Steps for Filing Divorce

Chicago Family Law Attorneys Explain the Steps for Filing Divorce in Illinois

Divorce Lawyers Serving Skokie and Cook County

The process of filing for divorce can be emotionally difficult and legally challenging. The professional divorce attorneys of M. Scott Gordon and Associates have the legal background and the sympathetic approach carefully to guide you through the daunting process of seeking a divorce.

There are a number of steps for filing a divorce in Illinois. Each step has a set of important legal actions that must be taken for your case to successfully progress. Your Skokie divorce lawyer can explain each of the following steps in further detail:

  • Filing a Petition — The divorce process begins when the party seeking the divorce files a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage. The petition itself is short but must be properly formatted and contain certain important basic information about you, your spouse, and your children. It must also state grounds for divorce — whether your divorce is fault or no-fault. When meeting with your divorce lawyer, you can discuss the grounds for your divorce and decide which you should state in your petition. At this early stage, you might also consider pursuing a legal separation.
  • Service of Process — The Respondent to your petition — your spouse — must be served with a copy of the petition and a summons to appear in court. Your divorce attorney can advise you on the best approach to ensuring this legal requirement is met.
  • Response — The spouse who has been served with a petition has 30 days to respond. If he or she does not respond, the court may grant the divorce upon your request for a default judgment.
  • The investigative stage — The process of assessing, investigating, and sharing information on the assets at issue in the marriage usually takes place after the response, all with assistance from your Cook County divorce attorney. This stage includes the possibility of settlement negotiations on the outstanding issues between the parties. The spouses are required to attend monthly status hearings to inform the court of the progress of the case.
  • Pretrial conference — If the spouses have not reached a settlement amongst themselves, they must submit the issues at dispute to a judge at a pretrial conference. The judge issues non-binding recommendations.
  • Trial — If the spouses still cannot reach an agreement, there is a trial and the judge enters a final judgment on the outstanding issues.

Here for you every step of the way

Each client’s circumstances are unique and not all of the steps we’ve listed here may be relevant to your divorce. Nonetheless, whatever your situation, our thorough divorce attorneys work hard to get you the most advantageous result with the least amount of stress. This may involve a settlement rather than a trial, or it may involve us presenting your case before a judge.

Our Cook County divorce attorneys help you navigate a complex process

Divorce is a complicated legal and emotional issue. Let the attorneys of Gordon & Perlut carry the burden of the legal process so that you can move on with your life. Contact us today through our online form or call us at 847.329.0101. Our family law firm serves Chicago, Evanston, Skokie, Northbrook, Niles, Glenview, and the Cook County area.

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