Family Law
Massive Changes in Illinois Family Law Over the Last Several Years
In 2016, there was the first major revision to Illinois Divorce Laws to:
- eliminate all but one of the traditional grounds for divorce,
- revamp custody laws and terminology and
- adopt spousal maintenance guidelines based on gross incomes
In 2017, the child support laws were completely overhauled. Illinois now uses an "income share" approach where both parent's income are factored into the calculation.
For 2019, Illinois has implemented modified maintenance (alimony) guidelines. These are meant to address the been the new tax laws passed by Congress in 2018. Essentially the new alimony statute uses net income (not on gross income) in making calculations. This will mean most divorcing parties will need to have proper tax calculations made by a knowledgeable attorney or accountant.
With all these changes, clients must carefully select a law firm that is prepared to navigate the best path forward. At Andreano & Lyons, we remain a litigation law firm - ready to fight for our client's rights along the way.
However, we have also developed our practice to be flexible to meet each client's needs.
This approach recognizes some options to traditional litigation:
- Settlement reached between the parties,
- Mediation with an independent mediator selected by the parties
- Collaborative divorce process, and
- Pretrial Conferences with the judge