Protecting Fathers' Rights in Illinois

 Posted on July 21, 2016 in Child Custody

In the past - and, unfortunately, at times still today - the courts have traditionally favored mothers when it comes to deciding which parent should be granted primary custody, or whether fathers can share equally in both parenting time and the right to make important decisions about their children's lives.

Illinois has made strides in recent years towards recognizing that fathers play just as important a caretaking role as mothers do and deserve equal treatment when it comes to custody decisions. Our experienced parental responsibilities lawyers believe strongly that neither parent should - based solely on his or her gender - have a right to an automatic presumption of custody.

Rather, the court should consider the best interest of the child, the existing relationship between a child and each of his or her parents, the stability of a parent's home environment, and the type of support each parent provides the child, including financial, physical, emotional, and educational support, among other factors.

Divorce and Child Custody in Illinois

When you file for divorce in Illinois and you have children, your custody case, including child support arrangements, will immediately become a part of your divorce proceedings. If you have already been divorced or currently have a custody agreement in place, you may seek to modify those arrangements at any time.

Unwed Parents and Establishing Paternity

Parents who were not married to each other at the time of separation typically need to take proactive steps to establish custody proceedings and child support arrangements, since there will be no divorce case to get the ball rolling on those matters.

Fathers who did not establish their paternity at the birth of their child will need to initiate paternity proceedings before a custody case can move forward. If you are a father who was never married to your child's mother, your experienced parentage lawyer in Illinois can determine what the status of your paternity is and help you decide your next steps.

Child Support

Many fathers have questions about how parenting responsibilities can affect child support obligations, especially since the stereotype has always been that fathers pay mothers child support, and not the other way around. Our firm has experience challenging these traditions in court - particularly in cases in which the father shares parental responsibilities with equal parenting time, or where the father is the primary caretaker or custodian.

Our fathers’ rights attorneys also have experience fighting unfair child support orders or seeking modification of child support, due to changed circumstances or reduced income.

Consult an Experienced Family Law Attorney in Illinois

A skilled DuPage County family law attorney at our firm is prepared to fight for your rights as a father and will seek to ensure that the court prioritizes your importance in your child's life. Reach out to us today for help.

Source:

http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=8300000&SeqEnd=10000000