CHILD CUSTODY ATTORNEY IN SKOKIE, ILLINOIS

Protecting Parental Rights in Divorce

Parental disputes are often more complicated than simply a push and pull involving sentimental attachment of parents to children. A mother may be mentally ill with bipolar disorder or depression. A father may have a history of alcohol or drug abuse. Both parents may have problems, forcing the grandparents to step in and raise the children.

For more than 40 years, attorney Van A. Schwab has been handling cases involving allocation of parental responsibility (formerly called “child custody”) in Chicago and the entire Chicagoland area of Illinois. Van Schwab represents parents who are divorced, anticipating divorce, separated, or unmarried. Because of his abundant experience in this area of law, including frequent service as a child representative in the disputed allocation of parental responsibility cases, Mr. Schwab is well-qualified to counsel and represent parents in any custody or visitation matter.

Our law firm handles a full array of cases involving parental rights, responsibilities, and parenting time matters, including:

• Developing effective parenting plans and time-sharing agreements

• Requesting or defending against modification requests

• Understanding grandparents’ rights

• Obtaining visitation after parentage (often called “paternity“) is established

Understanding how The Court Approaches Allocation of Parental Responsibilities

Illinois is no longer using terms like physical custody and legal custody when determining where a child will live. Similarly, the terms sole custody and visitation are a thing of the past. Illinois laws now refer to parental decision-making powers as parental responsibilities and custody is simply referred to as parenting time.

Parental responsibilities include the right to make decisions regarding a child’s education, health, religion, and extracurricular activities. Instead of one parent owning these responsibilities entirely, the court now has the option to allocate each parent with different responsibilities.

Advocating for Your Children’s Best Interests

When a child custody dispute remains unresolved despite mediation or collaborative law meetings between both parents and both of their lawyers, a court may appoint a guardian ad litem to serve as a child representative.

Attorney Van A. Schwab has experience representing mothers, fathers, and children in child custody cases. You can rest assured that he will put his skill and knowledge to work on behalf of your and your child’s best interests.

Arrange a Consultation

For experienced advocacy and straightforward legal counsel in any allocation of parental responsibility or parenting time matter in Illinois, contact The Law Offices of Van A. Schwab to schedule an appointment. We are here to uphold your parental rights and guard your relationships with your children.