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Illinois state law does not require people to have legal representation to accomplish a divorce, but it is often highly recommended that a person consider hiring a lawyer simply because most people are not familiar with the rules of their local courts. There can also be a number of contested issues that can require experienced legal counsel.

No. Illinois state law forbids one lawyer from representing both parties in a divorce. It is highly unethical for any attorney to try and represent both sides in a divorce.

Illinois does not make maintenance awards mandatory in divorce cases, so these awards are generally most common in cases in which spouses signed prenuptial or postnuptial agreements establishing maintenance provisions. A spouse is certainly permitted to seek a maintenance award, but they will have to prove that they have issues with employment or costs of living justifying such an award.

Your dating life should generally have no impact on your divorce case, but a new partner who begins living with you could impact certain child custody decisions. You will certainly want to ensure that a new partner will not give your former spouse any cause for concern because it could lead to future court issues in some cases.

A marital settlement agreement may contain a true up clause when the income of one spouse is expected to fluctuate. Under a true up clause, both spouses will exchange a variety of financial documents every year, including tax documents, 1099s, W2s, and K-1s. It can be very complicated for a person to determine what they are owed even under a true up agreement, so it is highly recommended that people retain legal counsel for help reviewing all relevant paperwork and knowing exactly what each party owes.