Chicago Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where Chicago cases are heard

Chicago sits in Cook County, and family cases for Chicago residents go to the Domestic Relations Division, Circuit Court of Cook County, 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; the clerk's Domestic Relations office is (312) 603-6441. Division information is posted at cookcountycourtil.gov.

Venue is set by 750 ILCS 5/104: a dissolution case is filed in the county where either party resides. If you live in Chicago, Cook County is a proper venue 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 if the residency requirement will be satisfied by the time of judgment, but it is worth confirming your dates before anything is filed.

Practically, the first documents you will deal with are the petition, the summons and proof of service, and — if you need something decided right away — a motion for temporary relief under 750 ILCS 5/501. That section covers temporary support and, under 501(c-2), exclusive possession of the marital residence. If children are involved and the situation cannot wait, 750 ILCS 5/603.5 allows a temporary allocation of parental responsibilities while the case is pending. Where a child is seriously endangered, 750 ILCS 5/603.10 governs restriction of parental responsibilities.

Orders of protection for Chicago residents

Domestic violence orders of protection for Chicago residents are heard at the Domestic Violence Courthouse (Domestic Violence Division, Circuit Court of Cook County), 555 W. Harrison St., Chicago, IL 60607, (312) 325-9000. Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. in person; remote court Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m..

Emergency orders of protection are heard remotely by Zoom Monday-Friday 9 p.m. - 3 a.m. and Saturday-Sunday 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.; requests go through the Illinois Legal Aid Online website, and advocates are reachable through the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline (877) 863-6338.

An emergency order can be entered without prior notice to the other party under 750 ILCS 60/217; the remedies a court can order are listed at 750 ILCS 60/214. Details: Domestic Violence Division.

What the Cook County court requires of parents

Parenting education. Cook County runs Focus on Children under 750 ILCS 5/404.1 and Illinois Supreme Court Rule 924. It applies to litigating parents in dissolution and parentage cases. The class is four hours in person, with Spanish sessions twice a month and interpreters by arrangement; an online alternative, Children In Between Online, is available. The cost is $50 unless waived by the judge. You register through Family Court Services at (312) 603-1540 or DRD.family@cookcountyil.gov, and you will need a copy of the court order when you register. Details are at the Family Court Services parent education page.

Mediation. In Cook County, mediation is mandatory for the initial allocation of parental responsibilities, modification of allocation, relocation, and non-parent visitation. It is discretionary for financial and discovery disputes. If parents cannot agree on a mediator for a child-related dispute, Family Court Services provides mediation; otherwise you may use a court-certified or agreed private mediator. The contact number is (312) 603-1540, and the program is described at the division's mediation page.

Parenting plan. Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, a parenting plan is due within 120 days after service or filing. Parents may file one jointly or separately. The plan is where decision-making under 750 ILCS 5/602.5 and parenting time under 750 ILCS 5/602.7 get written down in a form a judge can enter and a parent can actually follow. Drafting it before mediation, rather than after, usually makes the mediation session shorter.

Financial disclosure and money issues. Property is divided under 750 ILCS 5/503. Maintenance, including the guideline formula at 504(b-1), is governed by 750 ILCS 5/504. Child support follows the income shares approach in 750 ILCS 5/505. Later changes to support or to an allocation judgment run through 750 ILCS 5/510. Start pulling together tax returns, pay records, bank and brokerage statements, retirement statements, and any business records now; the disclosure work is the part that most often delays a case.

Relocation. If you are moving with a child, 750 ILCS 5/609.2 sets the thresholds. For a move from Cook County, the trigger is more than 25 miles; the statute uses 50 miles for other counties and 25 miles for a move out of state. Relocation is also one of the categories where mediation is mandatory in Cook County.

Local help in Chicago and Cook County

Family Court Services is at 69 W. Washington St., Suite 1000, Chicago, IL 60602, (312) 603-1540. It handles parent education, mediation, evaluations, emergency intervention, and children's support groups. Its page is at cookcountycourtil.gov.

• Legal Aid Chicago — (312) 341-1070, legalaidchicago.org
• CARPLS legal aid hotline — (312) 738-9200, carpls.org
• Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline — (877) 863-6338, listed by the Illinois Attorney General

If you are in danger, orders of protection are available in the Domestic Relations Division. 750 ILCS 60/214 sets out the remedies a judge can order, and 750 ILCS 60/217 allows an emergency order of protection without prior notice to the other party. Call the hotline above if you need safety planning before or alongside a court filing.

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, and EC-Council CEH.

To start, you fill out a short online form. The office runs a conflict check and calls you back, and you can book a 15-minute screening call online. That call is for figuring out what your situation involves and what the next step should be — not a full case review.

Before the screening call, it helps to have: the date you moved to Illinois or to Chicago (for 750 ILCS 5/401), whether anything has already been filed and by whom, the children's ages and current schedule, and a rough list of accounts, property, and debts. If there has been account access you did not authorize, or messages and device activity you think matter, say so early; preserving that material is easier before devices and accounts change hands.