, your financial situation, and other factors. In most cases, a retainer of a few thousand dollars may initially be paid to ensure that a divorce lawyer will be able to begin working on your case. We will be sure to explain the legal fees that you will be required to pay so that you will not face unexpected expenses during the divorce process.

Is it Better to Get a Local Divorce Attorney?

Ideally, you will want to work with a divorce lawyer who has experience representing clients in your local area. A lawyer who is familiar with the courts in your county will know the judges who hear divorce cases and the procedures followed in local courtrooms. Our family law attorneys have extensive experience representing clients in DuPage County family courts, as well as other county courts in the greater Chicago area.

DIVORCE MEDIATION, COLLABORATIVE LAW, AND NEGOTIATED AGREEMENTS

In order to reduce the time and money associated with a divorce or legal separation, to protect your privacy, and to ensure what is most important to you is fully considered, we may recommend using divorce mediation or collaborative law to reach a settlement agreement. Our attorneys can serve either as divorce counsel or independent mediators during the process.

At Andrew Cores Family Law Group, our Wheaton, IL divorce attorneys provide a wide range of legal options for families going through a no-fault, contested, or uncontested divorce. Contact our office today by calling 630-871-1002 to set up your free initial consultation. We serve clients in Wheaton and other nearby cities, including Downers Grove, Oak Brook, Naperville, Glen Ellyn, Lisle, Carol Stream, West Chicago, Clarendon Hills, as well as other communities in DuPage County, Kane County, Kendall County, and Will County.