Our office remains open at this time. Consultations are available via telephone.
In-person consultations are available on a case-by-case basis.
The safety of our clients and employees is of the utmost importance.

Our office remains open at this time. Consultations are available via telephone. In-person consultations are available on a case-by-case basis. The safety of our clients and employees is of the utmost importance.

Family Law

Helping With Your Family Law Needs in the Chicago, Illinois, Area

Family law involves a wide array of matters, rights, and obligations. These are usually established through state statutes and court case law.

For help determining what laws apply to your specific family law situation, contact Sacks, Goreczny, Maslanka & Costello, P.C. online or by calling 312-957-8085 (toll-free at 888-350-3265).

One can easily find hundreds of laws and cases pertaining to any of these types of family law matters:

  • Divorce (dissolution of marriage)
  • Annulment (declaration of invalidity)
  • Child custody and vitiation
  • Child support
  • Juvenile law
  • Paternity
  • Domestic violence
  • Adoption
  • Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
  • Name changes
  • And more

It is important to know the law applicable to your particular case. This is especially important when the husband and wife, or father and mother, live in different states. Laws regarding your rights and obligations will differ from state to state.

Experienced and Knowledgeable Family Law Attorneys

In family law cases, the proper preparation of documents is crucial. The rights and obligations set forth in a court order may impact the parties for many years to come. Therefore, having an attorney prepare your pleadings and agreements, or at least review them with you, is strongly recommended. Some orders cannot be changed. For example, in divorce cases, property settlements are almost always not changeable, while child custody, child support, and visitation are.

While circuit court clerks will provide packets of forms for you to look at, they cannot help you fill them out. At Sacks, Goreczny, Maslanka & Costello, P.C., we can review the forms with you and explain the rights and obligations you will have under the law. You can learn if your case meets any special exceptions or rules. You can also find out if you have any options on how to achieve what you want, for example, visitation and child support.

Did You Know? Learning More About Family Law in Illinois

Most people have a good idea about what issues are involved in family law cases, but unless you are well versed in the field, you may not be aware of the “details” of the issues.

  • In Illinois, the 20% child support amount is a minimum, for one child, not a maximum.
  • The 20% amount applies to the parent’s true net income from all sources, not just employment.
  • Dependency exemptions for 2 or more children in a divorce are often split between the parents.
  • Child support in a paternity case can be ordered all the way back to the child’s birth. So, if the mother has the child and seeks an order establishing parentage, and the child is 6, for example, the mother can ask for retroactive support for the prior 6 years. If the court grants the order, then the father will have a large bill to pay right away.
  • Parents in divorce or paternity cases can be ordered to pay for their children’s college expenses.
  • One ground for getting a divorce is irreconcilable differences, which requires that the parties live separately for at least 6 months. Living separately in the same house counts!
  • Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements can be extremely complicated agreements to prepare and require both parties to make full disclosures of assets and liabilities, as well as be made aware of their right to have separate attorneys represent them.

Contact Experienced Divorce Attorneys

At Sacks, Goreczny, Maslanka & Costello, P.C., we have been helping thousands of clients for over 20 years in their family law matters in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will, and Kane counties. Call us today at 312-957-8085 or contact us online to schedule a phone or office consultation.

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