Choose a lawyer that you think you will be able to trust, just a little bit. You need a lawyer that provides sound advice, not just what you want to hear. In my opinion, the best lawyers honestly communicate ranges of outcomes and likelihoods of the success of different case strategies while keeping in mind the big picture and the cost-benefit analysis of each potential move while anticipating potential countermoves and the risks of unintended consequences.
Your divorce from start to finish will take anywhere between two months and four years. If everything goes perfectly, your divorce might take two to four months to complete-if a few things go wrong; your divorce could take longer, maybe four months to a year or two. If a few more things go wrong. Well, it could keep going and going. Most people end up somewhere in the middle between a few months and a year or two years. I would be happy to share with you some things that you can do today to do what you can to make sure that your case gets wrapped up as quickly as possible.
Don’t choose a lawyer based on the hourly rate. Lawyers charge by the hour. Most lawyers charge between $200 and $750 per hour. Your case, when everything is said and done, could cost more overall if your lawyer charges $200 versus $750 an hour. The inverse is also true.
Don’t choose a lawyer based on the amount of the retainer that is quoted. Some lawyers always take a $2,500 retainer. Some lawyers always take a $3,500 retainer. Some lawyers always take a $10,000. Some lawyers quote the retainer based on the type of case. But a retainer is not a quote or prediction of how much your case will cost when everything is said and done. A retainer is simply the amount of money required to hire a lawyer to get them to start working on your matter.
Rather than focusing on the cost, it is better to focus on the time. Will your case take two months or four years? Because lawyers bill by the hour, the case that takes four years will undoubtedly cost more than the case that takes two months. Choose a lawyer that you trust just a little bit because that lawyer can help guide you down the path to accomplishing what you need to achieve in your case, allowing you to move on with your life.
Both parents can be awarded the power to jointly make the major decisions regarding the child, Such major decisions as religion, education, medical, and extracurricular activities. Also, only one parent can be awarded the sole power to make the major decisions regarding religion, education, medical, and extracurricular activities. So, it depends.
Both parents are generally awarded parenting time. Most of the time, one parent has more parenting time than the other parent. Sometimes it is equal parenting time. Every case is different.
DIVORCE CAN BE OVERWHELMING. CONCENTRATE ON THE FIRST STEP-HIRE A LAWYER. IF YOU PLAN ON DOING YOUR DIVORCE ON YOUR OWN, GOOD LUCK. IF YOU PLAN ON “SHARING”, THE SAME LAWYER WITH YOUR SPOUSE-IT’S NOT POSSIBLE. ONE LAWYER CANNOT REPRESENT BOTH SPOUSES, JUST AS ONE LAWYER CANNOT REPRESENT SAMSUNG AND APPLE IN A COURT CASE. BUT, IF YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE ARE COOPERATIVE ENOUGH TO THINK ABOUT SHARING THE SAME LAWYER, YOU MIGHT BE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR AN OUT-OF-COURT SETTLEMENT. A SIGNED AGREEMENT THAT DISPOSES OF AND SETTLES ALL THE ISSUES DRAFTED AND SIGNED BEFORE ANYTHING IS ACTUALLY FILED WITH THE COURTS.
Your divorce case can be heard at the Third Municipal District Courthouse of cook county located at 2121 Euclid Avenue, in Rolling Meadows, Illinois; if you live in one of the following cities or villages:
Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Bensenville, Buffalo Grove, Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Harper College, Harwood Heights, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Kildeer, Mount Prospect, Norridge, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Roselle, Rosemont, Schaumburg, Schiller Park, South Barrington, Streamwood, or Wheeling.
Thank you! I have, for many years, been acknowledged by my peers as one of the most astute Family Law attorneys in Illinois. I have been voted by my peers as a Rising Star in the area of Family Law by Super Lawyers Magazine every year since 2019 (a designation reserved for the top 2.5% of attorneys in Illinois under the age of 40).
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