RED BUD (RANDOLPH COUNTY), ILLINOIS
As Red Bud, Illinois Divorce Attorneys we represented a wife in a divorce proceeding in Red Bud, Randolph County, Illinois. She had been accused of sexual misconduct and was about to lose custody of her children. We were able to reach a settlement whereby she received custody and child support from the husband. That case involved a divorce attorney from Belleville, Illinois and was in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit – Randolph County, Illinois before a Judge from Randolph County, Illinois.
PINCKNEYVILLE (PERRY COUNTY), ILLINOIS
As Pinckneyville, Illinois Divorce Attorneys we were involved in a child custody, child support and divorce modificationrepresenting an out-of-state wife former spouse. We were able to reach a resolution without depositions that pleased our client. That case involved a family law firm from Murphysboro, Jackson County, Illinois and was in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court – Perry County before a Judge from DuQuoin, Illinois.
ANNA (UNION COUNTY), ILLINOIS
As Anna, Illinois Divorce Attorneys we represented the wife in a divorce proceeding after she fired her local counsel. She wished for an attorney from outside of the area without conflicts of interest to represent her. The case involved farmland, cattle, bank accounts and there were hearings in Johnson County, Union County and Massac County, Illinois. Our client’s spouse was represented by a lawyer from Anna, Union County, Illinois. The case was in the First Judicial Circuit – Johnson County, Illinois before a Judge from Massac County, Illinois.
GREENVILLE (BOND COUNTY), ILLINOIS
As Greenville, Illinois Divorce Attorneys we represented a client in a divorce proceeding in Greenville, Bond County, Illinois. He was a former truck driver who had fallen in love with his wife and adopted her four (4) children. Subsequently, the wife filed for divorce and was seeking child support on all four (4) children from my client. We were able to reach a resolution that exceeded the expectations of our client. That case involved a dissolution of marriage lawyer from Greenville, Illinois and the case was in the Third Judicial Circuit, Greenville, Illinoisbefore a Judge from Bond County, Illinois.
O’FALLON (ST. CLAIR COUNTY), ILLINOIS
As O’Fallon, Illinois Divorce Attorneys we represented a client from O’Fallon, Illinois in a divorce proceeding. She had fallen out of love with her husband and had fallen in love with a new man. She was retired from her former employment. There were no minor children. No depositions were taken and a resolution was reached that met the satisfaction of our client. That case involved a St. Clair County, Illinois divorce attorney and was in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Court – St. Clair County before a Judge from St. Clair County, Illinois.
“AV” Rating – Metro East, Illinois Law Firm
Blake Law Group, P.C. has received an “AV” rating from Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory, the most trusted and respected service for rating attorneys in the United States. The “AV” rating is the highest possible rating for legal abilities and reputation by other lawyers.
“AV“ Rated Law Firm In St. Clair County, Illinois – Blake Law Group, P.C., Attorneys at Law
We have experience and expertise in handling divorce and other cases for highly compensated individuals, including clients with complex financial issues.
Belleville, Illinois Divorce Attorneys Handling High Stakes Divorce Cases
We have a proven track record of competently and efficiently handling high profile divorce cases involving highly compensated individuals including, but not limited to, high-ranking military officers, doctors, lawyers, architects, engineers, and other executives and white collar clients.
Metro East, Illinois Spousal Maintenance Law Firm
We have experience and expertise regard to handling spousal maintenance issues in a divorce proceeding.
Belleville, Illinois Legal Separation Law Firm
A legal separation agreement can be a document reduced to writing for parties who do not wish to get divorced but who wish to reach a resolution in regard to their financial and other obligations to each other and/or their children.
Metro East, Illinois Law Firm Experienced in Handling Tax and Financial Aspects of Divorce Cases
We have experience and expertise in regard to various aspects of dissolution of marriage cases in the Southern Illinois and the Metro East, Illinois areas, including relating to tax issues and business interests.
