Plainfield Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where Plainfield cases are heard

For Plainfield residents in Will County, family cases are filed and heard at the Will County Courthouse (12th Judicial Circuit), 100 W. Jefferson St., Joliet, IL 60432. The clerk and Family Division can be reached at (815) 727-8592. Public hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The building sits in downtown Joliet at Jefferson and Ottawa.

Venue is set by statute: under 750 ILCS 5/104, a dissolution case belongs in the county where either party resides. If you live in Plainfield and your spouse has moved, you may still have a choice of counties, and that choice is worth making deliberately rather than by default.

Before a judgment of dissolution can be entered, 750 ILCS 5/401 requires 90 days of Illinois residency (or military presence in the state). That requirement attaches to the judgment, not to your first filing, so a recent move to Plainfield does not necessarily mean waiting to start.

You can confirm current courthouse information directly with the court: Will County Courthouse listing, Illinois Courts directory.

Plainfield straddles two counties

Plainfield straddles Will and Kendall counties. Which side of the line your home address falls on matters, because 750 ILCS 5/104 ties venue to the county where a party resides. The programs and contacts on this page — the Joliet courthouse, the Circuit Clerk's approved parenting class list, the Will County mediator roster — apply to Will County filings.

Two practical steps this week:

• Check the county on your property tax bill or voter registration rather than assuming from your mailing address or school district.
• If you and the other parent live on opposite sides of the county line, note both addresses before you file. Where the case is filed can shape scheduling, the mediation program you are referred to, and the parenting class you are ordered to complete.

If you are unsure which county applies, say so when you contact this office and bring the address details to the screening call.

What the Will County court will require of you

Parenting education. Parents in dissolution cases are required to complete a court-approved parenting education program under 750 ILCS 5/404.1, consistent with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 924. Will County maintains a list of approved providers through the Circuit Clerk, including an online option through the Center for Divorce Education. Register early; waiting until a status date to sign up tends to add a continuance you did not need. The Clerk's list is here: Will County approved parenting class information.

Mediation. Contested parenting issues are commonly sent to mediation, consistent with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 905. Will County uses a court roster of family mediators administered through the Family Division at the Will County Courthouse; the number is (815) 727-8592. Details on the roster: Will County family mediator information.

A parenting plan. Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, each parent must file a proposed parenting plan within 120 days after service or filing. That deadline arrives faster than most people expect. The plan addresses significant decision-making under 750 ILCS 5/602.5 — education, health, religion, extracurriculars — and parenting time under 750 ILCS 5/602.7.

Financial disclosure. Property is divided under 750 ILCS 5/503, maintenance is decided under 750 ILCS 5/504 with the guideline formula at 504(b-1), and child support is calculated on the income shares model under 750 ILCS 5/505. All three depend on complete income and asset records. Start gathering pay records, tax returns, bank and brokerage statements, retirement statements, and business records now, before anyone is under a deadline.

If you need something decided quickly. 750 ILCS 5/501 allows temporary relief, including temporary support and exclusive possession of the marital residence under 501(c-2). 750 ILCS 5/603.5 allows a temporary allocation of parental responsibilities. Where a child is seriously endangered, 750 ILCS 5/603.10 permits restrictions on parental responsibilities.

Moving with a child. For a Will County case, 750 ILCS 5/609.2 treats a move of more than 25 miles as a relocation requiring notice and, if contested, court approval. A move of more than 25 miles out of state is also a relocation. Check the mileage before you sign a lease.

Changing an existing order. Support and allocation judgments are modified under 750 ILCS 5/510.

Local help in and around Plainfield

• Prairie State Legal Services (Joliet office) — civil legal aid for those who qualify financially. (815) 965-2134. pslegal.org
• Guardian Angel Community Services — local domestic violence services. Hotline: (815) 729-1228. gacsprograms.org
• Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline — statewide, (877) 863-6338. Illinois Attorney General hotline listing
• Will County Courthouse Family Division — (815) 727-8592, 100 W. Jefferson St., Joliet, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you are in immediate danger, an order of protection can be sought. 750 ILCS 60/214 sets out the remedies a court can order, and 750 ILCS 60/217 allows an emergency order of protection without prior notice to the other party. Advocates at Guardian Angel Community Services can help you prepare before you go to the courthouse.

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. Jonathan holds cybersecurity credentials: CompTIA Security+, ISC2 CC, and EC-Council CEH.

How to start. Prospective clients begin with a short online form. The office then runs a conflict check and calls back. A 15-minute screening call can be booked online; it is a short call to find out whether the matter fits and what the next step should be.

What to have ready for that call. The county your Plainfield address falls in, whether anything has already been filed and in which county, the ages of any children, whether either of you has moved out, and whether there is any safety concern or existing order of protection. If money is a central issue, note what records you already have and what you do not.