Algonquin Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where Algonquin cases are heard

Algonquin sits in McHenry County, and divorce, parentage, support and parenting cases filed here go to the Family Division of the 22nd Judicial Circuit at the Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center, 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098. The courthouse is open 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Family Division: (815) 334-4190
• Courthouse main line: (815) 334-4385
• Division information: 22ndcircuitil.gov/family-division/

Two threshold questions come up at the start of nearly every dissolution case. The first is residency: under 750 ILCS 5/401, one spouse must have been an Illinois resident (or stationed here on military duty) for 90 days before the court enters a judgment of dissolution. The second is venue: under 750 ILCS 5/104, a dissolution case belongs in the county where either party resides. If you live in Algonquin and your spouse has moved, both counties may be available, and which one the case lands in is worth thinking through before anything is filed.

If you need relief before the case is resolved — temporary support, or exclusive possession of the marital residence under 750 ILCS 5/501(c-2) — that request is made in the same division, usually early. Temporary decisions about the children are made under 750 ILCS 5/603.5.

Algonquin straddles McHenry and Kane counties

Algonquin straddles the McHenry–Kane county line. That matters for filing, because your case follows the county you actually live in, not the village name on your mail. Under 750 ILCS 5/104, venue lies in the county where either party resides — so an Algonquin address on the McHenry side points to the Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center in Woodstock, while an address on the Kane side points to Kane County's courts instead.

Before you file or respond, confirm which county your property is actually in. Your property tax bill and voter registration are the quickest places to check. Filing in the wrong county costs time and can mean refiling. If your spouse lives on the other side of the line, or if one of you has recently moved, tell this office early — it changes where the case starts, which parenting education program applies, and which local rules govern.

The county line also matters later. Under 750 ILCS 5/609.2, a parent with the majority of parenting time (or equal time) who wants to move must follow the relocation statute; for a parent living in McHenry or Kane County, the trigger is a move of more than 25 miles. Short moves within the Algonquin area can still be relocations under that rule depending on distance and direction.

What McHenry County asks of parents

Parenting education. Illinois courts require parents in dissolution cases to complete a court-approved parenting education program under 750 ILCS 5/404.1, and Illinois Supreme Court Rule 924 governs those programs. In McHenry County the program is Focus on the Kids, run through McHenry County College. It applies to any parent in a divorce or post-divorce proceeding with minor children, and to parentage cases when the court orders it.

• Format: a four-hour in-person class at the Catalyst Campus, 222 E. Church St., Woodstock
• Cost: $90 per person
• Register: (815) 479-7591 or focusonthekids@mchenry.edu
• Program page: mchenry.edu/focusonkids/

Register early rather than waiting to be reminded. Classes fill, and a completed certificate removes one item from the court's checklist before your case can move forward.

Mediation. The Family Division uses court-appointed neutral mediators, consistent with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 905. For cases the court identifies as high-conflict, McHenry County also has a parenting coordinator program under Local Rule 11.14. There is a Self-Represented Litigant Help Center for people without counsel. Details are on the Family Division page.

Parenting plan. Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, each parent must file a proposed parenting plan within 120 days after service or filing. That plan addresses significant decision-making under 750 ILCS 5/602.5 and parenting time under 750 ILCS 5/602.7. Where a child's safety is at issue, 750 ILCS 5/603.10 allows the court to restrict parental responsibilities on a finding of serious endangerment.

Financial issues. Property is divided under 750 ILCS 5/503. Maintenance, including the guideline formula, is governed by 750 ILCS 5/504(b-1), and child support follows the income shares approach in 750 ILCS 5/505. After judgment, support and allocation judgments can be modified under 750 ILCS 5/510. Start gathering statements, tax returns and payroll records now; the financial picture drives most of the outcome.

Local help near Algonquin

If you are in immediate danger. The Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline is (877) 863-6338. In McHenry County, Turning Point operates a hotline at (815) 338-8081 and provides legal advocacy, including help filing emergency orders of protection. More at turnpt.org.

Emergency orders of protection can be entered without prior notice to the other party under 750 ILCS 60/217; the remedies a court can order — including stay-away provisions and possession of a residence — are listed at 750 ILCS 60/214. An advocate can sit with you while you complete the petition, which is often the difference between filing this week and not filing at all.

If cost is the barrier. Prairie State Legal Services has a McHenry office at (815) 965-2134; see pslegal.org for intake and eligibility. If you are proceeding without a lawyer, the Family Division's Self-Represented Litigant Help Center is the place to start.

Working with this office

Jonathan D. Steele practices at Beermann LLP, 161 N. Clark St., Suite 3000, Chicago, IL 60601, (312) 621-4394. The work covers divorce, allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time, child support and maintenance, orders of protection, and post-decree enforcement, with particular experience in cases that turn on financial records and digital evidence — concealed assets and crypto, message and parenting-app records, spyware and account intrusions. He holds cybersecurity credentials (CompTIA Security+, ISC2 CC, EC-Council CEH).

How intake works: you start with a short online form. The office runs a conflict check and calls back, and a 15-minute screening call can be booked online. On that call, be ready to say which side of the McHenry–Kane line you live on, whether a case has already been filed, whether there are minor children, and whether there is any safety concern that needs attention before anything else.

Useful things to bring together beforehand: recent pay records, the last two or three tax returns, a list of accounts and debts in either name, and — if digital evidence may matter — the devices and accounts involved, left alone rather than cleaned up.