Elgin Family Law Blog

Family law matters are complex, especially those that pertain to your relationship with your children. As an Illinois father, it is beneficial to understand how to protect your role, and it may be beneficial to understand how establishing paternity can help you do this.

Paternity is the legal establishment of a child's father. Simply because your name is on your child's birth certificate does not mean that you will have no trouble gaining access to your children. Depending on the nature of your individual situation, it might be necessary for you to understand the various ways you can legally establish paternity. 

Have you and your spouse made the decision to end your marriage? Are you both already in agreement regarding the terms of a final divorce order and settlement details? If you are ready to move forward with a divorce and believe you can do so without contention or conflict, you may consider filing for an uncontested divorce.

An uncontested divorce is not the right option for every Illinois couple, but it could be the most beneficial choice for you. If there are no remaining disagreements between you and your spouse and you wish to avoid litigation altogether, this might be the optimal choice for your unique situation. Before you make any major divorce-related decisions that could have significant impact on your future, you would be wise to carefully review all of the options available to you.

When two parents decide to separate or divorce, the children are often left feeling confused and uncertain about the future. While this is a difficult transition for every member of the family, it is possible to provide your child with stability and continuity of lifestyle, both during and after divorce. One of the many ways that Illinois parents do this is with a thoughtful, carefully crafted custody plan.

Two types of child custody -- legal custody and physical custody -- will affect your final parenting plan, which will outline the authority you have in the life of your child and how much time you will actually have with your child. It is therefore important to understand the differences between the two and to work with an experienced family law attorney to protect your parental rights and interests.

You've survived divorce. In fact, you not only survived but are well on your way to a successful and happy future. You may be like other parents in Illinois who are looking forward to the upcoming holidays and planning all sorts of special activities to build new memories with your kids.

Perhaps everything has been going just fine, that is, until a disagreement arises regarding your request for modification of your existing visitation order. You may have been surprised that your request was met with contention.

After all, you're not the first person ever to ask for changes in a child custody or other existing court order. It happens all the time.