Des Plaines Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where a Des Plaines case is heard

Des Plaines is in Cook County. Under 750 ILCS 5/104, venue for a dissolution case is the county where either party resides, so a Des Plaines resident files in Cook County. Cook County then gives you two locations to choose between.

• Skokie Courthouse (Second Municipal District), 5600 Old Orchard Rd., Skokie, IL 60077. Phone (847) 470-7250. Hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This courthouse hears divorce proceedings, paternity and child support matters, and divorce-related orders of protection. Along with Des Plaines it serves Deerfield, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Golf, Kenilworth, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northbrook, Northfield, Park Ridge, Skokie, Wilmette and Winnetka.
• Richard J. Daley Center, 50 W. Washington St., Chicago, IL 60602, home of the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County. The presiding judge's courtroom is 1905 and the clerk's Domestic Relations office is Room 802. Division phone (312) 603-3025; clerk (312) 603-6441.

A Cook County resident may file downtown at the Daley Center or, when the party lives in one of the suburban municipal districts, in that district's courthouse. For Des Plaines, Skokie is the local option and the downtown Domestic Relations Division remains available. Which one makes sense depends on where both parties live and work, where records and witnesses are, and what is already on file — that is a decision worth making before anything is filed, not after.

Before a judgment of dissolution can be entered, 750 ILCS 5/401 requires 90 days of Illinois residency (or military presence in the state). If you moved to Des Plaines recently, count the days first; it affects timing, not your ability to start.

What the Cook County court will require of you

Parenting education. Cook County requires litigating parents in dissolution and parentage cases to complete Focus on Children, the court-approved program 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 by arrangement, and there is an online alternative, Children In Between Online. The cost is $50 unless waived by the judge. Register through Family Court Services at (312) 603-1540 or DRD.family@cookcountyil.gov, with a copy of the court order. Do not wait to be chased for it; finishing early removes one reason for a continuance.

Mediation. Mediation is mandatory in Cook County for initial allocation of parental responsibilities, modification of allocation, relocation, and non-parent visitation. It is discretionary for financial and discovery disputes. When parents 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 program phone is (312) 603-1540.

A parenting plan. Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, a parenting plan is due within 120 days after service or filing. The plan addresses significant decision-making under 750 ILCS 5/602.5 and parenting time under 750 ILCS 5/602.7. If a schedule has to be set while the case is pending, 750 ILCS 5/603.5 allows a temporary allocation, and 750 ILCS 5/603.10 allows restrictions where there is serious endangerment.

Financial disclosure. Support and property are decided on documents. Child support is calculated on the income shares method under 750 ILCS 5/505; maintenance, including the guideline formula at 504(b-1), comes from 750 ILCS 5/504; property is divided under 750 ILCS 5/503. If bills or housing cannot wait, 750 ILCS 5/501 covers temporary relief, including temporary support and exclusive possession of the marital residence under 501(c-2). Post-judgment changes to support or allocation run through 750 ILCS 5/510.

If a move is in the picture. From Cook County, a relocation of more than 25 miles triggers 750 ILCS 5/609.2. Relocation is also one of the categories where mediation is required.

Practical sequence for this week: gather two years of tax returns, recent pay records, and statements for every account in either name; write down the current week-to-week schedule with the children; and note any dates already set in court.

Local help near Des Plaines

If you are in danger. The Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline is (877) 863-6338. Closer to Des Plaines, YWCA Evanston/North Shore runs a hotline at (877) 718-1868 and legal advocacy at (847) 470-5052. Orders of protection are available under 750 ILCS 60/214, and 750 ILCS 60/217 covers emergency orders entered without prior notice. Divorce-related orders of protection are heard at the Skokie Courthouse.

If cost is the obstacle. Legal Aid Chicago can be reached at (312) 341-1070. The CARPLS legal aid hotline is (312) 738-9200 and handles brief advice by phone.

Family Court Services is at 69 W. Washington St., Suite 1000, Chicago, IL 60602, (312) 603-1540). It provides parent education, mediation, evaluations, emergency intervention, and children's support groups. Court records and filing questions for the suburban districts go through the Clerk of the Circuit Court.

Working with this office

Jonathan D. Steele practices at Beermann LLP, 161 N. Clark St., Suite 3000, Chicago, IL 60601. Phone (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 side of the practice is supported by cybersecurity credentials (CompTIA Security+, ISC2 CC, EC-Council CEH).

How to start: fill out the short online form. The office runs a conflict check and calls you back, and you can book a 15-minute screening call online. On that call, be ready to say who lives where, whether anything has been filed, whether children are involved, and whether there are dates already on the calendar. If your case belongs in Skokie rather than downtown, or the other way around, that is one of the first things to sort out.