Steps to Filing a Divorce in Chicago

If you are considering filing for divorce, there are some things you should know about the divorce process and decisions you need to make.

Determine whether you are eligibility to file for divorce

Illinois has a residency requirement. In order to file for divorce, either you or your spouse must live in Illinois for at least 90 days preceding the date you file for divorce. You can then file in the county where you or your spouse reside.

Decide on the grounds for your divorce

Illinois permits no-fault divorce where irreconcilable differences have irretrievably broken the marriage. The state also allows fault-based divorce on other grounds:

• Impotency
• A preexisting marriage
• Adultery
• Desertion
• Habitual drunkenness or drug addiction
• Physical or mental abuse
• Conviction of a felony crime
• Infection with a sexually transmitted disease 

Decide on divorce or legal separation

As an alternative to divorce, you can choose to file for a legal separation in Chicago. Legal separation is appropriate if there is a possibility you may reconcile or if religious reasons prevent you from seeking a divorce.

During a separation, you and your spouse will live separately and follow a binding legal separation agreement governing child support, custody, visitation, property division, and more. The legal separation agreement is put in place to protect all parties from the time of separation until the divorce is finalized. Because it often serves as a basis for the final divorce settlement, the separation agreement should not contain anything you cannot live with once the divorce is final. For help with a legal separation agreement, contact an experienced Chicago divorce lawyer for assistance.

Petition the court for divorce

Submit a Dissolution of Marriage petition identifying the parties involved, children you have, and the reason for the divorce. The court will legally serve your spouse with divorce papers. Your spouse must respond in writing within 30 days.

Comply with discovery requests

During discovery, attorneys for both parties gather financial affidavits, bank statements, sworn testimony from witnesses, and other information relevant to your case.

Follow through with mediation or counseling requirements in Chicago

Divorce laws allow the court to order you and your spouse to attend counseling to try to reconcile your marriage. In cases involving children, both parents may be ordered to attend an educational program on the effects of divorce on children.

Temporary divorce orders

If you and your spouse have not already worked out agreement, the court may issue temporary orders for child support, spousal support, child custody, and visitation. These orders are legally binding and must be followed until the final divorce hearing.

Settlement negotiations and mediation

Settlement negotiations in Illinois can begin as soon as divorce papers are filed. Illinois is an equitable distribution state, which means that marital property is divided equitably, not necessarily equally. All property acquired by either spouse after the marriage and before a divorce judgment is considered to be marital property, regardless of whether ownership is titled in one or both names.

If the spouses cannot reach agreement on disputed items, the court can require mediation. During mediation, both spouses and their lawyers meet with a court-appointed mediator to discuss and resolve areas of disagreement. The mediator is specially trained to negotiate a settlement between conflicted parties.

Consider divorce court as a last resort

If there are still unresolved issues after mediation, there will be a trial during which both parties argue their case before a judge. The judge will examine all evidence and make a decision on contested issues.

While the divorce process may seem standard, issues can quickly become complex and volatile. For help, call 813-874-0081 to speak with an experienced Chicago divorce attorney from the Law Offices of Azita M.