Potential Changes on the Horizon to Illinois Divorce Laws

 Posted on May 19, 2013 in Family Law

The current Illinois laws pertaining to divorce and child custody were put into place over 35 years ago. According to a recent report by CBS St. Louis, there is a bill being proposed in the house that can bring very big changes.

Some of these changes include things such as the following:

• issuing divorce judgments within 60 days unless there are special circumstances,
• establishing child support based on the income of both of the parents,
• different rights for the noncustodial parent when it comes to making decisions about the child,
• and the amount of time that the child spends with each parent will also be considered in child support.

Another major change is that there will be no further need to establish grounds for the divorce. The new changes will also stop divorcees from filing lawsuits against their spouse's lover. These lawsuits, also known as home wrecking lawsuits, became popular in the last few years. The spouse would sue the lover of the soon to be ex-spouse for the loss of affection and breakup of the marriage.

The Family Law Study Committee has spent the last four years gathering feedback from various interest groups. The committee's focus is to modify the existing law to be a better fit to the modern family dynamic.

There is often a period of confusion when there are changes to long-standing laws. There is also an element of frustration associated with going through a divorce. If you are considering a divorce and have questions about how the new laws may affect your divorce, consult with an experienced and educated Illinois divorce attorney. Your attorney will have all the latest information about the laws and will be able to explain in detail how this may affect your current situation.