Southern Illinois Divorce Law Firm and Forensic Experts
We have experience dealing with forensic experts in regard to the preparation and presentation of complex property issues in divorce cases. Some of these issues include, but are not limited to, the valuation of a medical practice, the value of a law license, retirement and profit-sharing issues, insurance issues, investment properties and businesses.
St. Clair County, Illinois Law Firm Seeking Restraining Orders
If assets may be sold, transferred, leased, liquidated or manipulated, either with respect to the marital estate or to impact their value for strategic purposes, we can immediately request appropriate equitable relief from the Court.
Blake Law Group, P.C., Attorneys at Law, Involved in Mediation Cases
In divorce cases, where issues are not settled and litigation may not be the answer, we can recommend mediation. Mediation can be within the context of a dissolution of marriage proceeding, but where the parties may wish to keep confidential information from the public domain.
Belleville, Illinois Law Firm Handling Prenuptial Agreement Litigation
We have experience and expertise in the drafting and preparation of prenuptial agreements, attacking prenuptial agreements for various factual or legal reasons, defending prenuptial agreements on behalf of our clients and handling prenuptial agreements within the context of dissolution of marriage proceedings.
Metro East, Illinois Law Firm Handling Divorce Cases With High Incomes, Extensive Assets and Complicated Financial Issues
We have experience in regard to divorce cases involving individuals with substantial income, varied investments, including real estate, patents, corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships and other financial interests.
AS A RESULT OF OUR CLOSE PROXIMITY TO SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, ILLINOIS, WE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN HANDLING DIVORCE AND OTHER FAMILY CASES FOR CLIENTS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ENGLAND, GERMANY, FRANCE, PORTUGAL, THE UKRAINE, LITHUANIA, QUADDED, IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, CANADA, MEXICO, JAPAN, SOUTH KOREA, ETC. IN THE UNITED STATES, WE HAVE REPRESENTED CLIENTS FROM BASICALLY EVERY STATE, INCLUDING HAWAII AND ALASKA.
You can save time and money by reviewing our website which is designed to provide you with new developments which may be of assistance to you in regard to your legal issues.
You will discover that we guarantee to make the legal process understandable and that we have a proven track record for obtaining positive results for our clients.
Legal matters can cause anxiety and worrying about the process or results and can affect your health and well-being. You will love having a law firm that gives priority to your individual
interests and you should expect we will use our best efforts to obtain results for you.
If we accept your case for representation, you can let us worry about obtaining a successful outcome for you. In order to attempt to save you money and obtain the results you are seeking in an expeditious manner, we generally commence working on any case we accept for representation immediately and we keep you
timely advised in regard to the process.
We are never too busy to meet or communicate with you in any manner as may be appropriate. You should know that if you are our client we will do our best to make sure your interests are protected and we will vigorously advocate your positions to obtain the best results.
We have represented men and women in family matters for decades, including divorce, child custody, maintenance, fathers rights/mothers rights, modification, removal, contempt, child support, premarital agreements, mediation, uncontested divorces, military divorce, legal separations and separation agreements, adoption, guardianships (adults and minors), spousal support/alimony, paternity, judgment enforcement, testate /intestate custody and support actions, appeals, orders of protection, domestic violence, division of marital property, debts, retirement accounts and businesses. We believe “the strength of the effort is the measure of the result.” All of our attorneys are involved in matrimonial law and related areas of law. We zealously represent the interests of our clients. Many of our divorce cases are resolved without trial because we are skilled attorneys and we are genuinely concerned with the handling and outcome of cases for our clients. Because of our reputation in the community, including with other attorneys and the Court, we are able to settle many cases without the necessity of proceeding to trial. However, we are experienced litigators and if opposing counsel is unreasonable we proceed to trial.
