FAQ: Flat fee uncontested divorce in Illinois

You want to pay a flat fee for an uncontested divorce, but you don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place. You can text or call 312-554-5433 to get started now, or contact us here.

You can also check out this FAQ on flat fee uncontested divorce in Illinois.

Are you a flat fee uncontested divorce lawyer?

Any lawyer can help people reach an agreement. But not everyone offers a flat fee for an uncontested divorce in Illinois. We do, and we do that so that we can make your uncontested divorce fast, and affordable.

What is an uncontested divorce?

An uncontested divorce is one where both spouses agree on all issues in the divorce. They agree on the kids, money . . . everything. But more importantly, both spouses will cooperate to do everything necessary to finalize the divorce.

What does the flat fee cover?

The flat fee covers our representation as your lawyer for an uncontested divorce in Illinois, and our payment of the court costs for both you and your spouse.

The flat fee covers our drafting the following documents:

  • Judgment for dissolution
  • Marital settlement agreement
  • Joint parenting agreement
  • Certificate of agreement
  • Appearance of respondent
  • Various other documents required by the divorce court

The flat fee also covers the following services:

  • Reviewing the agreement of the parties and giving feedback
  • Counseling via phone or in person
  • Answering questions via email
  • Filing the case and scheduling the “prove up” to finalize the divorce
  • Appearing in court for the prove up to finalize the divorce

If you want to know more about a lawyer’s role in uncontested divorce, check out this article.

Are there any costs on top of the flat fee?

Here is what he flat fee does not cover:

  1. Fighting in court (this should not happen in an uncontested divorce)
  2. Parenting classes the court requires people to take (you pay for that directly to the class)
  3. Dealing with a client’s uncooperative spouse (uncontested also means people will cooperate)
  4. Dealing with transactions outside of the divorce

When people hire us for an affordable flat fee for an uncontested divorce in Illinois, we have them sign a flat fee retainer agreement. We try to make the costs as clear as possible – we want this to be easy!

Can everyone get a flat fee?

To get a flat fee for an uncontested divorce in Illinois, the following requirements must be met:

  1. Both parties must be in agreement as to all terms of the uncontested divorce in Illinois
  2. Both parties must cooperate in executing all documents required to process the divorce

Many times people tell me that they want an uncontested divorce, but their spouse will not cooperate. In those cases, an uncontested divorce is impossible. Those people can still get divorced, it will just be a bit hard, and a bit more costly.

For a bit more about this, check out my article, “Uncontested Divorce: When it won’t work.”

In what Illinois counties do you work?

As an uncontested divorce lawyer, I can represented clients for a fast and affordable uncontested divorce in every county in Illinois. Counties in which we more commonly represented people are the following: Cook, Champaign, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, Sangamon, and Will.

Does the flat fee vary?

The flat fee does vary. It varies for a couple reasons:

  • Location: Since we pay the court fees for both parties, our flat fee is dependent upon the court fees in various counties. For example, Cook County is the most expensive, and Champaign County is less expensive. Additionally, counties have different rules for divorce, so more work is required in some counties.
  • Complexity: While any two people can come to an agreement, some agreements are more complicated than others. For example, a case where the people are business owners with kids and real estate is more complicated than one were the spouses are 23 years old with no kids and W-2 jobs.

Do I have to pay at once?

We charge an affordable flat fee for an uncontested divorce in Illinois. However, we can offer some simple payment plans.

Where can I get more information about uncontested divorce in Illinois?

We have published quite a few articles about uncontested divorce in Illinois. Below are a few of them.

About the author: Contact Illinois family law attorney David Wolkowitz at 312-554-5433 or online. He is a family law and divorce attorney serving Chicago and the Counties of Cook, Champaign, DuPage, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will. Areas of practice include divorce, uncontested divorce, child custody, visitation, spousal maintenance, child support, and the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction & Enforcement Act (the “UCCJEA”).