Child custody cases are among the most contentious in family law. At the Law Offices of Glenn & West, LLC, our Illinois child custody lawyers can help guide you through our state’s child custody laws, what you should know about seeking custody of your child, and things that you can do to help improve your case outcome.
Contact us today to request a consultation in our Nokomis or Litchfield, IL offices.
A Note on “Custody” in Illinois
While child “custody” is the colloquial term that most people still use to talk about the rights and responsibilities of a parent in regards to their child, this term is no longer used by Illinois courts. The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution Act has been updated, and the words “custody” and “visitation” have been removed. In their place, the terminology “allocation of parenting time and responsibility” has been added.
Creating a Parenting Plan
Before parents head to the court and ask the court to make a decision about the allocation of parental responsibilities, parents should work together to create a parenting plan. While this can be challenging to do, working together has many benefits, including a feeling of empowerment and autonomy, a sense of accomplishment, and setting the framework for compromising and negotiating around tough decisions in the future.
This parenting plan should address the parenting time (previously known as physical custody) and decision-making responsibility (previously known as legal custody). Responsibilities may be sole or joint depending on the circumstances of the case. In many cases, parents will share both parenting time and decision-making responsibility, although perhaps not in equal, 50/50 amounts.
Your parenting plan should include:
- Information about where your child will live
- What the custody or visitation rights of the other parent will be
- With whom the child will spend the holidays and weekends
- How the child will be transported from one parent’s home to the other’s
- How decisions regarding the child will be made
- How disputes surrounding the child will be resolved
How An Attorney Can Help
Even if you are on good terms with your child’s other parent and you are confident that you can work together to create a parenting plan, working with an attorney is still a good idea. A knowledgeable attorney, like Trent West, can review the plan and ensure that it is legally sound before it’s submitted to the court. Additionally, if you and the other parent are not on good terms, working with a lawyer is even more important. An attorney will know how to collect evidence to support your case, can represent you in negotiations and in court, and can handle all legal documents and paperwork on your behalf.
Get Legal Help Today
If you have questions about the process or how to improve your chances of a favorable outcome, please call our Illinois child custody lawyers today for a consultation. We understand that this is a stressful time for you, and we will work hard to help you get the outcome you deserve while keeping you informed.