Illinois Father‘s Rights and Mother’s Rights
As with any type of lawsuit, we zealously advocate the rights of our clients, whether it be the father or the mother. Since we have more attorneys regularly handling family law cases than most family law firms in the area, we have the advantage of comparing rulings in various cases in Courts throughout the Metro East and Southern Illinois areas. It is only logical that cases involving father’s rights also involve mother’s rights. One attorney is advocating the position of his or her client and the other attorney is advocating the position of the spouse.
Here is the difference. We believe the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. In other words, we believe the outcome of any case can be affected by a variety of factors. As soon as we accept a case for representation we immediately begin working on it. We send confirmatory correspondence to any new client that we have accepted the case for representation and how we intend to proceed. We respond to all telephone calls or inquiries from our clients and we make time for office conferences which result in our clients having a comfort level that we are working assiduously on their case and that they are being kept timely informed of all developments.
We try not to be a firm that spends a lot of money to advertise or market services. We also do not wish to be a firm that has so many cases that the client ends up being a number, or that the client feels that the law firm simply does not have enough resources, including attorneys and legal assistants, for the level of experience, competence and expertise they are seeking.
Simply stated, if we represent you, our goal is to do our homework, make ourselves available, keep you advised throughout our representation, to aggressively pursue your rights and to protect your interests in order to successfully achieve the best results for our clients.
We have been representing clients in contested and uncontested dissolution of marriages for years. We have vast experience in litigation, including issues involving property, custody, visitation, insurance, tax, maintenance and other matters.
We have represented fathers for years in contested and uncontested family issues. We understand the facts, strategies and nuances in this area of the law. Regardless of who we represent, we provide timely, aggressive and affective representation.
We have been handling adoption cases for years, including complex areas where a natural parent cannot be located, or may reside in a foreign country. We work through the Court system to ensure that adoption matters are handled correctly in order that problems may be avoided in the future.
We are aggressive and responsive in regard to child custody cases. In certain instances, this involves the taking of deposition of various parties, working with health and/or behavioral specialist, background checks, depending upon the facts and circumstances of the case, presentations to the Court regarding the best interests of the child, working with mediators and/or guardian ad litems regarding issues and matters related thereto.
We have represented clients in regard to obtaining current and back child support and we have represented individuals in regard to defending claims being brought against them in regard to unpaid child support, including by local or state agencies. In many instances, this involves providing representation at contempted Court proceedings and matters relating thereto.
Since we have been handling military divorces for decades, including involving Scott Air Force Base (which is located in St. Clair County, Illinois) and other military installations throughout the country and the world, we provide aggressive representation on behalf of our clients in this area of the law, including when it pertains to property division, child support and other characteristics of a military divorce.
We have been involved in complicated family cases that have involved foreign countries, including Kuwait, Iraq, England, Japan, Canada, etc. It is not unusual for us to work with clients or attorneys in foreign countries, as may be appropriate under the circumstances.
We have represented numerous clients over the years in regard to paternity actions, both attempting to show a person is the natural father of a child or attempting to defend a wrongful claim that a person is the father of a child. In many situations, especially with children born out of wedlock, parties do not take timely action to establish certain rights or have orders entered by the Court.
We have handled a variety of modification of custody cases. In those situations, we emphasize what may be in the best interests of the minor child or children, taking into consideration numerous factors, including the circumstances of the natural mother, the circumstances of the natural father, what is occurring in the lives of the child or children, the ages of the child or children, the preferences and wishes of the child or children, etc.
We are often requested to provide counsel and advise regarding legal separations versus dissolutions of marriage. In those instances when legal separations may be appropriate, sometimes clients do not wish to proceed with a dissolution of marriage, or else there could be adverse consequences if they did proceed with a dissolution of marriage, including either the wife or husband no longer being able to be covered by the spouse’s insurance.
We are sometimes requested to defend child support cases, including collection activities directed against the non-custodial parent or efforts to have the non-custodial parent increase child support. In other instances, we represent clients who are seeking reductions in child support, either because of substantial changes in financial condition, the ages or circumstances of the children, or changes in regard to other facts and circumstances.
