New Changes to Illinois Divorce Law - Part I

 Posted on October 28, 2015 in Divorce

New changes to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act are going to take effect on January 1, 2016.  One of the main changes will have to do with custody and visitation of minor children.  No longer will courts use "joint" or "sole custody".  Instead, the Court will allocate what is going to be called "parental responsibilities."  Parents will also no longer have "visitation" with their children.  Rather, they will have "parenting time". 

With regards to "parental responsibilities" for things such as decisions relating to religion, education or health, one parent will either be solely responsible for making those decisions for the children, or the court can assign (or the parties agree) to have these be divided between both parties.  When making the decision as to the division of parental responsibilities, the Court will still look at the best interests of the minor child. 

To find out more about custody changes taking effect on January 2016, call our office for a free 30 minute consultation.