Arlington Heights Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where Arlington Heights cases are heard

Arlington Heights sits in the Third Municipal District of the Circuit Court of Cook County. Domestic relations cases are heard at the Rolling Meadows Courthouse, 2121 Euclid Ave., Rolling Meadows, IL 60008. The main number is (847) 818-3000, and the courthouse operates from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The same courthouse serves Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Buffalo Grove, the Cook portion of Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Mount Prospect, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Streamwood, and Wheeling.

Filing in Rolling Meadows is an option, not an obligation. A Cook County resident may also file downtown with the Domestic Relations Division at the Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602. The presiding judge's courtroom is 1905 and the clerk's Domestic Relations office is Room 802. The Division can be reached at (312) 603-3025 and the clerk at (312) 603-6441.

Two threshold questions come up before anything else. Venue under 750 ILCS 5/104 lies in the county where either party resides, so Cook County is proper if you live in Arlington Heights even if your spouse has moved elsewhere. For a judgment of dissolution, 750 ILCS 5/401 requires 90 days of Illinois residency (or military presence in the state) before judgment is entered. You do not have to wait 90 days to file; the requirement is measured at judgment.

Which building to use is a practical choice, not a legal one. Ask about it early, because moving a case later is more work than choosing correctly at the start.

Cook County Clerk of the Circuit Court — suburban districts | Domestic Relations Division

What the Cook County court requires

Parent education. Parents litigating a dissolution or parentage case must complete Focus on Children, the court-approved program required under 750 ILCS 5/404.1 and Illinois Supreme Court Rule 924. It is a four-hour in-person class, with Spanish sessions twice a month and interpreters available by arrangement; an online alternative, Children In Between Online, is also offered. The cost is $50 unless waived by the judge. Register through Family Court Services at (312) 603-1540 or DRD.family@cookcountyil.gov, and send a copy of your court order when you register. If money is the obstacle, raise the fee waiver with the judge rather than skipping the class.

Mediation. Cook County requires mediation for the initial allocation of parental responsibilities, modification of allocation, relocation, and non-parent visitation. Mediation is discretionary for financial and discovery disputes. If you and the other parent cannot agree on a mediator for a child-related dispute, Family Court Services handles it; otherwise you may use a court-certified or agreed private mediator. The contact number is (312) 603-1540. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 905 governs these mediation programs.

Parenting plan. Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, each parent files a proposed parenting plan within 120 days after service or filing. Drafting yours early makes mediation shorter and more useful. Decision-making responsibilities are allocated under 750 ILCS 5/602.5 and parenting time under 750 ILCS 5/602.7.

Financial disclosure. Property is divided under 750 ILCS 5/503, maintenance is addressed under 750 ILCS 5/504 (including the guideline formula at 504(b-1)), and child support follows the income shares approach of 750 ILCS 5/505. Each of those depends on documented income and assets. Start collecting tax returns, pay records, and account statements now, before deadlines make the collection rushed.

If you need something before the case is over. Temporary relief under 750 ILCS 5/501 covers temporary support and exclusive possession of the marital residence under 501(c-2). Temporary allocation of parental responsibilities is available under 750 ILCS 5/603.5, and restriction of parental responsibilities for serious endangerment under 750 ILCS 5/603.10.

After judgment. Support and allocation judgments can be modified under 750 ILCS 5/510. Moving with a child is governed by 750 ILCS 5/609.2, which for a Cook County parent means a move of more than 25 miles requires the relocation process (50 miles for parents outside the listed collar counties, 25 miles for any out-of-state move).

Parent education | Mediation program

Local help and county services

Safety first. If you are in danger, 750 ILCS 60/217 allows an emergency order of protection without prior notice to the other party, and 750 ILCS 60/214 sets out the remedies a judge can order. Locally, the WINGS Program hotline is (847) 221-5680. Statewide, the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline is (877) 863-6338.

• Family Court Services, 69 W. Washington St., Suite 1000, Chicago, IL 60602, (312) 603-1540) — parent education, mediation, evaluations, emergency intervention, and children's support groups.
• Legal Aid Chicago — (312) 341-1070, legalaidchicago.org
• CARPLS legal aid hotline — (312) 738-9200, carpls.org
• WINGS Program — wingsprogram.com

If you are unsure whether you need a lawyer or just an answer, the CARPLS hotline is a reasonable first call. If your income may qualify you for free representation, contact Legal Aid Chicago before your first court date rather than after.

Family Court Services

Working with this office

Jonathan D. Steele practices at Beermann LLP, 161 N. Clark St., Suite 3000, Chicago, IL 60601. The phone number is (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. That last category is supported by cybersecurity credentials: CompTIA Security+, ISC2 CC, and EC-Council CEH.

How to start. Prospects begin with a short online form. The office then runs a conflict check and calls back, and a 15-minute screening call can be booked online. Bring what you already have to that call — whether a case has been filed, whether you have been served, any court dates, and the general shape of the finances. That is enough to talk about the Rolling Meadows filing option versus the Daley Center, and about whether temporary relief under 750 ILCS 5/501 should be part of the first filing.