A parent who becomes aware of facts and circumstances that threaten his or her children’s safety can file pleadings with the Court to attempt to protect the child or children. Parents wish to protect their children, whether they are the custodial parent or the non-custodial parent. Sometimes actions can be brought requesting ex parte relief, which is relief being requested under exigent circumstances where notice to the other parent may not be given. In other cases, a moving party may be asking for injunctive relief to enjoin certain matters for the protection of the children. It is not unusual for a parent to request modification of custody and/or visitation, taking into account the relevant circumstances of the parties, and the best interests of the children.
A goal of family law is the protection of the relationship between parent and child. There should not be interference with custody. If possible, divorcing parties should promote the children’s love, respect and affection toward the other parent. It is not unusual for the Court, prior to or after a hearing, to explain to the parties, that the parties may be held to the highest standards of conduct in ensuring that the best interests of the children are protected, including by fostering the love, respect and affection of the children toward each parent.
Just as the mother-child relationship has always been viewed as important to a child’s upbringing, a father-child relationship is just as important. In regard to the well-being of the children, if parents divorce, the mother-child relationship and the father-child relationship, to the extent possible, should weigh heavily in regard to issues concerning the best interests of the children, the type of custody, the nature and extent of visitation and other issues that directly or indirectly affect the children and their parents.
Negotiations in family law cases involve issues relating to custody, visitation, child support, issues regarding marital property, issues involving non-marital property, maintenance and pension or retirement plans. We usually advise clients early on in proceedings to formulate a reasonable settlement demand including so as to attempt to save some additional time, fees and expense. In that manner, and early in the case, there can be an attempt at narrowing the issues, and in determining matters that can be agreed upon and matters in regard to which further negotiations or a hearing may be required. Parties sometimes have their own perspectives regarding the negotiation process. Sometimes they do not wish to make the first offer because they have the belief that the first offer is never accepted anyway. Once an offer is made, sometimes parties do not understand that a counter-offer generally results in rejection of the original offer by the other side. In order to facilitate resolutions, the law generally provides that settlement negotiations are inadmissible in the event of a hearing. In settlement negotiations, we usually clearly identify letters of offer, acceptance or counter-offer as Settlement negotiations – not admissible in order that all attorneys and parties understand that if matters are not settled, those written communications clearly may not be introduced as evidence for any reason at a hearing.
In many cases, we explore the concept of mediation with our clients. Although mediation is often times associated with custody disagreements, mediation can also be used in regard to other issues involved in divorce and family law. Mediation can be through a third-party lawyer, or a retired judge or others. There can be one or more mediation sessions. Usually the mediation sessions do not involve the attorneys for the parties, although sometimes this process involves a mediator, the parties and their attorneys. Mediation can occur at a neutral location, or at a venue identified by the mediator. A general concept of mediation is that if matters have not been resolved over a period of time through litigation, mediation may be recommended as a way to move the case toward settlement on all remaining issues.
We are often asked by clients to provide representation relating to modification of custody, including when there has been a change in circumstances that substantially affects the best interests of the child or children. In those situations, attention is given to the actions of the parents, and/or the circumstances of the child or children, and the Court can take into consideration factors in determining how custody may be modified in the best interests of the child or children. The older the child or children, the more likely the Court may take into consideration the wishes of the child or children in regard to who the child or children believe should have custody, or the type of custody, and/or visitation that the parents should have.
Sometimes visitation ordered by the Court does not work. Even if the parents agree to a visitation schedule, there are facts and circumstances which can arise, and which were possibly unanticipated at the time of the divorce, which results in modification of visitation being recommended. For example, sometimes the non-custodial parents engages in activities that are not in the best interests of the minor children. In other instances, the non-custodial parents knows may not show up timely for visitation periods or may use visitation as a strategy or a tool to disrupt the parent-child relationship of the custodial parent. A divorce decree may not necessarily be the end of animosity, disputes or litigation between the parents. As a practical matter, issues relating to custody, visitation and support can be a source of continuing disputes even though a divorce may have taken place years ago. It has been our experience that on some days in Court there are just as many post-divorce cases pending, as there are cases pending where divorces have not yet been granted.
