Do you want the cheapest divorce in Illinois? The cheapest divorce lawyer in Illinois? If you do, then you are likely interested in an uncontested divorce in Illinois.
As an uncontested divorce lawyer, I help clients quickly get divorced in a way that’s affordable. (more…)
This is an FAQ on affordable and quick divorce in Illinois. As an uncontested divorce lawyer, I handle uncontested divorces in the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, Kendall, McHenry, and Will. And there’s one constant – people want an affordable divorce in Illinois.
So I wrote this FAQ on affordable divorce in Illinois. (more…)
You ask: “How is property divided in an Illinois divorce?” If you are interested in an uncontested divorce in Illinois, maybe you wonder about how property is divided in a divorce in Illinois. In an Illinois divorce, the division of property can include dividing bank accounts, retirement accounts, business, real estate, and other assets.
(more…)What is the waiting period for divorce in Illinois? As a Chicago divorce lawyer, I get this question a lot. Not surprisingly, many times people want to get divorced in Illinois as fast as possible. As a state in other articles, uncontested divorce is it good way to make that happen. But even then, you would still have to deal with the waiting period issue. I hope to explain the two types of waiting periods in this article. (more…)
“How do I get a quick divorce in Illinois?”
As an uncontested divorce lawyer in Illinois, that’s one of the most common questions I get. It doesn’t matter if the person is from Chicago, or the Illinois counties of Cook, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry or Will. Everyone seems to want a quick and affordable divorce.
And that makes sense. That’s why I put together this list of Tips for Quick Divorce in Illinois.
I get many calls from people who say they want an uncontested divorce, but they really haven’t yet spoke to their spouse yet.
An uncontested divorce, or amicable divorce, is divorce by agreement. Therefore, the first step in getting an uncontested divorce in Illinois is to check with your spouse to see if he or she actually agrees to getting divorced. At times, people not only refused to agree to the terms of a divorce, but also refuse to agree to the divorce at all.
I have numerous cases where people tried to handle a divorce themselves, and even used some shady online divorce websites. That’s a bad idea for so many reasons.
Many of the divorce websites are not even run by lawyers. The users simply input information into a website, and a settlement agreement pops out. The problem is that the website cannot possible ask the questions a lawyer would ask, and cannot spot problems like a lawyer would spot. Websites don’t think – they just spit out information.
And when clients try to handle divorces on their own, results aren’t much better. They draft clauses that are unenforceable, or confusing. And sometimes the judge doesn’t let the divorce go through. Or, even worse, the judge allows the divorce to proceed and the former spouses find themselves in court years later because of a poorly drafted settlement agreement.
With few exceptions, everything acquired during a marriage is marital property.
And contrary to popular belief, it’s almost totally irrelevant if the property is titled only to one person. If you don’t properly inventory your assets and debts, your lawyer will not be able to properly protect your rights.
I find that many people who want an uncontested divorce in Illinois have decided they agree to “just work things out” with the kids. In other words, then want to keep the parenting agreement totally ambiguous and just decided as they go along how to handle the kids.
But that’s not going to work. A judge who reads that agreement should not let it go through. Why? Because such an agreement would almost invariably lead to fighting years after the divorce.
As a lawyer, I would help you draft a parenting agreement that would help keep you out of court.
So many people call me and spend half the phone call talking about what some uncle or friend told them. Or maybe they waste time talking about some person they know that got divorce and what happened in that divorce. That type of stuff is almost always a waste of time.
Instead of comparing to other peoples’ divorces, and getting bad advice from non-lawyers, you should call your own lawyer. My job would be to help you reach reasonable conclusions and how to get divorce quickly and affordably.
What you should understand is that all divorces are different because all families are different. Further, laws change over time. And what’s more, judges vary. Therefore, the best way to avoid wasting time might be to stop using family as friends as lawyers.
I handled many contested matters, and I’m not scared of a trial. But I’m almost certain that an quick and affordable uncontested divorce in Illinois is probably your best option.
Depending in what county your case will be heard, the quickest your case might be is a bit under 3 weeks to under 2 months.
If there’s one question I get more than most others, it’s “How long does it take to get divorced in Illinois?”
This site is clearly about uncontested divorce in Illinois. What’s that? It’s when parties agree to all aspects of their divorce: money, kids, debt – all that.
How fast an uncontested divorce moves in based on the people involved, and the court in the county of the divorce. It’s possible for an uncontested divorce to take as little as two and a half weeks. Or maybe it will take more than a month.
But to truly understand the fantastic speed of an uncontested divorce, you should consider what happens if your divorce is NOT uncontested. That is, what happens when parties fight in court.
