Elmhurst, Illinois Family Law Attorneys

Lawyers for Child Custody, Paternity, Domestic Violence, and More in Elmhurst

When matters need to be addressed in family courts, they can touch some of the most personal aspects of people's lives. The decisions made in these cases can affect a person's family relationships, their financial security, and their sense of stability. At Goostree Law Group, our family law attorneys can help Elmhurst residents address these issues correctly and resolve any disputes they may encounter. We provide our clients with clear legal guidance, helping them take steps to protect what matters most to them.

Call 630-584-4800 and let us help your family.

Domestic Violence and Orders of Protection

Domestic violence is a serious concern for many families. People who are experiencing abuse do not need to wait for a criminal case to be filed before they can take steps to receive legal protection against violence. Family courts can provide important tools that can help keep abuse victims and their children safe.

Family courts may take steps to address multiple forms of domestic violence, including physical abuse, sexual abuse, harassment, or intimidation. Abuse can occur between spouses, former spouses, people who live in the same home, people who share a child, and other family members.

A person who has experienced abuse or is concerned about harm to themselves or their children because of domestic violence may take steps to obtain an order of protection. This civil court order can be put in place by a family court judge, and it can place restrictions on an abusive person's behavior.

An order of protection can require an abuser to stay away from the other party's home or workplace or from their children's schools or daycare centers. It can grant temporary custody of children to one parent, require an abuser to move out of a home they share with other family members, and prohibit the abuser from making contact of any kind with their spouse or other people named in the order. Violating an order of protection is a criminal offense that can lead to serious penalties.

Our lawyers can help people who are experiencing domestic violence understand their options. We work with clients to take steps to protect themselves and their children. We can file petitions for orders of protection, provide representation during court hearings, and address related family law issues, including establishing temporary child custody and child support orders.

Paternity and Parental Rights

When a child's parents are not married to each other, the father may not be recognized as the child's legal parent. In these situations, either parent may take steps to establish paternity, which will be necessary before other family law issues can be addressed.

Until paternity is established, a father will not have the right to spend parenting time with his child or participate in decisions about how the child will be raised. At the same time, a mother will be unable to obtain a child support order. Children can also benefit from establishing paternity, since it will provide them with inheritance rights, access to a father's health insurance and other benefits, and access to important information about their family's medical history.

There are several methods that may be used to establish paternity, but the easiest is for the parents to sign a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity (VAP). This option may be used when both parents agree about the identity of the child's father. A VAP can be signed at any point after a child is born, and once it is filed, it will be legally binding.

If a parent is unwilling to sign a VAP, the other parent may take steps to establish paternity through a family court proceeding. After a petition to establish paternity is filed with the court, a judge will usually order the parents to take a genetic test. If this test confirms the identity of the child's father, the judge will issue an order of paternity.

After paternity is established, the court can take steps to address the allocation of parental responsibilities, parenting time, and child support. Our attorneys can help fathers protect their parental rights in paternity cases and establish parenting arrangements that will ensure that they can play an ongoing role in their children's lives. We can also help mothers take steps to obtain ongoing child support payments after paternity has been established.

Prenuptial and Postnuptial Agreements

Planning ahead is one of the most practical things a couple can do before getting married. A prenuptial agreement will allow a couple to address certain financial issues and make decisions about what will happen in the event of a divorce or death. A postnuptial agreement can serve a similar purpose, but it will be created after a couple has gotten married.

Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements are contracts between spouses. They can address a wide range of financial matters, including:

• Which assets will be considered separate property and excluded from property division in a divorce
• How marital property will be divided if the marriage ends
• Whether spousal maintenance will be paid, and if so, the amount that will be paid and the duration that payments will last
• How premarital debts will be handled
• Whether certain assets may be set aside to be given to the children of either party

Prenuptial agreements can be valuable for people who are entering a marriage with significant assets, business interests, or children from a previous relationship. They can provide clarity and predictability, and may help to reduce conflict if the couple's marriage ends. Postnuptial agreements can serve a similar purpose. A couple may choose to create a postnuptial agreement because of a change in their financial circumstances, the launch of a new business, or a substantial inheritance received by one spouse.

Our lawyers can help clients negotiate prenuptial or postnuptial agreements that will be fair and equitable for both parties. We can make sure these agreements are legally sound so that they will hold up if challenges arise during a divorce.