A Civilized Approach to Divorce in DuPage County
Helping Families in DuPage and Cook County Move Forward with Dignity and Respect.
Our Services
Custom legal solutions designed to minimize conflict and prioritize your future.
Most DuPage Divorces Never Need a Judge
Every divorce filed in DuPage County is heard at the Judicial Center in Wheaton, and very few of them are actually decided there. Most settle. What differs is how much time, money and goodwill get spent first, and that is largely set in the opening weeks, before anyone has filed anything.
There are four routes that keep a case out of a courtroom fight. They are not interchangeable.
Mediation
A guided negotiation with a neutral third party instead of a judge. It works when both people want the same outcome and disagree about how to reach it. It does not work when one spouse is hiding money.
Collaborative divorce
Governed by the Illinois Collaborative Process Act, 750 ILCS 90. Both spouses and both attorneys sign an agreement committing to settle. If it fails, both attorneys withdraw and you start over with new counsel. That is a genuine cost, and it is also what gives everyone a stake in making it work.
Cooperative divorce
The same out-of-court intent as the collaborative process, with less formality and no disqualification clause. Nobody has to withdraw if talks stall, so the structure costs you less when it does not work. In practice it starts faster, because there is less paperwork before the negotiating begins.
One-lawyer divorce
One attorney prepares the paperwork for a couple who have already agreed on everything. It is the quickest and cheapest route here, and the narrowest. It only works when the agreement is genuinely settled and neither person needs separate advice, and we will say so when that is not the case.
Why Choose
Kulerski & Cornelison?
At Kulerski & Cornelison, our practice is exclusively dedicated to family law, giving us focused expertise that benefits every client we serve. We have a deep understanding of Illinois divorce laws, which allows us to offer strategic, personalized solutions tailored to your circumstances. Our team emphasizes a non-court approach, favoring negotiation, mediation, and collaborative law to resolve disputes with minimal conflict. We view litigation as a last resort and prioritize peaceful resolutions that protect your rights and preserve your well-being. Every client receives personalized attention, and we take the time to truly understand your goals and concerns. With Kulerski & Cornelison, you’re not just another case. You’re a priority.
Meet Kari L. Cornelison
Kari has practiced family law in the Chicago area since 1996. She is a court-certified mediator, a trained collaborative practitioner, and an experienced divorce litigator with years of trial work in the DuPage and Cook County courts behind her.
The trial experience is deliberate rather than incidental. Lawyers who only settle cases tend to overvalue settlement, and lawyers who only try cases tend to undervalue it. Having done both, she can tell you what a judge in Wheaton is realistically likely to do with your facts, and then let you decide whether the offer on the table beats it.
You work with Kari. Not an associate who inherits the file in month eight and needs the whole story again.
What Our Clients Say
Straight answers before you commit to anything
Questions We Get Before the First Meeting
Do we have to go to court?
Almost certainly not for a trial. You will still have court dates, because a judge has to enter the judgment and approve the parenting plan, but that is a prove-up rather than a fight. Most DuPage cases that settle involve two or three short appearances in Wheaton.
How long does a DuPage divorce take?
An uncontested case with the agreement already in place can be finished in a few months. A contested one, with disputed income or a fought parenting schedule, can run past a year. The variable is rarely the court’s calendar. It is how long the two of you take to agree.
What actually happens first?
We talk about your situation before anyone talks about filing. That includes the honest question of whether your spouse is likely to engage in a non-court process, because the answer shapes everything that follows.
Where Our Clients Come From
Our office is in Oakbrook Terrace, and every DuPage case runs through the same courthouse in Wheaton, so where you live inside the county affects the drive far more than it affects the case.
We work with families in Downers Grove, Westmont, Hinsdale, Clarendon Hills, Oak Brook, Wheaton and Naperville, along with Lisle, Darien, Willowbrook, Woodridge, Lombard, Villa Park and Elmhurst, and across the line into Cook County.
If your village is not on that list, it does not matter. We serve communities across DuPage County, and the courthouse is the same one.
