In Illinois, the court will often take into account the wishes of the child or children who are the subject of a parenting time dispute. While a child's input can be incredibly valuable in terms of determining the child's best interest - as is the court's ultimate goal - it is not necessarily appropriate under all circumstances.

If you are involved in a parenting time dispute and worry about how your child's feelings and wishes will be respected, our compassionate family law attorneys in Wheaton can be by your side throughout the process.

Illinois Considers Child Input as One Factor in Parenting Time Disputes

If you are seeking a divorce in Illinois, you may have questions about who is responsible for paying attorney’s fees. Many people believe that it is only fair that the party whose actions led to the divorce, or who first filed for divorce, should be responsible for the attorney’s fees.

This is not always the case though. Ultimately, the decision about attorney’s fees is often left to the court's discretion. However, your divorce lawyer can certainly request that the judge assign the attorney’s fees - entirely or in part - to your spouse.

Factors the Court May Consider in Assigning Fees

Divorce is often a hardship that weighs heavily on nearly every aspect of an individual’s life. It can be emotionally and physically taxing, but it can also be financially damaging. Too many times does a couple stay together because it is economically easier. Both are used to a certain standard of living and feels as though they would not be able to support themselves if they went out on their own. One solution is to apply for spousal support.

What Is Spousal Support?

Spousal support, also known as spousal maintenance or alimony, is a payment that is made by one spouse to another after a divorce or separation. While spousal support is not always necessary, its main purpose it to help offset effects of divorce and to ensure that neither individual is left in poverty due to the divorce. Typically, this payment is calculated in order to assist both parties in the divorce maintain a similar standard of living after a divorce is final as was enjoyed during the marriage.

Illinois is one state that allows grandparents and other close family members to petition the court for visits when the parent or guardian is not permitting access to the child. While grandparent visitation is considered a privilege and not a right in Illinois, your family law attorney can help you seek contact with your grandchildren.

What Is Grandparent Visitation?

Any parent - if deemed a fit parent by the court - is given substantial deference to his or her wishes regarding contact between their child and other family members, including grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles, and even adult siblings. For this reason, many grandparents attempt to set up regular visits with their grandchildren by working with the child's parent.

Paternity is defined as the legal relationship between a father and his children, and the rights and responsibilities that come along with that relationship. Fathers who are or were married to the mother of their child do not typically need to establish paternity, since the legal presumption is that a mother's husband or ex-husband (within a biologically appropriate time-frame) is the father.

Unmarried fathers, however, must proactively establish their paternity - or the mother may seek to do so. Unless both parents agree on who is the child's father and are willing to submit a signed acknowledgment, it is likely you will need to establish paternity in court. If you are a parent seeking to have the paternity of your child established for legal reasons, an experienced paternity lawyer in Illinois can help. Our firm's paternity attorneys have experience representing both mothers and fathers in paternity cases.

Rights and Responsibilities of Legal Fatherhood