Naperville Divorce Attorney

Naperville Divorce Attorney

Divorce is a shock to the family as a whole, but there are things you can do to help make the transition less rocky and more manageable – for everyone. Working closely with an experienced Naperville divorce attorney from the outset can help to ensure that your divorce proceeds as smoothly as possible – and that your financial rights and your rights as a parent are well protected.

Resolving the Terms of Your Divorce

Your divorce will be very specific to you and your family, but the divorce terms that you’ll need to resolve are consistent across all divorces, including (as applicable):

• Your Child Custody Arrangements – Your child custody arrangements address your parental responsibilities, which establish who will be making the important parenting decisions and can be either sole or joint. Additionally, these arrangements address your parenting plan, which determines how you and your divorcing spouse will be dividing your parenting time and parental responsibilities as well as other matters such as communication, travel and relocation.
• The Division of Your Marital Property – Those assets that you acquired as a married couple are considered marital property, and they must be divided equitably (or fairly in relation to the circumstances of your marriage and divorce) upon divorce. The marital assets that would be most valuable in property division are the marital home, brokerage accounts, 401(k)s, pensions and any family-owned business.

• Child Support – Child support is determined according to the State of Illinois’s statutory formulas under the Income Shares Model. Under the Income Shares Model, child support calculations are based primarily on each parent’s earnings and the amount of parenting time each parent has. The higher earner among you, however, is very likely to have a child support responsibility (even if you split your parenting time evenly). 

• Alimony – Alimony (also known as spousal support or maintenance) are regular payments of support paid to a spouse with less income or earning power.  When maintenance is appropriate, it will usually be calculated using a state formula.  The duration of the maintenance award is based on the length of the marriage, but in longer marriages maintenance payments may be indefinite or permanent.
  

Finalizing Your Divorce

In order to finalize your divorce, you’ll need to resolve each of the terms that apply to your situation. If you and your divorcing spouse can negotiate mutually agreeable terms between yourselves, you won’t need the court to make these major decisions on your behalf, which is generally the goal. Even if you are far apart on the issues, however, it doesn’t mean that you’ll need to immediately turn to the court. 

Your respective divorce attorneys are well prepared to help you find a middle ground between yourselves, but they can also negotiate on behalf of each of you if communications have broken down. There are also alternative dispute options, such as mediation and collaborative divorce, that can help you further explore divorce compromises that may work for you.  

It’s Time to Consult with an Experienced Naperville Divorce Attorney

Divorce is a major transition for any family, and it’s worth the effort it takes to find a workable solution outside of court (whenever possible). Cameron H. Goodman at Goodman Law Firm is an accomplished divorce attorney in Naperville who understands the challenges you face and who has considerable experience helping clients like you resolve their divorces favorably. To learn more, please don’t wait to contact us for more information today.