Oak Brook Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where Oak Brook cases are heard

Oak Brook sits in DuPage County, and DuPage cases are heard by the 18th Judicial Circuit at the DuPage County Judicial Center, 505 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187. The Domestic Relations Division office is Room 2015, and domestic relations cases are heard in Courtroom 2002. The division phone number is (630) 407-8904.

Venue in an Illinois dissolution is the county where either party resides (750 ILCS 5/104). Separately, a judgment of dissolution requires 90 days of Illinois residency, or military presence in the state (750 ILCS 5/401) — a requirement tied to the state, not the village.

Before you go to the courthouse, call the division at (630) 407-8904 or check the court's page to confirm whether your matter is in person or remote and which room you are expected in.

• DuPage County Domestic Relations Division

Oak Brook straddles two counties

Oak Brook is mostly in DuPage County, but a small portion of the village lies in Cook County. Venue follows residence, not the village name (750 ILCS 5/104). If your home address falls on the Cook side, your case may belong in Cook County rather than Wheaton, and the DuPage County programs described below would not be the ones assigned to you.

• Check the county named on your property tax bill or your voter registration.
• Give us your street address on the intake form. Settling the county before anything is filed avoids a transfer later and determines which parenting-education and mediation requirements apply.

What DuPage County asks of parents

Parenting education. Illinois provides for a court-approved parenting education program in dissolution cases (750 ILCS 5/404.1), and Illinois Supreme Court Rule 924 governs circuit court parenting education programs. In DuPage County that program is Caring, Coping and Children, run through the DuPage County Family Center, for all divorcing and never-married parents. It is an online co-parenting course in English and Spanish, with registration at fcreg.dupagecounty.gov. Register early; judges ask about the certificate.

Mediation. Illinois Supreme Court Rule 905 governs circuit court mediation programs for allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time. DuPage County's provider is the DuPage County Family Center, 422 N. County Farm Rd., Wheaton, IL 60187, across County Farm Road from the courthouse, at (630) 407-2450. The Family Center also offers supervised parenting time, neutral exchange, and the PEACE class. Hours are Mon–Tue 8:30–5, Wed–Fri 8:30–9 p.m., Sat 8–12:30, Sun 3–8 p.m. The evening and weekend hours help if both parents work weekdays.

A parenting plan. Each parent files a proposed parenting plan within 120 days after service or filing (750 ILCS 5/602.10), covering significant decision-making responsibilities (750 ILCS 5/602.5) and parenting time (750 ILCS 5/602.7). Draft yours before mediation; a school-year calendar, a holiday list and a written exchange plan shorten the session.

Financial disclosure. Property is divided under 750 ILCS 5/503, maintenance is decided under 750 ILCS 5/504 with a guideline formula at 504(b-1), and child support uses income shares under 750 ILCS 5/505. All of it runs on documents: tax returns, pay records, account statements, business records. Start collecting now.

Relief before the case ends. Temporary relief, including temporary support and exclusive possession of the marital residence under 750 ILCS 5/501(c-2), is available while the case is pending, as is temporary allocation of parental responsibilities (750 ILCS 5/603.5). Where a child is seriously endangered, 750 ILCS 5/603.10 allows restrictions. Support and allocation judgments may later be modified under 750 ILCS 5/510. If you are considering a move with your children, read 750 ILCS 5/609.2 first: from DuPage County, more than 25 miles, or 25 miles out of state, is a relocation requiring notice and court involvement.

Local help in DuPage County

If you are in danger. The Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline is (877) 863-6338. In DuPage County, Family Shelter Service (Metropolitan Family Services) runs a hotline at (630) 469-5650. Orders of protection carry remedies under 750 ILCS 60/214, and an emergency order may be entered without prior notice under 750 ILCS 60/217. An advocate can go over safety planning whether or not you file anything.

If cost is the obstacle. DuPage Legal Aid can be reached at (630) 653-6212 or at dupagelegalaid.org. The 18th Circuit also runs a Domestic Relations Pro Se Court and law library help desks for people without lawyers.

• Domestic Relations Pro Se Court and law library help desks
• DuPage County Family Center
• DuPage County resources for victims of domestic violence

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 the disputed facts live in account histories rather than testimony.

How to start. 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. Include your Oak Brook street address so the county question is settled before anything is filed.

What to have ready. Names and dates of birth of any children; whether either of you has filed, and in which county; your most recent tax return and a recent pay record; and a plain description of what needs deciding first — where the children sleep next month, how the mortgage gets paid, or whether you need protection.