How to Find the Best Child Custody Lawyer For You

 


Finding the best child custody lawyer in Chicago may seem like a daunting and intimidating process if you have never been involved in a legal dispute. This is especially true when it comes to a custody case involving your children and fighting for what is best for them.

Just something to keep in mind: a few years ago Illinois stopped using the term “custody” and “visitation”. Instead, the Illinois law defines the correct terms now as “parenting time” - the schedule for when the child is with each parent -  and “decision-making responsibilities” which determine who makes decisions for the child/children regarding their education, medical, religion, and extracurricular activities. So when the word "custody" is used, we are actually talking about parenting time and decision-making responsibilities.

A child custody case involves complex legal matters and can be very emotional, so it is important to find an effective attorney that can advocate for you and your children. Here are some tips that can help you in the process of selecting the right attorney for your case:

Do some research.

Asking friends, family, and co-workers about their experience with or knowledge of a child custody attorney or family law firm they have experience with is a good start. There are also several online attorney guides that can help you do your research including Avvo, Martindale-Hubbell, and even Google and Facebook. However, remember that with the online reviews you can never be sure who actually posted the review and the reason behind it. Once you have a few names of attorneys and law firms in mind, you can move on to the next step of the process

Schedule an interview or consultation with the attorney.

It is very important that you actually speak to the attorney that you are considering hiring for your case before retaining them. This allows you to gauge if this particular attorney will be a good fit for you and your children, while also asking crucial questions about that attorney’s experience with child custody cases. Speaking to the attorney also enables them to learn about the facts of your case and about your relationship with the child/children. During your consultation, the attorney should get a feel for the parenting time schedule and parental decision-making responsibilities you are seeking for your children.

What forms of communication does the attorney's office use to keep in touch with clients?

The relationship you have with your attorney is very important as you want to feel that the attorney understands your goals and will fight for what is best for the child/children but is someone who is compassionate to the emotional nature of a custody case. Communication is also key as you will need to be in constant contact with your attorney about your case. Make sure you ask the attorney about how they communicate with clients. Some attorneys prefer phone calls over email, or perhaps in-person meetings, while others may rely heavily on email and only use the phone when necessary. You should be comfortable with the way you and your attorney communicate.

What is the billing structure used by the law firm?

Also be sure to confirm how the process of the case works, and how the billing is structured. An attorney’s billing process should be clear and statements for the work completed on the case sent out monthly.

Ask yourself  "Do I like this lawyer?"

After you meet with or speak to the potential attorneys you are considering, you should be able to determine if this is someone you can have a working relationship with. Do you like this attorney’s personality? Do you understand how this attorney communications and does that work for you? Does this attorney have the experience and knowledge necessary to effectively represent you? If you realize too late that you don’t actually like the attorney who is handling your case, this could lead to a stressful working relationship during the case.

Make an independent decision.

Don’t make the mistake of just choosing the lawyer labeled as “the best” by your friend who hired them for their custody case, or the attorney that has the most commercials on television. Also don’t just choose an attorney based on your preference for a male or female attorney. The child custody lawyer you choose should be someone you will feel comfortable working with. Don’t forget that the attorney you choose should also be the best fit for your budget so no additional stress results from the billing process.

Do a thorough review of your notes from your interview with each attorney. It might be helpful to do a pros and cons list as well. It is important that you analyze all the variables before deciding on who will represent you and fight for the best interests of your children. By doing your due diligence you can be sure that you have considered all possibilities before selecting the best child custody lawyer for your case.

THIS ARTICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED AT: https://illinoislawforyou.com/child-custody/how-to-find-the-best-child-custody-lawyer-for-you/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Divorced Parents Disagree About the COVID-19 Vaccine 

Image
  There is a lot of disagreement about vaccinations for children and the argument between parents with differing views on this subject is not a new one.  Illinois family law attorneys representing parents in this type of disagreement have worked throughout the years to avoid the problem in its entirety by addressing the issue of vaccination in the parenting agreement, now called an Allocation Judgment.  A prior agreement on how to handle vaccinations will give clarity as parents deal with the COVID-19 vaccine.   COVID-19 Vaccine Questions from Divorced Parents There are a number of questions and co-parenting issues surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine. Here are five of the most frequently asked questions we are seeing in our Chicago family law practice: 1. What If the Other Parent Will Not Get the COVID-19 Vaccine? We just saw a judge in Cook County strip a mother of her parenting time because she had not received the COVID-19 vaccine.  The parents were before...
Read more

Illinois Law Update – Can a Guardian Ad Litem Speak to a Therapist in My Case?

Image
The Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act in recent years gave the courts in Illinois the authority to order therapy for a minor child, family counseling for one or more of the parties and the child, or parental education for one or more of the parties if it finds that the parents or all parties agree, that the child’s physical health is endangered or that the child’s emotional development is impaired, or that an abuse of allocated parenting time has occurred, or, one or both of the parties violated the judgment with regard to conduct affecting or in the presence of the minor child.  {See 750 ILCS 5/607.6 regarding same}.  However, the same statute previously explicitly indicated that all therapy would be confidential. As of August 13, 2021, Illinois enacted Public Act 102-349, and the statute is now modified.  It no longer has a provision stating that therapy would be strictly confidential.  This kept all information obtained by a Guardian Ad Litem fro...
Read more

Changes to the Illinois Child Relocation Statute in Family Law for 2022

Image
  Oftentimes while a family law case is pending, parents will need or want to move with their minor children . The child relocation law in Illinois as of 2021 indicated that you need to seek approval for relocation from the Court if you want to move your minor child(ren) more than 25 miles away from their current residence. However, under the Illinois statute, as written in 2021, it indicates that “a parent who has been allocated a majority of parenting time or either parent who has been allocated equal parenting time may seek to relocate with a child.”  Judges and attorneys have interpreted this section to mean that until a parenting time schedule is in place, a parent cannot seek relocation, because it is unknown if that parent has the “majority” of parenting time or “equal” parenting time, until, at a minimum, there is a parenting time schedule in a custody order.  New Temporary Child Relocation Law Many Judges have also been interpreting the child relocation law to ...
Read more