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Russell D. Knight

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The simple answer is yes, the Chicago courts are still open during the Coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic. But, there is much more to it or we wouldn’t be writing this article. Chicago divorce courts fall under “Civil” courts category. As you would see in our previous article, “Is My Chicago, Cook County Divorce Or Paternity Case On Hold Because Of The Coronavirus?“, Chicago and Cook County courts were open but operating in very limited capacity until April 15, 2020. They were set to resume normal business and operations starting April 16, 2020. On March 30, 2020, Chief Judge of Cook…
If you’re in the middle of a divorce in Chicago, Illinois then you know that nothing lasts forever.  This may even include the relationship you have with your divorce lawyer. When you or your divorce lawyer decide to terminate your professional attorney/client relationship, your divorce lawyer must file a motion to withdraw with the court before your divorce lawyer can formally withdraw from your divorce case. Why Would A Lawyer Withdraw From A Divorce Case? Lawyers in Illinois are governed by the Supreme Court of the State of Illinois’ Rules of Professional Conduct.   According to those rules, sometimes the…
Can you just walk into a court in Illinois and ask for a divorce?  It doesn’t seem like it should be that easy to get a divorce. It feels like there should be some kind of waiting period so that unhappy couples can work on things before they actually get divorced.  Well, in Illinois there is very little waiting time before you can get a divorce.  So, how long do you have to wait for a divorce in Illinois? Illinois Jurisdiction For Divorce The biggest roadblock to getting divorced in Illinois is the requirement that you or your spouse actually…
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Can you just walk into a court in Illinois and ask for a divorce?  It doesn’t seem like it should be that easy to get a divorce. It feels like there should be some kind of waiting period so that unhappy couples can work on things before they actually get divorced.  Well, in Illinois there is very little waiting time before you can get a divorce.  So, how long do you have to wait for a divorce in Illinois? Illinois Jurisdiction For Divorce The biggest roadblock to getting divorced in Illinois is the requirement that you or your spouse actually…
Divorce is expensive.  Divorce with children is even more expensive.  Divorce lawyers in Chicago, Illinois can charge over $400 an hour and ask for $ 5000 retainers.  This is far outside the means of many Chicago residents.  Yet, lower income Chicago residents still need to get a divorce and resolve their family law issues.  There are many reduced-fee and no-fee divorce attorneys in Chicago, Illinois who describe this billing system by the latin term “pro bono” which means “for good.”  So, who are the Pro Bono Divorce Lawyers in Chicago? Many of the pro bono divorce lawyers in Chicago…
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Divorce is expensive.  Divorce with children is even more expensive.  Divorce lawyers in Chicago, Illinois can charge over $400 an hour and ask for $ 5000 retainers.  This is far outside the means of many Chicago residents.  Yet, lower income Chicago residents still need to get a divorce and resolve their family law issues.  There are many reduced-fee and no-fee divorce attorneys in Chicago, Illinois who describe this billing system by the latin term “pro bono” which means “for good.”  So, who are the Pro Bono Divorce Lawyers in Chicago? Many of the pro bono divorce lawyers in Chicago…
At the Law Office of Russell D. Knight we love languages!  Russell D. Knight speaks Spanish and French. Rahul Iyer speaks Hindi and Tamil.  After years or representing Chicago’s Chinese-American community in divorce and family law matters while relying on translators and other Chinese speaking lawyers, we now have a team member who speaks Chinese: Lucy Wang. Lucy Wang is a graduate of Yale University and plans on attending law school after her time with working with our law office.  Lucy Wang is incredibly bright, thorough and thoughtful.  Lucy Wang shares with us here today her observations as a…
At the Law Office of Russell D. Knight we love languages!  Russell D. Knight speaks Spanish and French. Rahul Iyer speaks Hindi and Tamil.  After years or representing Chicago’s Chinese-American community in divorce and family law matters while relying on translators and other Chinese speaking lawyers, we now have a team member who speaks Chinese: Lucy Wang. Lucy Wang is a graduate of Yale University and plans on attending law school after her time with working with our law office.  Lucy Wang is incredibly bright, thorough and thoughtful.  Lucy Wang shares with us here today her observations as a…
