Child custody may be an extremely contentious factor in a divorce—and occasionally, the language which we use to define and discuss child custody arrangements also can be the topic of debate.

Physical and Legal Custody

The basic words are not overly controversial. ‘Legal custody’ can be defined as the right to make decisions concerning your youngster—things such as education (home-schooling, private, or public), medical/dental care (braces), and religious upbringing. The term ‘Physical custody’ will refer to the youngster’s physical presence in the home.

Every state uses a ‘best interest of child’ standard within custody cases that are disputed. It’s a rather amorphous standard, and a standard which lends itself to judges’ subjective thoughts concerning what is best for kids. Though, there will include some factors you can expect a judge to take into account.

Age of children

Even though the ‘tender years’ doctrine has been out of fashion officially, a few judges still think that younger kids should reside with their mothers, particularly if she has been the main caregiver.

Getting through a divorce might be easier if you are informed of the process before it starts. This post from our Chicago sole custody lawyer’s office provides 4 tips to aid in steering you through this tough time.

1. Court Isn’t All It Is Cracked Up to Be

As things aren’t going well within a divorce case, one partner might threaten to terminate negotiations and move forward with court proceedings. But, the path to a divorce trial is costly and long. The cost of a trial may deplete the assets which often are the subject of a dispute. Even simplistic matters may require several court days to complete, and upon spending thousands of dollars, partners and their lawyers are left with the uncertainty of how a judge might rule.

These rules will apply to same-sex and opposite sex couples who are civil union partners, as well as opposite-sex married couples.

Grounds for Divorce

The state of Illinois recognizes both fault and no-fault grounds for divorce. To obtain a divorce based upon no-fault grounds, otherwise referred to as ‘irreconcilable differences,’ both parties must’ve been separated for at least two years. If both parties concur in writing to the divorce, only a 6 month separation is needed.

But, if both parties do not concur to the divorce, haven’t been separated for at least two years, and cannot get the court to waive a separation requirement, one of the partners may file for a divorce based upon fault grounds. Such grounds involve a felony conviction, cruelty, desertion, bigamy, adultery, or impotency. The Illinois family law court might require the partners to go to counseling or a conciliation conference or if there are kids involved, an educational program concerning the effects of divorce on kids.