Raising children can be among the most rewarding and fulfilling things anyone ever does in their entire life. Few acts are more loving and sincere than deciding to pursue adoption to start or grow your family. If you are fortunate enough to be considering adoption as your avenue toward growing your family, you are likely filled with excitement and questions about how the process works. If you are considering adoption as an option you are interested in, consider consulting with an experienced adoption attorney who understands the process and will work to ensure your process is as smooth as possible. 

Steps to Pursuing an Adoption

 Once you have made the exciting decision to pursue an adoption, you must become aware of all the different dynamics that go into the process of adoption in Illinois. Generally speaking, in Illinois, an individual or couple is eligible to adopt if they can satisfy standard residency requirements and have a good reputation in the community. Prospective parents must also be financially stable and able to provide whoever they are adopting with adequate shelter and suitable housing. Single people, unmarried couples, and married couples can pursue adoption. 

Types of Adoption in Illinois

It is crucial to understand the options available to decide what is best for you and your situation. In general, Illinois features four primary types of adoption, including: 

Getting a divorce can be one of the saddest, most contentious, and bitter processes that a person can ever experience. At least, that is the usual assumption when it comes to getting divorced. It is undoubtedly true that many divorces involve lots of anger and unpleasantness, particularly when children are involved. However, what if there was a way to get divorced that was not quite so terrible? 

There is a divorce process that can end things in an amicable way that will leave both you and your soon-to-be ex-spouse feeling heard and respected once the divorce is finalized. This process is referred to as an uncontested divorce. If you are seeking a divorce and believe that you and your partner can handle things amicably and cooperate effectively, an uncontested divorce may be a good option for you. Consider consulting with an experienced divorce attorney with familiarity with uncontested divorces to get the process started. 

What Are the Advantages of an Uncontested Divorce? 

According to Forbes, around 90% of divorces are uncontested. Forbes also reports that most uncontested divorces cost about $5,000, significantly less expensive than a traditional divorce. Many may start as contested, but the parties eventually can reach an agreement. Spouses often choose the route of uncontested divorce for two primary reasons: it saves time and money. Traditional divorces can be hindered by months or even years of litigation. Not to mention the tremendous cost of multiple court appearances. 

For many spouses, divorce mediation or other methods of cooperative divorce may be preferable to a prolonged courtroom battle. Divorcing spouses who use mediation may be able to save substantial time, money, and stress. However, alternative dispute resolution tactics may not be effective - or even worth trying - for every set of spouses. The process requires cooperation and a certain level of emotional maturity to succeed. Both spouses must be willing to make compromises with one another. Both spouses must be able to commit to participating in mediation or negotiation efforts.

While you and your spouse need not be amicable for divorce mediation to be an effective strategy, having a high level of conflict or certain types of intense conflict may mean that uncontested divorce is not likely to be a viable option for you. There are some signs that may lead your attorney to steer you toward the courthouse and away from a cooperative divorce. You also have the option of attempting to cooperate and then resorting to litigation should it fail. 

Signs That Divorce Mediation May Not be Right for You

Cooperative divorce methods can work for many spouses who are in conflict. However, it is not right for everyone. After speaking with your attorney, you may choose to go directly to court if one of these circumstances exists: 

For most parents, their greatest concern in a divorce is not who keeps the living room furniture, but rather, how much time they will get to continue spending with their children. Seeing the other parent obtain sole child custody is often a parent’s worst fear. If your spouse is threatening to pursue sole custody, or to keep the children from seeing you, you should know that this result is highly unlikely unless there is genuine evidence that you are harmful to the children. If no such evidence exists, courts in Illinois immensely favor a parenting time arrangement that allows both parents time with their children.

In most cases, you need not fear that you will never see your children again, regardless of what your spouse says. It is, however, important to promptly speak to an attorney, who can respond to the threat on your behalf and continue working to protect the precious time you share with your children. 

Are Sole Custody Arrangements Common? 

A parent’s rights to spend time with and share decision-making power over the child is not taken away lightly in Illinois. Our local courts are so opposed to sole custody arrangements that they will frequently use supervised visitation even when there is some evidence that a parent is not capable of safely caring for the children alone. 

Many recently divorced parents find it helpful to leave the area where they resided during the marriage to seek a new beginning elsewhere. Relocating can have a wonderful effect on the mental health of a newly divorced parent, particularly if the divorce was very challenging or the marriage itself was harmful. However, in Illinois, a parent cannot simply pack their children's belongings and relocate to a faraway area without first obtaining permission from the court. Parental relocations are not automatically granted if the other parent objects. If your former spouse resists the relocation and has been allocated any parenting time, the court is likely to conduct a thorough analysis before reaching a decision. As is true for all family law cases pertaining to children, this issue must be decided in favor of what is in the child’s best interests. It is important to consult an attorney before requesting permission to relocate with children. 

Determining Whether a Relocation is in the Child’s Best Interests

Courts will grant a parent’s request to relocate with the children over the objection of the other parent only if it is established that moving away is in the best interests of the children involved. In determining whether the relocation would be best for the children, the court will consider a number of factors similar to those used in determining an initial parenting plan. Factors considered may include: 

• Child’s adjustment - How well-adjusted a child is to their current home, school, and community is highly relevant. Courts may be reluctant to remove a child from a neighborhood they are well-acclimated to and involved in. 

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