Self-Represented Document Preparation

Divorce and Initial Custody Document Preparation

Chicago Family Attorneys LLC offers self-represented document preparation for people who will handle their own court case. The $399 package includes preparation of the covered documents, attorney document review and one 60-minute advice call.

The service categories are uncontested Illinois divorce with children, uncontested divorce without children, and starting an allocation of parental responsibilities case, often called a custody case. The firm confirms which documents and scope fit your situation.

You sign and file the papers, arrange formal service on the other person (unless they sign and file an appearance form instead) and appear at any hearing the court sets. Chicago Family Attorneys does not appear in court under this package and does not speak for you at a hearing.

Representing yourself is allowed in Illinois, and it is real work. Courts hold self-represented people to the same rules as lawyers. You follow court rules, watch deadlines and answer the judge's questions. Doing this without a lawyer takes time and care.

Free forms are available. The Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice has approved standardized divorce forms, including a parenting plan and a financial affidavit, and every Illinois court must accept them. They are free on the Illinois courts website, illinoiscourts.gov, and Illinois Legal Aid Online offers a free guided interview to fill them out. You can use them on your own.

The attorney document review and one 60-minute advice call are included in the $399 package. Broader attorney representation is a separate service with its own agreed scope. The written service description identifies the documents and work the firm will provide.

Is this package right for your uncontested divorce or custody case?

Use these lists as a first look, not a final decision. The firm must check for conflicts and confirm whether the service fits your case. Reading this page or contacting the firm does not mean the firm has accepted your matter.

Safety first: if there is abuse, threats or coercion, doing this yourself may not be safe. Call 911 in an emergency, and talk to the firm about protection options before you start.

Uncontested Illinois divorce: you may be a fit if

• You and your spouse agree on every issue that applies, including property, debts, support and parenting arrangements.
• At least one spouse lives in Illinois, or is stationed here with the military, and has done so for at least 90 days before filing, or will have done so for 90 days when the court makes its finding. The attorney checks your dates.
• Both spouses are willing to sign the papers an agreed divorce needs.
• You can gather the financial records your case requires, including the Illinois financial affidavit form when your court requires it.
• If you have children, you and your spouse already agree on a parenting plan.
• If you have children under 18, both parents are ready to complete the parenting education class the court requires, unless the court excuses it.
• You are ready to file the case and arrange service yourself, or your spouse will sign and file an appearance form.
• You are ready to attend the final hearing the court sets.

Starting an allocation of parental responsibilities case: you may be a fit if

• You and the other parent are both the child's legal parents. If you were never married to each other, parentage is already established, for example by a valid voluntary acknowledgment of parentage signed and filed with the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or by a court order.
• You can give the child's recent living history, including where and with whom the child has lived.
• You will tell the attorney about any existing order or other pending case involving the child.
• You can describe the parenting schedule you are asking the court to consider.
• You understand that the other parent may disagree with what you file.
• You understand that when parents disagree, the court orders mediation unless there is a reason not to, such as family violence, and a contested hearing may follow. This package covers neither.
• You are ready to complete the parenting education class the court requires, unless the court excuses it.
• You understand that the attorney confirms whether Illinois, and which county, is the right place to file.
• You will file, arrange service and appear yourself, because the firm does not appear in court.

Talk to us about another option if

• You are seeking a divorce and your spouse disagrees or will not sign.
• You expect a fight over parenting time or decision-making and want a lawyer with you in mediation or court.
• You need help establishing parentage before custody issues can be decided.
• You need to change an existing order, or you have an emergency or protection need.
• You are already in a contested case.
• You want a lawyer to appear in court with you or speak for you.
• You are not sure this package fits. Call the firm to discuss the scope.

Landlord-Tenant and Other Document Requests

Landlord-tenant and other document requests require a scope review before any package or price is confirmed. The $399 divorce and initial custody offer does not automatically apply to another kind of matter. Call the firm to discuss your request.

