Meeting With Your Family Law Attorney

Planning to meet with a family law attorney and wondering where to start?

Continue reading for tips and information to help demystify legal processes and prepare you for a productive consultation so that you leave feeling confident and understanding of the next steps.

It is important to remember that consultations with attorneys are subject to attorney-client privileges. It is paramount to your representation to be open and honest to facilitate accurate legal advice.
Arvanitis Family Law, LLC offers legal counsel grounded in expertise, delivered with empathy and compassion, aiming to position clients favorably once their legal issues are resolved.
During the consultation, topics such as assets, liabilities, income, educational backgrounds, historical earning capacities, spending habits, division of labor at home, division of parental responsibilities, previous discussions with the other party, and other pertinent items related to the specific subject matter will likely be examined.

Each case is distinct and can take different potential paths based on the issues involved.
Certain cases can be resolved and settled before filing a court case. This can be achieved through negotiation, mediation, or a formal Collaborative Process if the parties consent.
Some cases will need to be filed right away for strategic or jurisdictional reasons.
Timelines may vary based on several factors, which include, but are not limited to, serving the opposing party, the parties' ability to gather adequate information, the need for discovery, and the availability of essential witnesses and the Court.
Parties can come to fair and just agreements that may be included in their judgment.
If the parties cannot agree, their case might proceed to a contested evidentiary trial or hearing.
Arvanitis Family Law, LLC offers its expertise to assist clients in making informed, knowledge-driven decisions.

Child custody is addressed in Illinois by allocating parental responsibilities (in the areas of education, healthcare, religious upbringing, and participation in extracurricular activities) and parenting time based on a number of statutory factors designed to advance the best interest of minor children.
Parties are generally required to attend mediation if there is no agreement as to the allocation of significant decision-making responsibilities and/or parenting time.
Parties may request the appointment of an attorney to represent a child's interests as either a Guardian ad Litem, Child Representative, or Attorney.

Child support is determined by statute and is based on each party's income as well as other factors such as the allocation of child support, allocation of tax dependency exemptions.
After a Court issues an order, child support obligations can be enforced through various methods, including wage garnishments, liens, and contempt proceedings, among others.
Child support can be modified by either party upon the filing of a proper pleading and sufficient notice to the other party based upon a substantial change in circumstances.
Except as may be allowed by the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act for the support of a disabled adult child and/or support of a child attending college, child support obligations terminate upon the emancipation of the child.

Court orders allocating parenting time and parental responsibilities, as well as orders regarding the financial support of children are always modifiable upon a showing of a substantial change in circumstances and the filing.
However, oftentimes, either the Court Rules or the parties' court filings require the attendance at mediation or communication between the parties prior to seeking Court intervention.
Arvanitis Family Law, LLC will meticulously and comprehensively examine documents with clients to ensure they understand their rights and responsibilities.