If you want to get a divorce in Illinois, you must have lived in the state for at least 90 days, but how long will the divorce take, assuming you are eligible? Keep reading to learn more, and contact our Chicago divorce lawyers for more information.
How long your divorce takes in Illinois depends on many factors. For example, how much do you and your partner agree on significant divorce issues, such as child support, alimony, and property division? If you decide on the major issues, an uncontested divorce could take two or three months. But if the divorce is contested and involves many contentious problems, it can take much longer.
Most people want to get their divorce over with as quickly as possible. After all, divorce is expensive, emotionally exhausting, and most want to get a new chapter in their lives. However, there are complicating factors that could prolong your divorce. Talk to your attorney about your case details to learn how long yours could take:
Having to sort out child-related issues, including custody and child support, are significant factors that can make a divorce take months longer. If you want to speed up the process, try to work out a parenting plan with your spouse. A parenting plan is a document between the parents that outlines decisions about visitation, custody, and significant child-rearing decisions. If you and your spouse cannot agree on a parenting plan, the court may need to get involved, which prolongs the process.
Illinois is an equitable asset division state, which means marital property is divided equitably, but not necessarily 50/50. If you and your spouse can agree on dividing the money, property, and other assets, the divorce could take less time. But if one spouse tries to hide assets from the other, accountants may need to be involved to sort things out. Divorce usually takes much longer when there are disputes about asset division and who owns what.
Some divorces are understandably contentious and involve hurt feelings and a lot of emotion. If one or both parties are angry, dig in, and do not want to negotiate on significant divorce matters, the divorce can take much longer. When the parties cannot work it out, the court has to get involved, and the judge often has to decide on the most contentious matters. These decisions can take many court hearings; just getting those hearings scheduled can take much time.
It is always best in an Illinois divorce to agree on divorce terms as much as possible. Keeping things out of the courtroom to the largest possible degree will shorten the process.
If you plan to get divorced, it is easy to become overwhelmed by emotional and legal issues. But a skilled divorce attorney can help you deal with the matter and help you move forward with your new life. Contact our Chicago divorce lawyers at Gordon & Perlut, LLC, today at (312) 360-0250 for a consultation about your divorce case.