What the $399 Package Includes

The firm prepares the documents covered by your written scope using the information and records you provide. The $399 package includes attorney document review and one 60-minute advice call. You remain responsible for your court case; the firm does not appear in court under this package.

For an uncontested divorce, documents commonly needed include a petition for dissolution of marriage, a marital settlement agreement, a judgment for dissolution of marriage, a parenting plan and a child support order when there are children, and the Illinois financial affidavit form when your court requires it. To start an allocation of parental responsibilities case, documents commonly needed include a petition for allocation of parental responsibilities and a proposed parenting plan. Courts also require other papers, such as a summons or an appearance form, and in Cook County a Domestic Relations Division order lists added final hearing papers, such as a military service affidavit and a prove-up sheet.

Included

• Preparation of the documents covered by the confirmed written scope, using the information and records you provide.
• Attorney document review of the covered documents.
• One 60-minute advice call.

Not included

• Court appearances of any kind, because the firm does not appear in court under this package.
• Filing the documents or arranging service for you.
• Negotiating with your spouse or the other parent.
• Advice to the other spouse or the other parent.
• Mediation, contested hearings, trials and discovery.
• Establishing parentage.
• Emergency matters and orders of protection.
• Changes to an existing order.
• Court filing fees, service of process costs, parenting class fees, court reporter or transcript costs and other third-party costs.

Explore the Service and Confirm the Scope

Call to ask about the service and confirm scope. The firm can discuss which documents fit your situation and explain the included attorney review and advice call.

1. Ask the firm about your case type and the documents you need. The firm must check for conflicts and confirm the scope before accepting a matter.
2. Review the written description of the services, limits and fee terms before deciding to proceed. The $399 package includes attorney document review and one 60-minute advice call.
3. If the firm accepts the work, preparation is limited to the agreed documents. You handle filing, service, deadlines and court appearances.

The $399 Document Preparation Package

The price is $399 for the confirmed document preparation scope, including attorney document review and one 60-minute advice call. Broader attorney representation is a separate service.

Court filing fees, service of process costs, parenting class fees, court reporter or transcript costs and other third-party costs are separate from the $399 price.

Call to ask about the service and confirm scope. For broader attorney representation, see the family law pricing page.

When to hire full representation instead

Some cases need more than document preparation and an advice call. If any point below sounds like your situation, talk with the firm about the right scope of help.

If you and your spouse want a lawyer to handle an agreed divorce, start with uncontested divorce with a lawyer. If you want limited help that can include a court appearance, read about limited-scope family law help.

If you want a lawyer for the whole case, see the firm's Chicago divorce attorneys or child custody lawyers.

Consider a different service if

• Your spouse disagrees, or will not sign or cooperate, so the divorce is not uncontested.
• You have significant property to divide, such as a business, real estate or retirement accounts.
• You expect a dispute over parenting time or decision-making and want a lawyer with you in mediation or court.
• There are safety concerns, including abuse, threats or coercion.
• You want someone to appear in court with you or to speak for you.
• You are already in a contested case.

Filing for divorce without a lawyer: Cook County and Illinois notes

Illinois is a no-fault divorce state, and the only ground is irreconcilable differences: the marriage has broken down, and efforts to save it have failed or further attempts would be impracticable and not in the family's best interests. Divorce cases fall under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act and are usually filed in the county where either spouse lives.

At least one spouse must live in Illinois, or be stationed here with the military. That residence must have lasted at least 90 days before the case was filed or before the court makes its finding. These are general points, so confirm them for your own facts.

An uncontested divorce in Illinois means the spouses agree on everything that applies, including property, debts, support and parenting if there are children. Your agreement generally must be in writing, usually in a marital settlement agreement. A written agreement does not end the marriage by itself. The judge reviews it before deciding whether to enter a judgment. Terms about child support and parenting do not bind the judge, and an agreed parenting plan must be in the children's best interests.

