Child support is usually a critical issue for both parties, whether you are the custodial parent who depends upon the money or the noncustodial parent who has the burden of paying it. While all states (Illinois included) have child support guidelines for uniform and predictable child support determinations, these formulas do not always apply in every circumstance or yield an equitable result.
When the guidelines do not reflect the whole picture, you may benefit from the intervention of an experienced family law attorney. Our team of lawyers at the Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving℠, Ltd., has represented parents on both sides of child support matters, including initial determination, modifications and enforcement.
While our Chicago child support attorneys are available to assist in any child support case, we focus on complex cases where deviation from the guidelines is warranted or in special circumstances. We handle divorce and custody cases in Cook County, statewide Illinois and nationwide.
“It’s customary for family courts to require parents to continue to pay for the same kinds of ‘luxury’ items they gave their kids before the divorce (tennis lessons, pets, private school tuition, summer camp, counseling, club memberships, and so on).”
— Jeffery M. Leving®, in Fathers’ Rights
Child Support Guidelines And Grounds For Deviation
In comparison to many other states, Illinois child support guidelines are simple and straightforward. The noncustodial parent or the parent with less than 50 percent of child custody may pay a percentage of his or her net wages, based on the number of children involved. Unfortunately, these guidelines can be too simplistic and inflexible, as in the following scenarios:
- High income or high assets
- Great disparity in incomes
- Children with special needs
- Willfully unemployed or underemployed
- Disabled parent
- Military parent
In these cases, our attorneys can help you gather and present evidence to support a deviation from the guidelines or to impute income and assess support against a parent who is intentionally out of the workforce, underemployed or concealing income in order to pay less support. We can also assist noncustodial parents who face unreasonably high child support demands from vindictive spouses after divorce or from former partners after separation.
Paternity Cases And Absentee Parents
It is common for a father who lives out of state to be surprised by a large child support obligation, plus substantial arrears, for a child he did not know existed. This can occur when a mother files a paternity action and receives a default judgment after the father does not respond because he was not actively aware of the proceeding.
This tactic is frequently used to deny fathers their rights to respond in court, especially against men in the military who are deployed out of state. Our attorneys have handled numerous cases of this type, including those involving U.S. service members. We know the laws and remedies available for fathers who have been assessed a child support obligation in this manner.
Focused Experience In Complex Child Support Matters
If the child support guidelines or your unique circumstances would result in an injustice, the Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving℠, Ltd., can help. Call our office at (312) 807-3990 or contact us online to schedule a private consultation to discuss your issue with one of our Chicago child support attorneys.
