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Family Law Attorneys near Me

Family Law Attorneys near Me

Family law addresses divorces, post-divorce modifications, and well beyond. Family law concerns can directly affect you, your children, and your future, which makes proceeding with an experienced family law attorney near you well advised. 

Divorce

A primary family law matter is divorce, post-divorce term modifications, and child custody and child support concerns between parents who were never married. The basic terms – as applicable – that every divorcing couple needs to resolve include all the following:

Each of these terms represent your parental or financial rights in one form or another and can lead to considerable complications that have the potential to become hotly contested legal matters. A dedicated family law attorney can help. 

Marital Agreements

Premarital agreements and postnuptial agreements are legal contracts that address how divorce terms will be resolved in the event that the marriage ends in divorce. While premarital agreements are drafted prior to marriage and go into effect upon marriage, postnuptial agreements are created after the couple marries and go into effect at the time of signing. Your marital agreement can address all the following:

  • The division of your marital property
  • Alimony
  • The inheritance status of children whom you do not share with your spouse

Child support can only be included in your marital agreement if the terms spelled out exceed Illinois’s child support requirements. Child custody arrangements, however, must be resolved on a case-by-case basis at the time of divorce – in accordance with the children’s best interests – and, therefore, can’t be included. 

Paternity or Parentage

Unless a child’s parents are married at the time of their birth, parentage – or who the child’s legal father is – must be established in one of the following ways:

  • If the parents are in agreement, they can file a Voluntary Acknowledgement of Paternity with the court.
  • Either parent can request that the court establish paternity, which is usually done via DNA testing.
  • The court can require DNA testing, such as if the mother is seeking services through the state and parentage isn’t known.

Parentage can benefit the child, father, and mother in all the following ways:

  • The father and child have the opportunity to forge a strong bond. 
  • The child has increased financial advantages that include inheritance rights, the right to be included on the father’s employer-based health insurance, and eligibility for applicable military and disability benefits.
  • The mother’s financial burden related to raising the child decreases and she has the opportunity to share the challenges that come with being a single parent with the father.  

Turn to an Experienced Family Law Attorney Near You

The trusted family law attorneys at Hammer Serna & Quinn – proudly serving the Chicago area – have an impressive range of experience helping clients like you effectively and efficiently resolve their family law concerns, and we’re here for you, too. For more information, please don’t delay reaching out and contacting us today.

Get In Touch

Call or email Hammer Serna & Quinn, LLC today to schedule a consultation.