Contested divorce, prepared for trial from the first filing
Divorce Lawyers in Chicago, IL
Every divorce is a negotiation shaped by what happens if it isn’t.
Chicago · Cook County · All of Illinois
I.The Matter
A Chicago divorce is decided long before the final hearing — in how the marital estate is identified, how parenting time is proposed, and how the case is prepared from the first filing. Arami Law represents spouses across Cook County and the collar counties through contested divorce, whether the estate is straightforward or turns out to be complicated by a business, significant property, or a long marriage. Every matter is prepared for trial from day one, because the firm that is ready for a hearing rarely needs one.
Grounds, Residency, and Contested vs. Uncontested
Illinois is a no-fault state: irreconcilable differences under 750 ILCS 5/401 is the sole ground for divorce, and at least one spouse must have lived in Illinois for 90 days before judgment. From there, every case forks. An uncontested divorce, where both spouses agree on the terms, can move through the court in a matter of months. A contested one, where any issue — property, parenting time, or support — remains disputed, is a litigated case from the first filing, and needs to be treated like one.
Dividing Marital Property in a Chicago Divorce
Illinois divides marital property equitably, not equally, under 750 ILCS 5/503, weighing each spouse’s contributions, the length of the marriage, and each party’s economic circumstances. Most divorces divide a home, retirement accounts, and ordinary savings. Some divorces surface something more — a closely held business, executive equity, real estate held across entities, or an estate that needs forensic tracing before anyone can divide it fairly. We handle both, and we recognize the difference early rather than at the appraisal.
Custody and Parenting Time During a Divorce
Every divorce involving children requires an allocation of parental responsibilities and a parenting plan, decided under the best-interests standard rather than any parent’s presumed entitlement. Most parents reach an agreed plan. When they cannot, the disagreement becomes its own litigated matter, with its own evidence, its own timeline, and often its own evaluator.
Spousal Maintenance and Child Support
Support is calculated, not negotiated from nothing: Illinois applies statutory guidelines to both maintenance and child support based on each spouse’s income, though the court can deviate where the guideline amount would be unfair. Getting the underlying income right, particularly where a spouse is self-employed or paid variably, usually decides the number before the formula does.
How a Divorce Proceeds in Cook County and the Collar Counties
Chicago dissolutions are filed in the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County at the Daley Center; spouses in the suburbs file in DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, or Will County instead. Every county assigns the case to a single judge who manages it from the petition through judgment, sets a discovery schedule, and holds pretrial conferences where the judge signals how contested issues are likely to land. That local practice, not just the statute, shapes when to press and when to settle.
Legally reviewed byKourosh Arami, Esq.Founding Attorney · Chicago-Kent College of Law · 21 years of Illinois family law practiceUpdated 2026-09-07Editorial Policy
Retained by
- Spouses filing for divorce who expect the other side to contest it
- Parents who need a workable parenting plan, not just an even split
- Spouses whose case turns out more complicated than expected — a business, property, or long marriage surfaces mid-case
- Spouses served with a petition who need counsel before the response deadline runs
Arami Law serves clients across Chicago, Cook County, and the collar counties, including the North Shore communities of Winnetka, Wilmette, Glencoe, Kenilworth, Evanston, and Lake Forest.
II.The Approach
Prepared as if it will be tried.
Scope the estate
Every filing starts with a clear, documented picture of what is actually being divided — property, debt, and income — before either side takes a position.
Propose a workable plan
A parenting-time proposal built around the family’s real schedule settles more custody disputes than a position built to win an argument.
Negotiate from a trial-ready file
Discovery and preparation happen whether or not the case ever reaches a hearing, because a fully prepared file is what makes the other side negotiate seriously.
Try it if it must be tried
Most cases settle once the other side sees a trial-ready file. The ones that do not are the reason the firm exists.
III.Questions
Divorce in Illinois, answered.
IV.The Inquiry
Submit your matter for a free confidential review.
The firm accepts a limited number of matters each year. Kourosh personally reviews every inquiry, in confidence.
Prefer to speak directly? (312) 212-1399
Serving Chicago, Cook County, and all of Illinois.
Elsewhere in the index
- ii.High-Asset Divorce
- iii.Business Valuation & Division
- iv.Complex Asset Division
- v.Custody & Parenting Time
- vi.Spousal Maintenance
- vii.Prenuptial Agreements
- viii.Fathers’ Rights
- ix.Paternity
- x.Child Support
- xi.Grandparents’ Rights
- xii.Gray Divorce
- xiii.Electronic Snooping & Divorce
- xiv.Modifications
- xv.Parental Relocation