St. Charles Divorce Law Firm

Illinois Attorneys for Family Law and Divorce Matters

Regardless of the circumstances that have led up to your divorce, you need to understand your St. Charles divorce rights including protecting your children, shielding your assets and avoiding a long, drawn out trial. At the Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices, we have decades of experience working to get results for clients like you in difficult, emotionally complex cases.

Brief Overview of the St. Charles Divorce Process

The first step is the petition, during which one spouse files for divorce from the other. If you file for divorce, you are known as the petitioner or plaintiff. If you are on the receiving end, you're known as the defendant or respondent. Divorces in Illinois are no fault: in other words, the marriage fails due to "irreconcilable differences."

The second step involves serving the divorce. The respondent has 30 days to submit a written response to the divorce petition. If the respondent fails to do this, the court can issue something called a "default judgment" and divide up the marital assets.

The next step involves a process called discovery, during which both parties reveal financial information about the marital estate. During this phase, you can negotiate and, ideally, settle key issues. The parties can also discuss child visitation, support, and custody.

If you and your spouse cannot reach an agreement, you will go to a pre-trial conference and then on to trial, if need be. During litigation, an impartial judge will seek to resolve key sticking points and settle the divorce. Some divorce trials can last for days, while others can last months. Factors that can influence the length of the trial include the amount of the assets at stake, the nature of any allegations (e.g. misconduct, fraud, domestic violence, etc) and whether or not the divorce will impact children or other dependents.

To understand and protect your rights with respect to your St. Charles divorce, please get in touch with the attorneys at the Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices today.

We provide many divorce and family law services regarding child support, child custody, pre and postnuptial agreements, adoption, paternity, post-decree modifications, and property and asset division.

Contact our Illinois divorce law firm at 630-932-9100. We serve clients throughout the region in St. Charles, Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Western Springs, Westmont, Naperville, Wheaton, Warrenville, Kane County and DuPage County.