Mother’s Groups
Committee for Mother and Child Rights210 Old Orchard DriveClear Beach, VA 22624-1647
Mother’s Without CustodyP.O. Box 27418Houston, TX 77227
National Center of Women and Family Law275 Seventh Avenue, Suite 1206New York, NY 10001
Parents without Partners8807 Colesville RoadSilver Springs, MD 20910
Father’s Groups
American Coalition for Fathers and Children (ACFC)2000 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 148Washington, DC 20006
Dads Against Discrimination320 SW Stark, #516Portland, OR 97204
Father’s Rights and Equality Exchange701 Welch Road, #323Palo Alto, CA 94304
National Congress for Fathers and ChildrenP.O. Box 171675Kansas City, KS 66117-1675
Child Custody
Mothers Without CustodyP.O. Box 27418Houston, TX 77227
National Association of Child Advocates1522 K Street NW, Suite 600Washington, DC 20005
National Center for Missing Represented Children2101 Wilkes Blvd., Suite 550Arlington, VA 22201
Find the Children11811 West Olympic Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90064
We were contacted by a husband to take over representation in a vigorously contested divorce proceeding. The husband had fallen in love with another women and his wife of a long-time marriage was unforgiving. The wife was contesting grounds since none of the statutory basis’ appeared to apply. The husband was attempting to smooth matters over with the wife in an attempt to have her agree to the divorce. He initially offered her non-modifiable maintenance in excess of $500,000 to be paid over a period of years. We did not believe the wife was a qualified applicant for such a generous non-modifiable maintenance award, including because although she claimed she had received doctor’s orders not to work because of depression and some other issues, it turned out that she was a premier long-distance runner who was regularly in training and had recently participated in and had finished marathons. A concern we had related to the ability of the husband to pay substantial non-modifiable maintenance in the future since, although he was an executive with a large corporation earning a generous salary, that could not be relied upon in the future. As it turned out, a settlement was reached whereby there was a minimal base non-modifiable maintenance award provided for coupled with increases depending on additional wages the husband may receive from his employer in the future. In other words, if earnings remained substantial, including if there were increases or bonuses, the former spouse would share by having increased maintenance. If not, at least the former spouse would be assured of a base amount of non-modifiable maintenance for a period of years. As it turned out, shortly after the settlement was agreed to by the parties and finalized, the husband lost his position at the large corporation where he had worked throughout the course of the marriage.
We represented a wife in a divorce proceeding in regard to which an Antenuptial Agreement had been secured by the parties approximately fifteen (15) years prior to the dissolution of marriage proceeding being litigated. At the time when the Antenuptial Agreement procured, the wife was a successful business person and the husband was retired and receiving a pension. As matters evolved, the wife sold her assets and dissolved her business. The husband started a new business which was immediately profitable. There were issues concerning which assets the Antenuptial Agreement applied to and whether or not there was a valid Antenuptial Agreement. In the course of depositions, we learned that the husband had transferred in excess of $800,000 to his daughter, either prior to or after the marriage, which had not been previously disclosed to the wife. Although the daughter in another state had possession of said substantial funds for years prior to the dissolution of marriage being filed, there was an issue as to whether or not she was holding said funds as nominee or if she actually considered those funds to be hers. At the discovery deposition of the daughter, she testified that she had current business and personal financial statements at her local bank in another state. We inquired if the assets that were transferred to her from her father, either prior to or after the marriage to her stepmother, had been disclosed on those financial statements. The daughter admitted that those funds had not been disclosed in her financial statements. This was consistent with our position that the daughter was simply holding the funds as nominee for her father in the event the marriage did not survive and/or the Antenuptial Agreement did not hold up or did not provide sufficient protection for her father in regard to said assets.
