The record
Examples of matters handled
Examples of the work, described without client names. Read the note below before you read the matters.
Every case is different. The facts of another case may resemble yours and still reach a different result. Nothing below is a prediction about what would happen in your matter, and no lawyer can promise an outcome.
These are described at the level of detail needed to show the kind of work involved, with names and identifying particulars left out.
Matters
- DCFS — infant removal
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DCFS removed a two‑month‑old infant from both parents, relying on an earlier indicated finding against the mother rather than on any current allegation about the baby.
The call came in on a Friday afternoon. Reviewing the file over that weekend showed the removal rested on the prior indication alone — there was no finding of abuse or neglect as to the infant and no immediate‑harm basis. I raised that directly with the assigned caseworker, and an interview was arranged at which the parents set out the circumstances.
The infant was returned to the parents and the investigation was closed.
- Child support — enforcement and trust
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A father with substantial means had gone years without paying child support and had stopped participating in the court proceedings.
Locating the money took roughly three years. Account records eventually showed large transfers running through a brokerage account over an extended period. On that record, the Circuit Court of Cook County found it in the child's best interest to freeze $485,000 and direct it into a support trust for the child.
The parents had never married, so the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act did not supply the usual route. The order rested on the statutes and case law that govern support where the parents were never married.
- Orders of protection — five matters
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In November 2024 I appeared in a number of order of protection matters. Three are described here. Each turned on its own facts.
Two were petitions brought by fathers against the mothers of their children, where the petition functioned as a route to custody rather than a response to abuse. Both were dismissed and the existing parenting arrangements remained with the mothers.
Another arose from a grandmother's petition for guardianship of her grandchild, accompanied by orders of protection against the child's parents. No evidence of abuse was presented. The guardianship petition and both orders of protection were dismissed.
If you are facing something similar
The firm is Chicago Family Attorneys, LLC. You can call (312) 965-5618 or book a consultation.
If you are in immediate danger, call 911 first. The Illinois Domestic Violence Helpline is 1‑877‑863‑6338, 24 hours.