Romeoville Divorce & Family Law Attorney

Where a Romeoville case is heard

Romeoville is in Will County, so a dissolution, parenting or support case for a Romeoville resident is filed in Will County and heard at the Will County Courthouse (12th Judicial Circuit).

• Address: 100 W. Jefferson St., Joliet, IL 60432 — downtown Joliet at Jefferson and Ottawa
• Phone: (815) 727-8592
• Hours: 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Court directory listing: illinoiscourts.gov

Venue is set by 750 ILCS 5/104: a dissolution case is brought in the county where either party resides. If you live in Romeoville and your spouse has moved to another county, either county may be a proper venue, and the choice can matter for scheduling and travel. If your spouse files first somewhere else, tell us the county and the filing date when you call.

For a judgment of dissolution, 750 ILCS 5/401 requires 90 days of Illinois residency (or military presence in the state) before judgment. That is a residency requirement for the state, not for the Village of Romeoville, so a recent move within Illinois does not restart it.

If safety is the immediate issue, the courthouse is also where petitions for orders of protection are heard. 750 ILCS 60/217 allows an emergency order of protection to be entered without prior notice to the other party, and 750 ILCS 60/214 sets out the remedies a court can order.

What the Will County court will require of you

A Will County family case runs on a short list of requirements. Knowing them in advance keeps your first two months from being spent on paperwork you could have gathered already.

Parenting education. Parents in a dissolution case complete a court-approved parenting education program under 750 ILCS 5/404.1, consistent with Illinois Supreme Court Rule 924. The Circuit Clerk of Will County lists approved courses, including an online option through the Center for Divorce Education. Registration details are at the Circuit Clerk's parenting class page. Keep the completion certificate; the court wants proof, not a promise.

Mediation. Will County maintains a roster of family mediators through the Family Division at the Will County Courthouse; information is posted at willcountycourts.com, and the Family Division can be reached at (815) 727-8592. Court-connected mediation of parenting disputes operates under Illinois Supreme Court Rule 905. Mediation addresses decision-making and parenting time; it is not where property division is resolved.

A parenting plan. Under 750 ILCS 5/602.10, each parent files a proposed parenting plan within 120 days after service or filing. Start listing your actual weekly schedule now — work hours, school pickups, who handles medical appointments — because the plan is built from facts, not preferences. The court then allocates significant decision-making under 750 ILCS 5/602.5 and parenting time under 750 ILCS 5/602.7.

Financial disclosure. Property is divided under 750 ILCS 5/503, child support is calculated on the income shares model under 750 ILCS 5/505, and maintenance is determined under 750 ILCS 5/504, including the guideline formula in 504(b-1). All three depend on documented income and assets. Gather pay records, tax returns, bank and brokerage statements, retirement account statements, and business records if either of you owns an interest in a company.

Temporary orders. If money or housing cannot wait for a final judgment, 750 ILCS 5/501 allows temporary relief, including temporary support and exclusive possession of the marital residence under 501(c-2). Where a child's schedule needs an interim answer, 750 ILCS 5/603.5 permits a temporary allocation of parental responsibilities, and 750 ILCS 5/603.10 allows restrictions where a parent's conduct seriously endangers a child.

After judgment. Support and allocation judgments can be modified under 750 ILCS 5/510. If you are considering a move, 750 ILCS 5/609.2 governs relocation: for a parent living in Will County, a move of more than 25 miles requires the relocation process, as does a move of more than 25 miles out of state.

Local help near Romeoville

Not every problem needs a retained attorney, and some needs come before the court date.

• Prairie State Legal Services (Joliet office) — free civil legal help for those who qualify. Phone (815) 965-2134; pslegal.org. Call early; eligibility screening takes time.
• Guardian Angel Community Services — local domestic violence services, hotline (815) 729-1228; gacsprograms.org.
• Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline — (877) 863-6338, statewide, listed by the Illinois Attorney General. An advocate can help you plan before a petition is filed.
• Family Division, Will County Courthouse — (815) 727-8592, for mediation roster questions and general court information.
• Circuit Clerk of Will County — approved parenting class information at the Clerk's site.

If you are working with an advocate at Guardian Angel Community Services and also considering a divorce filing, tell each of them about the other. Protection proceedings and dissolution proceedings can move at the same time, and the sequencing matters.

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 practice covers divorce, allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time, child support and maintenance, orders of protection, and post-decree enforcement.

A substantial part of the work involves 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, EC-Council CEH), which matters when a case requires reading account records and device evidence rather than accepting a summary of them.

How to start. Prospects begin with a short online form. The office then runs a conflict check and calls back, and you can book a 15-minute screening call online. That call is a screening conversation: what county, what stage, what is urgent, and whether this office is the right fit.

What to have ready for the screening call. The date of marriage; whether either of you has filed anything and in which county; the children's ages and current weekly schedule; your estimate of both incomes; and any court dates already set at the Will County Courthouse. If there has been an order of protection, or if you believe someone has accessed your phone or accounts, say so on that call — it changes what you should and should not do in the next few days.