Illinois Child Custody and Guardianship Attorneys
The children are the treasures! The children are your legacy. No one knows this more than every domestic relations and guardianship judge in Illinois. For the judge who is assigned your case, the well-being of your child is absolutely paramount in his or her analysis and thinking.
When a household fractures and parents separate, the issue of where the child(ren) will live, go to school, have friends, go to church, play sports, etc. is the paramount question.
Initial legal maneuvers and blunders, sometimes made even before the lawyers are retained and the case begins, can have a dramatic impact on the final outcome of the case.
Clients Know the Best Interests of their Child(ren)
At the Illinois law firm of Wakenight & Associates, P.C. we focus on helping clients assert their rights to further the best interests of their children. We help clients put aside their anger and educate them about their options in child custody and guardianship matters.
Stay involved with your kids after divorce.
Educating Clients About Custody and Guardianship
There are three basic types of child custody in Illinois — joint custody, sole custody and shared custody:
- Joint custody requires parents to cooperate in decision-making regarding education, health care and religious instruction. It does not mean that the children live with each parent for an equal amount of time. The parties will agree or the court will assign a residential parent. The non-residential parent will pay child support and exercise visitation. The amount of time the children spends with the non-residential parent is addressed in a visitation, or parenting time, agreement or order.
- Sole custody is the term that describes the arrangement that gives one parent the responsibility for deciding everything related to the child's welfare. It does not mean that the other parent is out of the picture. Visitation and parenting time can be the same in a sole custody case as it is in a joint custody case.
- Shared custody is a form of joint custody. It is appropriate when the child spends equal time with each parent, the parents reside in the same school district and are able to joint parent.
- Guardianship is applicable when a child's natural parents are not available. It is possible and sometimes preferred for the non-parent to secure an order of custody instead of a guardianship order.
Guardianship cases are not heard in the Domestic Relations Courts but fall under the authority of the Probate Division of the Circuit Courts. We also handle cases regarding the permanent removal of a child from the State of Illinois.
To learn how we get clients through this difficult process, contact an experienced child custody lawyer at one of one of our DuPage, Kane, Cook, Lake or Will County offices.
FREE PHONE CONSULTATION WITH A DIVORCE ATTORNEY
There's an Office Near You: Oak Park, Lombard, Mokena, Joliet, St. Charles, Lisle, Palatine, Lincolnshire, Park Ridge, Northbrook or downtown Chicago.
In Cook County or Lake County call 888-482-4975.
In DuPage County or Kane County call 888-852-2670, and
In Will County and Other Counties our number is 888-847-0531.
