Visitation, Custody and Police in Chicago

When dealing with the police in the context of a visitation or custody dispute, it's important to remember that they do Not want to answer a 'domestic' call.  That is, they do not want to come to you house, or to the residence of the other parent, and mediate or handle a dispute between two parents.  There are better ways to enforce your visitation or custody rights under Illinois law, and I would be happy to talk with you.

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Basic Protocols for Calming Divorce, Custody and Visitation Conflicts

By learning from experience, I am trying to arrive at a set of basic 'protocols' (as I call them) that can be used in most high-conflict custody and visitation cases.  The idea is to reduce or eliminate much of the wasted effort and wheel-spinning that can take place as parents jockey for advantage.  Not that there aren't important tactical considerations in these cases -- there are!  I'm talking about protocols like the following: 1.  Don't talk with the other parent during exchanges of the child 2.  Communicate with the other parent only by email, except for emergencies 3.  Pickup of the child for visitation is by the parent whose time is beginning. 4.  Exchange of the child(ren) should be done curbside in front of the other parent's house, with the parent in the car staying in the car.  (This works for children who are safe to walk between the street and the front door.) Back to my website
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Customer Service in Divorce, Custody and Visitation Cases

Should a family-law attorney give clients his or her cell-phone number?  I believe so.  My clients, by trusting me with their divorce, custody, paternity, child-support, visitation or other family-law case, are really placing their lives in my hands.  I don't want them guessing what to do when a situation arises -- they need to be able to reach me when they have questions.  I give them my cell-phone number and encourage them to call anytime. This means that I can't hide from clients, that I must keep clients informed and somewhat happy, or they will be ringing my phone day and night. I call my customer-service policy 'direct contact.'  My clients can reach me 7 days/week.  I even answer my phone when I'm on the phone with someone else (very briefly, with apologies to the present caller -- just to say that I'm tied up and will have to talk later.) I don't put up a 'voicemail wall'  (I'm sorry, Mr. Johnson is in a meeting right now, would you...
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When a Chicago Custody and Divorce Attorney can help

I am sometimes contacted by people whose cases have taken a bad turn.  It may be that the other side has obtained a favorable (for them) court order regarding the children, or obtained a money judgment against them, or convinced a judge that the person is in 'contempt of court.'  While I cannot always improve the situation, I welcome the chance to sit down for what I call "an analysis"-- looking over the paperwork, correspondence and court orders, and discussing the history of the case with the person, to determine what can be done. If there has been an unfavorable court order, it is very important to act quickly -- filing a 'motion to reconsider or vacate' within 30 days.  Doing it after 30 days pushes the cases into a different set of rules, and makes it less likely that a court will give serious consideration to overturning its previous ruling.  If I analyze your case, I will not dwell on past actions or strategies.  I don't find that to be productive...
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