Divorce Lawyers In Chicago When parties contemplate Divorce it is best if, at all possible, to agree between themselves how their property should be divided to save themselves time and money. Getting a family law attorney from our firm involved in your situation doesn’t mean that you want to start or continue a conflict; it simply means that you’re ready to work toward a resolution so that you can move forward. If you’re ready to put conflict behind you in favor of a fresh start, contact the Law Firm of Barry Lowe to see how our family law attorney can help. On our Home page we have a copy of the Divorce questionnaire that we give clients that covers most of the major issues that you can use as a guide to help you and your spouse/partner reach an agreement. CONTESTED DIVORCE / CIVIL UNION If you are unable to reach an agreement with your spouse/partner regarding all issues such as grounds for Dissolution of Marriage/Civil union, child custody, division of property or debts and your spouse/partner’s attorney either contacts us to negotiate settlement or files documents to deny the allegations in your Petition for Dissolution of Marriage/Civil Union, we consider your case contested. Barry Lowe During law school, Barry Lowe participated in a program providing legal services as part of the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation (“CCLAF”). Before providing legal services to a client, governmental regulations required that the clients go through a financial screening process to determine their “eligibility” to receive services under the program. While working for “CCLAF” Barry realized that many potential clients were being refused services because under the applicable financial guidelines their income level was considered to be too high. During law school, he also worked as a “clerk” in a private law firm. He became aware of the cost of obtaining “consumer” oriented legal services from private lawyers in Cook County and the surrounding area and he knew that most of the potential clients who were being turned away by “CCLAF” due to the governmental financial guidelines could not afford the cost of private legal representation. VISITATION / PATERNITY Studies have proven that the emotional health and wellbeing of your child depends on the involvement of both parents in their lives. To this end, laws have been passed to protect the non-residential parent’s right to spend quality parenting time with their children. Under Illinois law any child born during the course of a marriage is presumed to be the child of the Husband, with all the pertinent rights and obligations, unless a court order is entered to the contrary. CHILD CUSTODY Whether you are married to the mother of your child or not the standard the court uses to determine who should have custody of the child/children of the parties is determined by what is in the best interests of the child. Divorce is a very traumatic time for a child and the courts will do everything in their power to make this transition as smooth as possible. It is common, if custody is at dispute, to require both parties to attend parenting classes, custody mediation and appoint an attorney to represent the rights of the child. CHILD SUPPORT The State of Illinois child support statute states that the duty of support owed to a child includes the obligation to provide for the reasonable and necessary physical, mental and emotional health needs of the child. For more information please visit our site http://www.affordablechicagodivorce.com