McHenry County Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where McHenry County cases are heard

McHenry County is served by the 22nd Judicial Circuit. Family cases are filed and heard at the Michael J. Sullivan Judicial Center, 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL 60098. The Family Division line is (815) 334-4190; the general courthouse number is (815) 334-4385. The building operates 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Venue is set by 750 ILCS 5/104: a dissolution case belongs in the county where either spouse resides. If you live in McHenry County, you can file here even if your spouse has moved elsewhere in Illinois. For the court to enter a judgment of dissolution, 750 ILCS 5/401 requires that one spouse has been an Illinois resident, or present in Illinois on military duty, for 90 days.

Parentage, child support, allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time, orders of protection and post-decree enforcement all run through the same Family Division. Court information is posted at the 22nd Circuit Family Division page.

If you are self-represented for any part of your case, the Family Division maintains a Self-Represented Litigant Help Center. It is a place to get procedural direction; it is not a substitute for a lawyer reviewing your financial disclosure or a proposed parenting plan before you sign it.

What the court expects from parents in McHenry County

Parenting education. Under 750 ILCS 5/404.1 and Illinois Supreme Court Rule 924, parents in dissolution cases complete a court-approved parenting education program. In McHenry County that program is Focus on the Kids, run by 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. The class is a four-hour in-person session at the Catalyst Campus, 222 E. Church St., Woodstock, and the cost is $90 per person. Register at (815) 479-7591 or focusonthekids@mchenry.edu. Details are at mchenry.edu/focusonkids. Book a seat early rather than waiting for a status date where the judge asks whether you have completed it.

Parenting plan. 750 ILCS 5/602.10 requires each parent to file a proposed parenting plan within 120 days after service or filing. That clock runs whether or not your case is settling. A plan covers decision-making under 750 ILCS 5/602.5 and parenting time under 750 ILCS 5/602.7, including the regular schedule, holidays, school breaks, transportation and how the two of you will communicate.

Mediation. Contested parenting issues go to court-appointed neutral mediators through the Family Division, consistent with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 905. For cases that keep returning to court over the same disputes, the circuit also has a parenting coordinator program under Local Rule 11.14. Come to mediation with a written proposal and a school-year calendar; sessions move faster when someone has already drafted a schedule to react to.

Financial disclosure. Property division under 750 ILCS 5/503, maintenance under 750 ILCS 5/504 (including the guideline formula at 504(b-1)) and child support under 750 ILCS 5/505 all depend on complete income and asset information. Start collecting now: tax returns, recent pay records, retirement and brokerage statements, business records, and statements for every account either of you touches.

Relief before the case ends. 750 ILCS 5/501 allows temporary support and, under 501(c-2), exclusive possession of the marital residence. 750 ILCS 5/603.5 allows temporary allocation of parental responsibilities. Where a child is seriously endangered, 750 ILCS 5/603.10 allows the court to restrict parenting time or decision-making.

Moving with a child. Because McHenry is one of the counties named in 750 ILCS 5/609.2, a move of more than 25 miles is a relocation requiring notice and, if the other parent objects, court approval. A move of more than 25 miles out of state is also a relocation. Check the mileage before you sign a lease.

After judgment. Support and allocation judgments can be revisited under 750 ILCS 5/510 when the standard for modification is met.

Local help in McHenry County

• Prairie State Legal Services (McHenry office) — (815) 965-2134, pslegal.org. Civil legal aid for those who qualify financially. Call early; intake and eligibility screening take time.
• Turning Point — hotline (815) 338-8081, turnpt.org. Domestic-violence program with legal advocacy to help you file emergency orders of protection.
• Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline — (877) 863-6338, statewide.
• Self-Represented Litigant Help Center — through the Family Division, (815) 334-4190.

On protection orders: 750 ILCS 60/214 sets out the remedies a court can order, and 750 ILCS 60/217 allows an emergency order without prior notice where the statute's requirements are met. An advocate from Turning Point can sit with you while you complete the petition. If you are in immediate danger, call 911 first.

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.

A particular focus is cases that turn on financial records and digital evidence: concealed assets and crypto, message and parenting-app records, and spyware or account intrusions. Jonathan holds cybersecurity credentials — CompTIA Security+, ISC2 CC, and EC-Council CEH — which matters when the disputed facts live in account histories, devices or exchange records rather than on paper.

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. Use that call to describe your situation in plain terms and ask what the next 30 days would look like.

What to gather this week, whether or not you retain this office:

• The last two to three years of tax returns and current income records for both of you.
• Statements for bank, retirement, brokerage and crypto accounts, plus any business filings.
• A written draft of the parenting schedule you want, keyed to the school calendar.
• Dates and copies of anything relevant to safety — messages, police reports, medical records.