Family law is an important branch of the law that includes divorce. If you have a concern that relates to family law, it likely affects your family’s daily life, and obtaining a resolution that works for you is important. Although family law matters tend to be complicated, help is available, and a dedicated family law attorney in in Morris is on your side.  

Family Law Concerns

Family law relates to wide-ranging concerns that can include all of the following:

• Child custody 
• Parenting time
• Child support
• Parental alienation

Child Custody

One of the most frequent issues addressed by family law is child custody arrangements – whether in relation to divorce, children born outside of marriage, or child custody modifications. In Illinois, the courts predicate every decision that relates to child custody on the best interests of the children involved. Because children are believed to benefit from maintaining ongoing relationships with both parents, the court rarely denies some form of visitation (called parenting time in Illinois) to a parent that requests it – barring a good reason for doing so. Parenting time can be shared fairly equally between both parents, or one parent can take on the role of the primary custodian (with whom the children spend the majority of their time), while the other parent has a visitation schedule. 

Child Support

Child support is closely associated with child custody arrangements and is another important matter that is addressed by family law. Because both parents are legally responsible for supporting their children financially throughout their childhoods, Illinois has exacting guidelines in place that determine child support payments. The primary factors that go into this calculation include each parent’s net income and the number of overnights the children spend with each parent. Even if both parents split their time with the children fairly equally, the parent with the higher income is very likely to owe child support to the other – due to the fact that child support is calculated in accordance with each parent’s ability to pay. The court has the discretion to deviate from the state’s guidelines when it can demonstrate that it is in the children’s best interests to do so.

A Note on Parental Alienation

Parental alienation is receiving more attention in Illinois family courts, and it’s an issue that should not be ignored or downplayed. In Illinois, parental alienation amounts to one parent attempting to program his or her children to believe that he or she is the good parent and that their other parent is a bad, evil, dangerous, or otherwise inferior parent. The goal of parental alienation is for the children to totally reject their other parent, which is widely considered an unhealthy stance regardless of the situation. 

Seek the Professional Legal Guidance of an Experienced Family Law Attorney in Morris Today

If you are facing a family law issue, the trusted family law attorneys at Sabuco Beck, P.C., in Morris, have the experience, commitment, and resources to help. Our well-respected legal team is here for you, so please don’t put off contacting us for more information about how we can help today.