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At the Law Office of Russell D. Knight we love languages!  Russell D. Knight speaks Spanish and French. Rahul Iyer speaks Hindi and Tamil.  After years or representing Chicago’s Chinese-American community in divorce and family law matters while relying on translators and other Chinese speaking lawyers, we now have a team member who speaks Chinese: Lucy Wang. Lucy Wang is a graduate of Yale University and plans on attending law school after her time with working with our law office.  Lucy Wang is incredibly bright, thorough and thoughtful.  Lucy Wang shares with us here today her observations as a…
When a divorce begins, there is a fundamental lack of trust between the two spouses. This lack of trust is especially strong when it comes to finances. There will always be suspicion that one spouse will try to hide of remove assets from the marriage. Because of this, parties will try to ask the court to freeze all of the marriage’s assets during the divorce until those assets can be appropriately allocated in the divorce process. So, how do you freeze assets in an Illinois divorce? The Automatic Stay In many states, there is an “automatic stay” in the statutes…
bigstock-A-Bundle-Of-Billions-Of-Us-Dol-247833223.jpg
When a divorce begins, there is a fundamental lack of trust between the two spouses. This lack of trust is especially strong when it comes to finances. There will always be suspicion that one spouse will try to hide of remove assets from the marriage. Because of this, parties will try to ask the court to freeze all of the marriage’s assets during the divorce until those assets can be appropriately allocated in the divorce process. So, how do you freeze assets in an Illinois divorce? The Automatic Stay In many states, there is an “automatic stay” in the statutes…
bigstock-A-Bundle-Of-Billions-Of-Us-Dol-247833223-2.jpg
When a divorce begins, there is a fundamental lack of trust between the two spouses. This lack of trust is especially strong when it comes to finances. There will always be suspicion that one spouse will try to hide of remove assets from the marriage. Because of this, parties will try to ask the court to freeze all of the marriage’s assets during the divorce until those assets can be appropriately allocated in the divorce process. So, how do you freeze assets in an Illinois divorce? The Automatic Stay In many states, there is an “automatic stay” in the statutes…
The short answer is that, yes, your paternity or Chicago divorce case will be put on hold for 30 days because of the coronavirus.  For more details see below. On March 13, the chief judge in Cook County Courts, Timothy Evans, issued the following court order because of the coronavirus: This order is an off-center PDF so google can’t seem to scan it.  Thankfully, Illinois attorney Jack Lehayne typed the order out so we can properly read the order and search for the order online. This order covers all aspects of one of the biggest court systems in the world,…
bigstock-Corona-Virus-Virus-Cells-Or-B-350618591.jpg
The short answer is that, yes, your paternity or Chicago divorce case will be put on hold for 30 days because of the coronavirus.  For more details see below. On March 13, the chief judge in Cook County Courts, Timothy Evans, issued the following court order because of the coronavirus: This order is an off-center PDF so google can’t seem to scan it.  Thankfully, Illinois attorney Jack Lehayne typed the order out so we can properly read the order and search for the order online. This order covers all aspects of one of the biggest court systems in the world,…
bigstock-Corona-Virus-Virus-Cells-Or-B-350618591-2.jpg
The short answer is that, yes, your paternity or Chicago divorce case will be put on hold for 30 days because of the coronavirus.  For more details see below. On March 13, the chief judge in Cook County Courts, Timothy Evans, issued the following court order because of the coronavirus: This order is an off-center PDF so google can’t seem to scan it.  Thankfully, Illinois attorney Jack Lehayne typed the order out so we can properly read the order and search for the order online. This order covers all aspects of one of the biggest court systems in the world,…
So, you’ve been served with divorce papers in Illinois.  The first page of those papers should have the word “Summons” on top and then the following instructions, “YOU ARE SUMMONED and required to file your WRITTEN APPEARANCE AND RESPONSE…No Later than 30 days after service of this summons.”  So how do you even prepare this written appearance and response to a petition for dissolution of marriage in Illinois? File Your Appearance In Your Illinois Divorce Case The first step to responding to a petition for dissolution of marriage in Illinois is to file your appearance.  An appearance is a filing…