Montgomery

Attorneys Assisting Montgomery Residents With Family Law Matters

The village of Montgomery has been one of the fastest-growing communities in the state of Illinois recently, more than tripling in population in just over a decade. This growth has brought many couples into the area, some with children. Slightly over half of the households in Montgomery include a child under the age of 18, and the average family size is 3.5 people. At the law firm of Kollias P.C., our Montgomery divorce lawyers have made it our goal to offer assistance to spouses and parents who need legal advice as they are dealing with family law issues, such as divorce, custody and visitation, child support, paternity, or spousal maintenance.

Statistically, somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of all marriages in the United States will end in a divorce. In Illinois and elsewhere in the country, first marriages tend to be the most stable, with second, third, and subsequent marriages ending at a much higher rate than first marriages. Proving fault (or “grounds”) in a divorce case is no longer required in Illinois. An allegation of irreconcilable differences and a finding that the marriage has irretrievably broken down are all that is required to end a marriage. The time and expense required to legally terminate a marriage vary depending on whether one spouse opposes the dissolution of the union, whether children are involved, and how much marital property (and debt) must be divided. For couples without children and with very little marital property, an uncontested divorce can end the marriage in just a few weeks in most cases, assuming that at least one spouse has resided in Illinois for at least 90 days, such that the court has jurisdiction over the matter.

Seek Legal Representation During or After a Divorce

While it is advisable to speak to an attorney before going forward with even an uncontested divorce that seems simple enough to handle on your own, it is imperative to talk to an experienced divorce attorney in Montgomery if you are contemplating the dissolution of a marriage involving children or a considerable amount of marital property, such as real estate and business assets. Decisions must be made concerning the allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time, as well as child support. Many factors must be taken into consideration in making these determinations, and the divorce court will need to render a decision if the spouses cannot reach a settlement before the matter proceeds to trial. The same is true for the division of marital property and marital debt, as well as the decision as to whether spousal maintenance is appropriate in a certain case.

It is not unusual for one party or the other to file a motion to modify a divorce decree at some point in the months or years following the dissolution of a marriage. A Montgomery divorce attorney can help you with the modification process. Issues such as a modification of a parenting time order, a modification of a parental responsibilities judgment, or a request to be permitted to relocate a child within the state (or outside the state, or perhaps even outside the country) may arise when the lives of family members change. A spouse also may seek to modify child support or spousal maintenance in the future. Just as quality legal representation during a divorce or separation is advisable, it is important for someone who is revisiting these issues to speak to a lawyer as soon as possible.

Retain a Knowledgeable Attorney in the Montgomery Area

If you are thinking about seeking a divorce, or if your spouse has recently filed papers seeking to end your marriage, the family law attorneys at Kollias P.C. are here for you. It is important that you take prompt action in a divorce or family law case, especially if your spouse has already filed for a divorce. Once you have been served with divorce papers, you have a limited amount of time in which to file an answer to your spouse’s complaint. For a free consultation with a divorce lawyer in the Montgomery area, call us at (630) 912-8700 or contact us online.