DuPage County Divorce and Family Lawyer

If you or your spouse lives in DuPage County, your divorce may be filed there. The court's Domestic Relations Division also hears paternity cases. Chicago Family Attorneys LLC represents clients in DuPage County family cases, including divorce, the allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time, child support, maintenance, property division, and enforcement or modification of existing orders.

The firm's office is in Chicago, at 53 W Jackson Blvd, Suite 752. It does not have an office in DuPage County. Consultations are by phone; a free weekend consultation is available by Zoom. Some hearings may be held in person at the courthouse and others remotely, as the court directs.

The firm handles the same family law matters in Chicago and Cook, Lake and Will Counties. You can choose full representation or limited-scope help with a defined task. The written agreement identifies the covered work. No lawyer can promise a particular result, and outcomes depend on the facts.

County venue and Illinois residency are separate questions. Under 750 ILCS 5/104, a divorce is heard in the county where the petitioner or the respondent resides. Venue is not jurisdictional, and an objection to venue is barred if it is not made by the time the respondent's response is due.

Under 750 ILCS 5/401(a), when the case begins, one spouse must be an Illinois resident or be stationed in Illinois as a member of the armed services. That residence or presence must have lasted for the 90 days before the case began or before the court's finding. Under section 401(a-5), living separate and apart for a continuous period of at least 6 months before judgment creates an irrebuttable presumption that the irreconcilable differences requirement is met.

If one spouse lives in DuPage County and the other lives in Cook County, either county can be a proper venue. Discuss the choice before filing. See also the firm's Cook County divorce page.

Courtroom assignments change, and the court's own pages list them in different ways. Check your summons, your order or the court's online directory for your courtroom rather than relying on a list. This address is the courthouse, not the firm's office, which is in Chicago.

The court employs Spanish court interpreters, and interpreters are also provided for mediation and other court-mandated programs. When an interpreter is needed, the court enters an order appointing one. For courthouse rules and Zoom details, see the firm's DuPage County courthouse and Zoom information.

Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9 requires documents in civil cases, which include divorce and family cases, to be filed electronically through an approved system unless an exception or exemption applies. Exemptions include filers whose disability prevents e-filing and, by certification, self-represented litigants who lack internet access, an email account, or a credit card or bank account, who have a language barrier, or who tried and could not complete e-filing.

DuPage Local Rule 5.01(c) states that, effective July 1, 2019, all civil case filings must be made through the statewide eFileIL system. Under Local Rule 5.05(e), the Clerk provides free access to an e-file computer workstation during normal business hours.

A divorce starts with a verified petition. Read what a petition for dissolution of marriage says and how divorce papers are served in Illinois.

Under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 45 and DuPage Local Rule 1.22, case participants may appear remotely for many court dates. The local rule says the Zoom meeting ID and link are on the Circuit Court Clerk's website, where you search the courtroom schedules by case number or courtroom.

Local Rule 1.22(e) requires in-person appearance for evidentiary hearings, contested motions, emergency motions, settlement conferences, and bench and jury trials. Order of protection cases are heard in person except for statuses and settings. The judge may allow a remote appearance for those proceedings on motion. Your order and the judge's instructions control how you appear on a given date.

See the firm's DuPage County courthouse and Zoom guide and how to prepare for a Zoom court hearing.

Under DuPage Local Rule 15.06, parents in a divorce case with a minor child must complete the court's parent education program, conducted through the DuPage County Family Center, as soon as possible and no later than 60 days after the initial status conference. Parentage cases have a separate program with the same 60-day limit. The court excuses a parent only for good cause documented in the record, with a finding that excusing the parent is in the children's best interests.

Under Local Rule 15.15, the court may order mediation of contested issues of parental responsibilities, parenting time, relocation and other non-economic issues. Without leave of court, the parties may not go to a hearing on those contested issues, including temporary relief, until mediation has concluded and the mediation report has been submitted. Cases ordered to mediation are screened for impediments such as domestic violence, and parents complete the parent education course before mediation begins.

Statewide, 750 ILCS 5/602.10(c) directs the court to order mediation to help parents formulate, modify or implement a parenting plan unless impediments to mediation exist. Section 602.10(a) requires a proposed parenting plan within 120 days after service or filing of a petition for allocation of parental responsibilities.

The DuPage County Family Center provides the parent education mandated for divorcing and never-married parents, along with mediation, supervised parenting time and parenting time exchanges, for families referred by court order. Read is mediation mandatory in an Illinois divorce and allocation of parental responsibilities in Illinois.

Illinois uses one statewide financial affidavit under 750 ILCS 5/501(a)(1). DuPage Local Rule 15.05 adds a deadline. In a pre-judgment domestic relations case involving support, maintenance, property or attorney fees, each party must serve a completed Financial Affidavit, in the form approved by the Illinois Supreme Court, within 30 days after the respondent's general appearance or first responsive pleading.

The affidavit must be supported by documents such as income tax returns, pay stubs, and banking and credit card statements. The party files a certificate of compliance and proof of service with the Clerk, not the affidavit itself, and must tender an updated affidavit 30 days before trial. The court may impose sanctions for non-compliance.

Read how to fill out an Illinois financial affidavit.

These are the firm's published fees. The ranges shown are not a quote for your matter.

• Full representation: an initial payment of $1,500 to $2,500, then $500 to $650 per month beginning 30 days after the initial payment while representation remains active. It covers drafting, hearings, motions and phone calls within the agreed scope.
• Limited-scope representation for a defined task: drafting from $500; one hearing appearance from $1,200.
• Attorney-handled uncontested divorce: $1,500 flat fee (court filing fees not included).
• Self Represented Documents: $399.
• Court order enforcement: an individually quoted upfront amount plus $350 per hour.

Court filing costs, service costs, evaluation costs and the fees of outside professionals are separate. The client pays them and the firm does not advance them. The written agreement confirms the fee, the covered work and the expenses before you engage the firm. See the family law pricing overview.

Bring the information you have so the consultation can focus on your concerns. This is a discussion list, not a statement of everything the court requires.

• Any filed petition, summons, court orders and hearing notices, including the case number and courtroom.
• Marriage details and each spouse's county of residence.
• Children's names, ages and current parenting arrangements.
• Recent tax returns, pay stubs and bank statements.
• Information about property, debts and any written agreements.
• Questions about disputed issues, representation scope and fees.

The initial consultation is free for people seeking to hire an attorney. Consultations are by phone; a free weekend consultation is available by Zoom. Call 312-965-5618 to discuss a DuPage County family case with Chicago Family Attorneys LLC.

• 18th Judicial Circuit Court of DuPage County
• Domestic Relations Division
• DuPage County Courthouse and Administration Building
• DuPage local court rules
• DuPage County Circuit Court Clerk
• Clerk's remote court hearing lookup
• DuPage County Family Center
• 750 ILCS 5/104: Venue
• 750 ILCS 5/401: Dissolution requirements
• 750 ILCS 5/501: Temporary relief and financial affidavits
• 750 ILCS 5/602.10: Parenting plans and mediation
• Illinois Supreme Court Rule 9: Electronic filing
• Illinois Supreme Court Rule 45: Remote appearances

Bring your questions and the documents you have. The initial consultation is free for people seeking to hire an attorney, and the firm confirms its fee and the covered work in writing before you engage it. Call 312-965-5618 or book online.