Chicago divorce lawyer David Wolkowitz practices in Illinois family law and offers legal services involving:
Divorce
In Illinois, the legal term for a divorce is a dissolution of marriage. It involves various other aspects of family law. Those may include maintenance (alimony), child support, child custody, visitation, and division of property.
Divorce Mediation:
Divorce mediation is the out-of-court process whereby I, as an impartial third-party, help parties develop solutions. My goals in mediation are to help parties reach agreement, and to avoid the acrimony and immense legal bills that may accompany intense litigation. Unlike many mediators, I am an attorney – so I have been trained to create legal documents and to analyze the law impacting parties in mediation. And, unlike most Illinois family law attorneys, I have many years of work experience outside of being an attorney; I leverage this experience for the benefit of parties in mediation by thinking out of the box and developing creative solutions in tandem with the parties.
Uncontested Divorce:
An uncontested divorce in Chicago and Illinois is one where the spouses agree on every aspect of a divorce, including child custody, the division of property, and spousal maintenance (alimony). The Wolkowitz Law Office offers flat-fee uncontested divorce services, and provides guidance to clients that are interested in getting divorced quickly with minimal animosity. If you are interested in an affordable divorce, your best bet mike be an uncontested divorce.
Child custody:
Child custody disputes can be some of the most difficult aspects of Illinois family law. Issues related to child custody disputes include the determination of legal custody, enforcement of child custody orders, the modifications of child custody orders, visitation between children and parents, and visitation between children and third parties (such as grandparents). Child custody cases where the parents each want a different state to hear the case often involve the Illinois Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act the “Illinois UCCJEA.”
Illinois Uniform Jurisdiction Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (the “UCCJEA”):
The Illinois UCCJEA is based on a uniform law that most states have adopted in order to help determine which of two states has jurisdiction to hear a child custody case. You might want to read my post entitled “Child custody jurisdiction: What state has it? Get ready for the UCCJEA ‘judicial teleconference'” for an explanation of what can be one of the most critical aspects of an Illinois UCCJEA case.
Child support:
In Illinois, child support is the money paid by the non-residential parent to the residential parent for the support of the child or children. The Wolkowitz Law Office can assist clients in starting a child support case, and modifying child support payments. Child support payments can be raised, lowered, and sometimes – stopped altogether. If you are supposed to receive child support payments and are not, Illinois allows courts to take various measures against a delinquent payor, including intercepting tax refunds, suspending a driver’s license, and even jail. You might want to read my posts entitled, “Illinois child support: the basics” and “Child Support in Illinois: reduced below guidelines.”
Foreclosure defense:
Unfortunately, divorce is often coupled with financial problems in a marriage. These days that can often mean foreclosures. However, banks are well-known for taking shortcuts and ripping off borrowers. As a foreclosure defense lawyer, my goal would be to give realistic advice and help homeowners protects their rights. For one example of some of my home foreclosure defense work, see my article titled “Foreclosure with deceased homeowner? Hold on, bank!“
Employment law:
Employment law involves representing parties involved in wrongful termination, and discrimination cases. Unfortunately, some employers may treat employees poorly, but might not be liable for any damages. Part of the job of an employment lawyer is to determine if an employee actually has a case worth pursuing. Illinois is an “employment-at-will state,” which means an employee can be terminated for any reason, so that reason is not discriminatory or otherwise wrongful.