In Cook County, when property, support or maintenance is involved, each spouse must serve the other with a financial affidavit on the court-approved form and generally files only a certificate of service; check the rule in other counties.

Some couples qualify for a different path, the joint simplified dissolution procedure. Its limits are strict and set by law. They include no children born of the couple's relationship or adopted by them during the marriage, no pregnancy between the spouses, a marriage of no more than 8 years, no real estate, no retirement benefits other than small individual retirement accounts, low property and income limits, both spouses giving up maintenance, full financial disclosure including tax returns, and written agreements dividing property and debts. Both spouses file one joint petition, and both must appear before the judge, in person or by video such as Zoom, depending on the judge and the local court rules. Ask the attorney whether it applies to you.

The spouse who starts the case files a petition. The other spouse must then get formal notice: usually the sheriff, or another person the law or the court allows, delivers a summons and a copy of the petition, unless the other spouse signs and files an appearance form. You cannot serve the papers yourself, so ask the Clerk or the sheriff how to arrange service.

The court usually sets a final hearing, often called a prove-up, where the judge may ask you questions under oath. The hearing may be in person or by video, such as Zoom, depending on the judge and the local court rules. Because the judge takes testimony, attending remotely generally needs the judge's approval, so read the court's notice and follow it. In Cook County, parties usually get an agreed prove-up date from the Clerk by filing a Certification Agreement, and a Domestic Relations Division order lists the papers that must be emailed to the courtroom at least five court business days before the hearing. In Cook County, the parties generally arrange a court reporter for a prove-up unless the court approves a waiver, so ask about this before the hearing. This package does not include a lawyer at that hearing.

In parenting cases, the court decides based on the child's best interests. Each parent generally must file a proposed parenting plan by a deadline the law sets. When parents disagree, the court orders mediation unless there is a reason not to, such as family violence.

Parents in these cases must also complete a parenting education class unless the court excuses it. If the parents were never married, legal parentage generally must be established first or in the same case, and this package does not cover establishing parentage. Going to court for custody without a lawyer means you appear yourself at the hearings the court sets.

In Cook County, divorce and custody cases are heard by the Domestic Relations Division, and papers are filed with the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Cases are heard at the Daley Center in Chicago and at suburban courthouses in Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview and Markham. A case can start at a suburban courthouse only if at least one party lives in that district, so confirm the right location with the Clerk before you file. If your case belongs in another Illinois county, follow that county's clerk and court instructions. The local notes on this page cover Cook County only, so ask the firm whether this package fits before you pay.

Illinois generally requires papers in civil cases, including divorce and custody cases, to be filed electronically through an approved e-filing system. A person whose disability prevents e-filing is exempt automatically. A self-represented person may also be exempt for good cause, such as no computer or internet access at home, no email account or a language barrier, by filing the statewide Certification for Exemption From E-filing form.

Court filing fees can change, so check the Clerk's current fee schedule. If you cannot afford the fees, ask the Clerk how to apply for a fee waiver. The court decides whether to grant it. The court also decides your case, and timing depends on the court and the parties.

For local forms and more on filing on your own, read the firm's Cook County self-representation resources. For court details, see Cook County domestic relations court information.

Guides to read before you decide

These guides explain each path in general terms. They are not a prediction about your case. If you are filing for divorce without a lawyer, start with the divorce guide. If your issue is parenting, start with the custody guide.

• Read the guide to getting an uncontested divorce in Illinois for how agreement, the petition and the court's judgment fit together.
• Read the guide to getting child custody in Illinois for parental responsibilities, parenting plans and the child's best interests.

Questions About the Service

If you are not sure which service fits, call 312-965-5618 or see the contact page. Ask about the scope before choosing a package.

Chicago Family Attorneys is at 53 W Jackson Blvd, Suite 752, Chicago, IL 60604.

This page is general information, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it or contacting the firm does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship, though the firm protects what a prospective client shares as Illinois rules require. For this package, the relationship is limited to the services described in the written agreement.