How long your divorce takes depends primarily on how much fighting you do with the other party. In divorce court, certain procedures must be followed. Consider the following limited list of what my occur in a contested divorce:
I handle uncontested and contested divorces. If someone wants to pay me to fight their case, I can do that. But I often try to steer people towards coming to an agreement and getting an amicable and quick divorce. For those interested in an uncontested divorce, I offer representation for a flat fee.
As an uncontested divorce lawyer in Illinois counties of Cook, Lake, DuPage, Will, and others, often people call me asking “What is the difference between contested and uncontested divorce?” If you want an affordable and fast divorce, it is crucial that you understand the answer to that question.
There are two types of divorce available in most states: contested and uncontested divorce.
In a contested divorce the spouses don’t agree, and instead, litigate. Contested divorce is fairly commonplace, though many contested cases settle without a trial. There are various hot-button issues in contested divorce:
An uncontested divorce is sometimes referred to as an “amicable” or “no-fault” divorce .
In truth, spouses need not be amicable in an uncontested divorce. They can even hate each other. They just need to agree on all the issues involving divorce.
In contrast to a contested divorce that can take years to complete, an uncontested divorce can be very quick. Some of my have taken less than one month.
Most married people who want to get divorced probably would prefer uncontested divorce because of its speed, simplicity, convenience, privacy, and inexpensiveness. The efficiency and cost savings of uncontested divorces are the major advantages highlighted by most divorcing couples.
You might also check out my articles “When is the right time to get divorced?” and “Divorce after one visit to court? Yes!“
Someone asked me “How many times will I have to go to court to get divorce?”
“Just once,” I said.
People are interested in getting an uncontested divorce in Illinois because they know that otherwise, divorce can be destructive, and expensive.
With the process I use for an uncontested divorce, my clients only have to go to court once – at the “prove up,” where the divorce in finalized.
In fact, because I recognize people are busy, I use an efficient system that doesn’t require any meetings prior to the prove up. You probably have better things to do than hang out with a divorce lawyer (and if you don’t, please get therapy).
For an overview of the process I use, please see my article “Process for an Uncontested Divorce in Illinois.”
One reason I focus on efficiency is that my clients have better things to do than to meet for no reason, chit chat on the phone, and spend time mailing documents back and forth.
I utilize cutting-edge technology, like cloud-based storage to exchange documents with my clients. I also allow clients to sign some documents online. And unlike some Chicago divorce lawyers, I’m more than happy to communicate via email, after business hours, and on weekends.
You may have heard that an uncontested divorce in Illinois is likely the best way to end your marriage. But as a Chicago divorce lawyer, I know the process can seem daunting. So this article is meant to explain the process of an uncontested divorce in Illinois.
You can contact me here. I will promptly contact you. If I cannot handle your divorce, I may be able to assist you in providing a referral for an Illinois divorce lawyer that can handle your case.
My goal is to serve clients in the following areas: Cook County: Chicago, Naperville, Evanston, Schaumburg, Skokie, etc; Lake County: Highland Park, Highwood, Waukegan; DuPage County: Elmhurst, Wheaton; Kane County: St. Charles, Geneva; Will County: Joliet; Champaign County: Champaign, Urbana; Sangamon County: Springfield; Madison County: Edwardsville.
An uncontested divorce in Illinois is the least costly and most stress-free way to get divorced.
As a Chicago divorce lawyer, I always try to steer clients in the most peaceful route possible. Check out the below overview, and see my other article “Process for an Uncontested Divorce in Illinois” for a succinct overview.
For an uncontested divorce in Illinois, spouses will have to reach agreement in the following areas:
Child custody: Will parents share “joint legal custody,” so that they are both legal guardians? Where will the children live?
Child support: How much child support will be paid? And to who?
Dividing marital property – assets and debts: How will the marriage’s assets be divided? Who gets what? Should some of it be sold, and the proceeds distributed? Who gets the house? Who gets the debt?
Spousal maintenance (alimony): How much alimony should be paid, if any, and for how long?
Even if your marriage has taken on a certain amount of acrimony, you and your spouse might be able to come to agreement for the benefit of everyone involved. In the end, an uncontested divorce is about pragmatics: putting the past behind you and moving ahead as quickly as possible.
You can contact me here. If I cannot handle your divorce, I may be able to assist you in providing a referral for an Illinois divorce lawyer that can handle your case. My goal is to serve clients in the following areas: Cook County: Chicago, Naperville, Evanston, Schaumburg, Skokie, etc; Lake County: Highland Park, Highwood, Waukegan; DuPage County: Elmhurst, Wheaton; Kane County: St. Charles, Geneva; Will County: Joliet; Champaign County: Champaign, Urbana; Sangamon County: Springfield; Madison County: Edwardsville.