Orland Park Attorneys Provide Comprehensive Family Law Representation

The right lawyer addresses your legal needs beyond divorce

At The Palmisano Law Group in Orland Park, we’re dedicated to providing comprehensive family law advice and representation. Although most of our practice involves divorce and its ancillary issues, we have vast experience in other aspects of family law and deliver the same exceptional advice and advocacy in these additional areas:

Throughout Cook, Will and DuPage counties, our firm has earned a reputation for giving clients strong counsel on a full range of family law matters.

Separation offers legal protection without marriage dissolution

Spouses can physically live apart without getting a divorce, but only by obtaining a legal separation can they establish a legally enforceable agreement addressing spousal support, child custody and other important issues. You might opt for legal separation in order to maintain your health insurance or because your religion disfavors divorce. This process starts by filing a Petition for Separation with the Circuit Court and requires that at least one of the spouses has been a state resident for 90 days. When the process is complete, the court issues a Judgment for Legal Separation, setting forth terms the parties must honor as they live in different residences but remain legally married. Separation may be a step toward marriage dissolution or reconciliation, but no matter what the eventual outcome might be, putting this legal structure in place helps lessen the likelihood of future disputes.

Helping grandparents and siblings establish visitation rights

Though a rebuttable presumption exists that parents should decide who spends time with their son or daughter, if grandparents or siblings have an existing positive relationship with a child, a court may grant visitation rights to them under certain circumstances. First, a grandparent or sibling cannot establish visitation rights if the child’s parents are married and living together. However, in the case of a parental divorce, separation, death or absence for at least 90 days, alienated grandparents or siblings may petition the court for visitation if the parent or guardian taking care of the child is interfering with the sibling or grandparent-grandchild relationship. Parents who have a good-faith belief that the relationship is harmful to their child can oppose visitation. In these disputes, the grandparent or sibling has the legal burden of demonstrating that visitation is in the child’s best interests. Our firm can examine the situation and explain what factors might weigh in favor of or against a petition.

Resolving paternity issues for single mothers and fathers

Establishing the legal identity of a child’s father through a paternity proceeding is important to the parents and the child. A legal father can claim the right to custody and visitation, and a single mother can require a legal father to pay child support. In addition to representing mothers, our firm represents putative fathers seeking to establish their parentage or challenge an allegation that they fathered a particular child.

Contact our Orland Park family law firm today

The Palmisano Law Group in Orland Park represents Illinois residents in a wide array of family law matters and offers prospective clients a free one-hour consultation. Whether you’re going through a divorce, are engaged in a conflict over parenting rights or have some other domestic legal concern, we will outline our services and explain how we may be able to help. For a consultation, please call 708-966-4311 or contact us online.