Chicago Divorce Attorney
The lawyers at Jill M. Metz & Associates have successfully handled many divorce cases over the years and are skilled at helping clients present their best case to court. Whether you are faced with a divorce, custody, or property valuation, the outcome of your case truly depends on your choice of attorneys. Choose the Chicago divorce lawyers at Jill M. Metz & Associates for compassionate, effective legal representation.
Divorce proceedings are difficult and painful for everyone involved. Jill M. Metz & Associates will help you by familiarizing you with the complicated legal processes and offering kind and dignified legal support.
You will be assisted in navigating the legal path required to determine the division of your property and the custody of your children. Jill M. Metz & Associates is here to protect your interests in this complex and emotional process.
Division of property
In a divorce, all the family assets need to be analyzed and divided equitably. This does not mean that the court will simply award each party half of your property. Instead the court will hear both sides and come up with a fair plan based on each spouse's debt load, income, custodial status, disabilities and other factors.
Jill M. Metz & Associates will strive to make sure the outcome reflects your family's real situation. We can also help you make adjustments to your will, and negotiate child support and maintenance where appropriate.
Custody
One of the most emotional aspects of any divorce is arranging for the custody of the children. The court awards custody based on the best interest of the child. For most families joint custody is preferred. This keeps both parents involved in and responsible for the care of their children. Even with joint custody, one parent is typically designated the residential parent with the non-residential parent paying child support to the residential parent. Jill M. Metz & Associates will help you arrange mediation, negotiate custody and visitation, and arrange a guardianship. Our firm will, help your family come to the best arrangement possible for the future of your children.
If one parent is chosen as the sole custodial parent, it doesn't necessarily mean that the other parent is an unfit parent. The decision may be based on the financial resources or other mitigating circumstances of the parties involved. In this case, the court will require the non-custodial parent to pay child support. If you and your spouse cannot agree on custody, the law requires that you go to mediation to work out an arrangement. If an agreement can't be reached, the decision will rest with the judge.
Mediation: What is it? Can it help?
Mediation is a process where the couple meets outside of the more formal and adversarial atmosphere of the court. You and the other parent sit down with a trained mediator, who is either a lawyer, social worker, or mental health professional. Many couples have trouble communicating during a divorce, and a professional, neutral party can be invaluable.
Settling conflicts in mediation has many advantages over fighting each other in court. Mediation is confidential and any personal information that surfaces will not become part of a public court record. It allows for the parties to arrive at more creative and personally satisfying solutions. Mediation is also much cheaper than litigation.
The law requires divorcing couples to go to mediation if the parties cannot agree on a custody settlement. There is no such requirement regarding property issues. However, many couples find the mediation process very effective at settling all kinds of differences that come up in a divorce.
Jill M. Metz & Associates has attorneys who can work as one party's lawyer in this process, or as the neutral mediator for both parties.
Serving the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Community and Friends in Chicago, Cook County and Illinois
