Answer: Simply put, a person gives his or her deposition when he or she, accompanied by an attorney, answers questions put by the other side’s attorney regarding the facts of the case. Depositions are under oath and generally take place in an attorney’s office. A court reporter is present and everything that is said is recorded….
Answer: The discovery stage of a lawsuit starts to happen within a month or so of the original filing of the case. It is the second stage of litigation. When the case is filed, certain allegations are made regarding the rights of the person that files. The other party files a Response to these allegations that…
Answer: Yes. The Court has jurisdiction to go ahead and dissolve the marriage by virtue of your residency within the state. However, it cannot order your spouse to pay or do anything until it gets jurisdiction of your spouse. Once your ex is located and lawfully served with Summons, the court may revisit the initial…
Answer: He or she must file their Appearance and Response with the clerk of the court within 30 days or the party that filed for divorce can ask the court to enter a default order. If this happens, the court will conduct a hearing and decide the case without them.
The following sample is a generic copy of a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage which is commonly as “divorce papers.” This is the court pleading that starts a divorce in the legal system, and this is the document that is served upon the other spouse by a deputy sheriff or other lawful process server. Please…
Answer: A case is contested if the parties cannot agree on every one of the issues involved in their particular situation. Common areas of disagreement include, but are not limited to, the following: AN UNCONTESTED CASE IS WHERE THE PARTIES REACH AN AGREEMENT. THESE CASES TAKE 3-4 WEEKS AND INVOLVE ONLY ONE OFFICE VISIT. When a…
Answer: In my frame of reference, this statement can have two different meanings, depending upon the context in which it is used. If it seems to relate to the divorce in general, the speaker is depicting the parting of the ways as mutual and not more painful to one party than to the other. It can…
Because we do something that many divorce lawyers do not do. We try to protect you from the divorce legal system itself. We go out of our way to spare you from a costly court experience that can often be avoided. We make it our priority to settle your case before it can even get…
Most Clients Report Great Hesitancy At the thought of making this phone call. Many tell us later that they dialed, froze, and actually hung up a couple of times before letting the call go through. Some say they were leery about reaching a pushy fast-talker who would try to pressure them into doing something that…
For the very first time in the history of Illinois divorce law, the courts are now mandated by state law to deal with companion animals just as they do with any other property of the divorcing parties. The soon-to-be ex-spouses may now include language in their Marital Settlement Agreements allocating sole or joint ownership of…