We represented a client in a dispute with her former husband which had to do with which high school the minor child was to attend. Our client wished for the child to attend a public high school in the city where she resided. The former husband wished for the minor child to attend a public high school in the city where he resided. An action was brought by counsel for the former husband. We were able to prevail on behalf of our client by invoking the Joint Parenting Agreement, and in particular, that provision which provided that our client had veto power in regard to what school the minor child was to attend. Although the Joint Parenting Agreement provided that the former husband was the primary custodial parent, and had the right to choose what school, there was a provision in said Joint Parenting Agreement that said right to choose was subject to the consent of our client. The Court interpreted that paragraph of the Joint Parenting Agreement to provide that our client had the right to choose which high school the minor child was to attend.
We represented a former spouse who believed her ex-husband may not have complied with child support terms and conditions set forth in their Marital Settlement Agreement and Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage. Our client was entitled to receive a base amount of child support per month for a number of years. However, our client was also entitled to receive increased child support automatically based on the income of her former husband. The former husband had an executive position at Anheuser-Busch Companies. After we filed pleadings in Court, through the discovery process, we asked for copies of tax returns from the former husband. After we received the tax returns, we discovered that there had been substantial stock options received from Anheuser-Busch Companies. Although the stock options were not cashed, these property rights were included as income on the tax returns of the former husband. We then made the argument to the Court that if the stock options were reported as income on the tax returns that necessarily meant the stock options should be treated as income and, therefore, our client was entitled to recover back child support because she should have received a portion of this substantial additional income as part of the child support formula agreed to by the parties when the Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage was entered. Our client received a $75,000 back child support award in regard to this issue.
We represented a former wife in regard to a modification of custody/visitation. Although our client was represented by a different law firm when custody was initially decided by the Court, in our investigation in regard to the modification representation, we discovered that the Trial Court may not have had all the facts at the time custody was originally ordered. Our client was attending a local junior college to improve her job prospects and to earn a better income for her family. This meant that she was not always home to take care of her child. Even though she always made arrangements to look after the minor child, the Trial Court gave custody to her husband. We believe another approach would have been that some type of accommodation should have been made to take into account the educational pursuits of the former wife. For example, we believe our client’s former attorney could have argued that there should have been some type of temporary custody, possibly even joint custody, with the custody issue being revisited after the former wife completed her studies. In that event, there is no question that her educational pursuits would have been completed and she would have been a strong candidate for sole custody. In our review of these issues, we advised our client that we believe she should have taken an appeal from the decision by the Court at the time when she was represented by a different law firm.
We have represented doctors and doctors’ wives in divorce proceedings. In one case, the marriage had basically been broken and the husband was interested in seeing other women. The wife wished to move on with her life. There were two (2) minor children involved. We took the position that the doctor’s professional license should be taken into consideration as marital property and/or should have otherwise been considered by the Court at the time the dissolution of marriage was entered. Through the discovery process it appeared that the valuation of the practice by the doctor was low. The doctor did not let accountants or others maintain his books. Since the doctor maintained his own books, there may have been a creditability issues in regard cash on hand, account receivables, work-in-process, etc. The doctor had an excellent practice in St. Clair County, Illinois, and our client was employed as a legal assistant at a law firm that did not handle matrimonial litigation. After we were able to obtain sufficient documentation and information, we were able to work out a settlement that met with the satisfaction of our client.
