Parents have certain rights and responsibilities under Illinois laws. If you are raising children, situations may arise in which you may need experienced legal representation to help protect your parental rights.
What parental rights matters do parents face?
Divorce and other situations can arise that affect parental rights. We represent clients in a wide range of family law matters, including parental rights matters such as the following:
- Partnership parenting: While no new Domestic Partnership Certificates will be issued, civil unions are officially recognized in Illinois. A civil union is a legal union between two unmarried people. It is available to opposite-sex and same-sex couples alike. If you are raising children in a civil union, you have many of the same rights and protections for the children and the partners as married spouses in Illinois. If you have been in a domestic partnership and decide to enter into a civil union, the domestic partnership will automatically terminate.
- Child support and maintenance: Under Illinois law, both parents are responsible for financially supporting their children. In a divorce, a formula is used to calculate child support. We can help you pursue or enforce a child support order to the other parent. We can also assist you in pursuing spousal maintenance.
- Relocation: A parent who is divorced or does not live with the other parent may wish to move to a different location with the child. As of 2016, if you live in Cook County, you can move with the child up to 25 miles away from your current residence without court approval. If you live near the state border, you can move with the child to a different state up to 25 miles away without court approval. To move further out of state, you may need an attorney to help you pursue permission from the court to relocate.
- Allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time: Ideally, you and the other parent can reach an agreement as to custody and parenting time. If not, the court may order you to mediation, and if an agreement is still not reached, the matter will be decided by the judge. We can help you negotiate with the other parent, represent you in mediation, and present your arguments to the judge during trial.
Why choose us for parental rights matters in Chicago or the Chicagoland area?
Beermann LLP is an award-winning family law firm that was established more than 60 years ago, in 1958. Our divorce and family law attorneys are known for achieving exceptional results for our clients. When you come to us for legal assistance in matters affecting your parental rights, we provide a thoughtfully selected team of senior and junior attorneys, paralegals, and staff to meet the needs of your unique case.