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Child custody agreements can lay the foundation for children to thrive under the support of both parents. The parents often share parenting time and decision-making in Illinois. Sometimes, though, one parent makes most or all of the major decisions, or has most of the time with the children.

One of the first steps in creating an Illinois parenting plan for Chicago or Des Plaines is to gather relevant information about your children, such as their school schedules, extracurricular activities, and other needs. This information helps you, your lawyer, and your ex create a plan that is in the children’s best interests.

The best questions to ask when talking to a child custody lawyer touch on areas such as the lawyer's assessment of your case, his or her legal style and philosophy, his or her expertise and background, the lawyer’s case management style, and legal fees.

Under some circumstances, grandparents in Illinois may receive limited visitation with their grandchildren. Visitation time refers to time spent with children as granted by court order, like parenting time given to parents to care for and raise their kids after a divorce or separation.

Parallel parenting, unlike co-parenting, is a plan whereby separated or divorced parents raise their children separately. Under a parallel parenting plan, the parents don’t participate in events together and keep communications minimum.

Coparenting with someone who has NPD (narcissistic personality disorder) makes an already complex situation even worse because the other parent is more concerned with his or her interests than what is in the child's best interests.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused many parents to reconsider their child custody arrangements, particularly in cases where a custodial parent's job may put a child at risk.

When parents are entering a child custody case, mental health records may be part of the discussion, and patient-client privilege may not always apply. The goal of child custody proceedings is to make a decision that serves the child’s best interests.

When parents head to divorce, their child’s extracurricular activities are one of the many things they must address, ensuring that the child’s needs are met and the activities handled in a fair manner.

Unwed parents do not always share equal rights of custody and parenting. Parentage must be established to support custody rights or claims of responsibility for support.

Situations change and what was in the best interest of a child years ago may not be feasible today, which is why child custody orders can be amended as life moves forward.

Parents with disabilities may lose custody of their children when government agencies claim that the disability prevents the parents from adequately caring for them.

Stability is an important factor in parental allocation cases.The Institute for Family Studies finds that instability has numerous negative effects on children.