We have been involved in contesting adoption proceedings. For example, with a private agency adoption, the natural parents are requested to execute written consents and surrenders. There can be facts and circumstances that allow for contesting adoption proceedings with respect to the consents and surrenders, including based on fraud and/or duress. There must be appropriate allegations to state a cause of action and discovery can be recommended to attempt to develop additional facts that will allow for sustaining any burden of proof at trial. With respect to fraud, that may have to do with material misrepresentations made wherein the natural parents may have relied upon same in proceeding with executing any consents or surrenders. In regard to duress, that may be related to undue influence, pressure or intimidations such that any consent or surrender may not have been the result of any knowing and voluntary agreement to the adoption. Sometimes the natural parents in a private agency adoption may believe they are at a disadvantage or that their economic or social circumstances could result in issues with their child. In contesting adoption proceedings, it is recommended that investigation be thorough, including in regard to how the prospective adoptive parent or parents came to know of the availability of the child, what the adoptive parent or parents did in regard to expressing interest or pursuing the child sought to be adopted, communications and other matters between the adoptive parent or parents and the natural parents, etc. There are safeguards built into the system that allow for all parties to exercise their legal rights throughout the adoption process. It would generally be recommended that the natural parents who are requested to execute any consent or surrender relative to the adoption process seek the advice of their own attorney before taking any action or signing any documents that may be presented to them for signature.
We have been involved in many mediation cases. We sometimes recommend mediation when litigation has been ongoing for a period of time and there has not been a settlement satisfactory to all parties and a trial is inevitable. Our philosophy is that sometimes mediation works because it gives the parties an opportunity to have an independent third party review the situation with them and make recommendations. There is some additional time and cost involved in mediation. The mediator can benefit from trial preparation undertaken to date, including pleadings filed, orders entered, discovery completed, including depositions. It is simply another strategy in attempting to work out a resolution in order to resolve complicated issues. Sometimes parties are amenable to the suggestions of a mediator and sometimes they are not. A mediator is usually seeking compromises which sometimes can be substantial. In certain instances, parties are willing to make substantial compromises while in other instances they are not. Sometimes mediation takes one session and in other instances mediation can involve multiple meetings, usually directly with the parties, but sometimes including the parties, the attorneys and the mediator. If a mediated settlement can be worked out, same is usually reduced to writing by the attorneys and then the parties can approve and the mediated settlement can be submitted to the Court for approval.
As with any type of lawsuit, we zealously advocate the rights of our clients, whether it be the father or the mother. Since we have more attorneys regularly handling family law cases then most family law firms in the area, we have the advantage of comparing rulings in various cases in Courts throughout the Metro East and Southern Illinois areas. It is only logical that cases involving father’s rights also involve mother’s rights. One attorney is advocating the position of his or her client and the other attorney is advocating the position of the spouse.
Here is the difference. We believe the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. In other words, we believe the outcome of any case can be affected by a variety of factors. As soon as we accept a case for representation we immediately begin working on it. We send confirmatory correspondence to any new client that we have accepted the case for representation and how we intend to proceed. We respond to all telephone calls or inquiries from our clients and we make time for office conferences which result in our client having a comfort level that we are working assiduously on their case and that they are being kept timely informed of all developments.
We try not to be a firm that spends a lot of money to advertise or market services. We also do not wish to be a firm that has so many cases that the client ends up being a number, or that the client feels that the law firm simply does not have enough resources, including attorneys and legal assistants, for the level of experience, competence and expertise they are seeking.
Simply stated, if we represent you, our goal is to do our homework, make ourselves available, keep you advised throughout our representation, to aggressively pursue your rights and to protect your interests in order to successfully achieve the best results for our clients.
Referrals
We often receive referrals from other attorneys who may not practice, at least to the extent we do, in regard to certain areas of the law, including complex family matters. As a result, this has increased our volume of cases and expertise in this area of the law.
We have been involved in various legal matters in numerous counties throughout Illinois, including Bond County, Clay County, Clinton County, Effingham County, Fayette County, Franklin County, Green County, Hamilton County, Jackson County, Jefferson County, Jersey County, Johnson County, Macoupin County, Madison County, Marion County, Monroe County, Perry County, Randolph County, St. Clair County, Salem County, Union County, Washington County, Wayne County, White County, Williamson County, Edwards County and including cities such as Belleville, Edwardsville, Collinsville, Alton, Carlyle, Greenville, Vandalia, Bloomington, Springfield, Vienna, Pinckneyville, Nashville, Jerseyville, Carrollton, McLeansboro, Carmi, Marion and Carbondale.