Mount Prospect Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where Mount Prospect cases are heard

Mount Prospect sits in Cook County, and the suburban courthouse listed for the village is the Rolling Meadows Courthouse (Third Municipal District), 2121 Euclid Ave., Rolling Meadows, IL 60008. The main number is (847) 818-3000, and the courthouse operates 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Domestic relations cases are heard there. The Third Municipal District also serves Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Bartlett, Buffalo Grove, the Cook portion of Elgin, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, Streamwood and Wheeling. You can confirm district assignments through the Clerk of the Circuit Court's suburban districts page.

Rolling Meadows is not your only option. A Cook County resident may file a domestic relations case downtown at the 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. The division number is (312) 603-3025; the clerk's number is (312) 603-6441. More detail is on the Domestic Relations Division page.

Two statutes govern whether you can be here at all. Venue under 750 ILCS 5/104 lies in the county where either party resides, which for a Mount Prospect resident means Cook County. For a judgment of dissolution, 750 ILCS 5/401 requires 90 days of Illinois residency (or military presence in the state) before judgment. Choosing between Rolling Meadows and the Daley Center is a practical decision about where you and the other party live and work, where the children are, and where the case is likely to be scheduled for hearings; it is worth deciding before you file rather than after.

What the Cook County court requires

Parenting education. Cook County runs Focus on Children for litigating parents in dissolution and parentage cases, 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; an online alternative, Children In Between Online, is available. The cost is $50 unless waived by the judge. Register through Family Court Services at (312) 603-1540 or DRD.family@cookcountyil.gov, sending a copy of your court order. Program details are on the parent education page.

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 the mediation; otherwise you may use a court-certified or agreed private mediator. The contact number is (312) 603-1540, and the program is described on the mediation program page.

Parenting plans and children's issues. Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, a parenting plan is due within 120 days after service or filing. Decision-making responsibility is allocated under 750 ILCS 5/602.5 and parenting time under 750 ILCS 5/602.7. If something needs to be settled before the case ends, 750 ILCS 5/603.5 allows a temporary allocation, and 750 ILCS 5/603.10 allows restriction of parental responsibilities where there is serious endangerment. Moving with a child is governed by 750 ILCS 5/609.2, which for a Cook County parent sets the threshold at more than 25 miles.

Money. Temporary support and exclusive possession of the marital residence are available under 750 ILCS 5/501, including 501(c-2). Property is divided under 750 ILCS 5/503. Maintenance, including the guideline formula, is handled under 750 ILCS 5/504 and 504(b-1), and child support on the income shares model under 750 ILCS 5/505. After judgment, support and allocation judgments are modified under 750 ILCS 5/510. Practically, this means gathering pay records, tax returns, account statements and debt statements early; disclosure drives every one of these decisions.

Safety. Orders of protection remedies are set out at 750 ILCS 60/214, and 750 ILCS 60/217 allows an emergency order without prior notice to the other party.

Local help for Mount Prospect residents

Family Court Services is the county office behind parent education and mediation, and it also provides evaluations, emergency intervention and children's support groups. It is at 69 W. Washington St., Suite 1000, Chicago, IL 60602, phone (312) 603-1540. See the Family Court Services page.

• Legal Aid Chicago — (312) 341-1070, legalaidchicago.org.
• CARPLS legal aid hotline — (312) 738-9200, carpls.org. Cook County legal help listings are collected at Illinois Legal Aid Online.
• WINGS Program — domestic violence hotline (847) 221-5680, wingsprogram.com.
• Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline — (877) 863-6338, listed by the Illinois Attorney General.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you are planning rather than reacting, a hotline call can help you sort out what an emergency order under 750 ILCS 60/217 would and would not do for your situation before you go to 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. He holds cybersecurity credentials (CompTIA Security+, ISC2 CC, EC-Council CEH), which matters when a case depends on what a device or an account can actually show.

Starting is straightforward. Prospects begin with a short online form; the office runs a conflict check and calls back, and a 15-minute screening call can be booked online. Before that call, it helps to have a few things at hand: where you and the other party live, whether children are involved and their ages, whether anything has already been filed, and a rough picture of income, accounts and debts. If safety is a factor, say so at the outset so it can be addressed first.

What you can do this week: confirm whether Rolling Meadows or the Daley Center makes more sense for filing; start pulling tax returns, pay records and account statements; and if you already have a court order requiring parenting education, call Family Court Services at (312) 603-1540 and get registered rather than waiting for the next court date.