Wheaton Family Law and Divorce Lawyer

Illinois Child Custody Lawyer

To schedule your free initial consultation regarding any of the following areas of family law, please call me, Terry Fawell, a Wheaton family law and divorce attorney. I can be reached at 630-871-2400.

• Divorce : Overly aggressive legal representation can increase the cost of your divorce by creating conflict where none previously existed. As your lawyer, I use a collaborative style that will help you protect your interests and your finances.
• Legal separation : Legal separation is similar to divorce, although different because when a separation agreement is reached, you are legally still married.
• Contested and uncontested divorces : I seek marital settlement agreements in contested and uncontested matters alike. I can protect your rights, your future, your finances and the best interests of your children.
• Equitable property division : In long-term marriages, the court will try to equalize income and assets. As a result, a spouse with lower earnings may receive more than 50 percent of marital assets.
• Child custody and visitation : If child custody is an issue in your divorce, it will need to be resolved first, before you can go on to issues such as marital property division.
• Illinois child support : Illinois child support guidelines are 20 percent of net income for one child; 30 percent for two children; 32 percent for three children; 40 percent for four children; 45 percent for five children; and 50 percent for six or more children.
• Spousal maintenance : Permanent spousal maintenance is typically only awarded in marriages that have lasted 15 or more years and where one spouse has been financially dependent upon the other spouse. In marriages of shorter duration a spouse may receive rehabilitative maintenance.
• Modifications and enforcement : In the months and years after a divorce has been finalized, life can change. If there has been a significant change in material circumstances, modifications can be granted to child custody and support orders. And, enforcement actions can be taken if one party is not following court orders.
• Domestic violence : Illinois courts are wary of using a protection order to force one spouse from the home during a divorce. Unless there is physical abuse, the courts are reluctant to evict someone.
• Prenuptial agreements : Many people entering second marriages use prenuptial agreements to protect their assets from a former marriage or inherited property.
• Paternity : Fathers can file paternity cases if the children's mother is denying them access to their child. Mothers often seek to establish paternity in order to receive child support, and help with daycare and dependent medical coverage.
• Guardianship and adoptions : Grandparents and stepparents often find themselves serving the role of parent in every sense except legally. Guardianship or adoption can bring legal reality to that relationship.

Free Consultation With an Experienced Lawyer

For a free initial consultation about your case, contact me, attorney Terry Fawell. From my office in Wheaton, I serve clients in DuPage, Kane and Will counties.