Illinois divorce preparation checklist: what should I organize?

1. Check what needs attention first

Deadlines, existing orders and immediate needs come before a complete document collection. If papers have been served, start with the served-with-divorce-papers guide.

• Keep every court paper and record the date and manner of service.
• Identify the county, case number, assigned judge if known, next hearing and response deadline.
• List any current parenting, support, financial or protection orders.
• Flag urgent concerns about safety, children, housing or access to funds when seeking legal help.

Do not rely on a website inquiry for an urgent court deadline. If there is immediate danger, call 911.

Link to this answer

2. Map the financial picture

Gather records you can lawfully access and note the date of each statement. Keep a separate “missing or unknown” list rather than guessing.

• Income records and tax returns available to you, including information about bonuses or equity awards.
• Bank, investment and retirement accounts: institution, account type, ownership and available statements.
• Mortgage or lease, property-tax and insurance information, credit cards and other debts.
• Business interests, other real estate, and records of premarital property, gifts or inheritances.
• A rough monthly budget, with irregular annual expenses identified separately.

This inventory is not a substitute for a financial affidavit or formal discovery. Follow the applicable form, disclosure requirements and orders; do not upload these records through the initial contact form.

Source: Illinois Courts financial affidavit instructions (June 2025).

Link to this answer

3. Describe the routines that need a plan

• Children’s current school, care and activity schedules, with ordinary transportation arrangements.
• Work schedules and practical constraints that may affect parenting time.
• Current living arrangements and the housing questions you need to discuss.
• Any existing written agreements or orders affecting parenting or the home.

Record the present situation and your questions. This exercise does not authorize changing an order, moving a child or restricting the other parent’s time. If keeping the home is a priority, use the house affordability guide.

Link to this answer

4. Preserve information and plan a safe conversation

• Keep relevant messages and documents intact; do not delete or alter them.
• Use only accounts and records you are legally entitled to access. Ask counsel about disputed access.
• Identify a suitable way for the team to reach you. Consider who can see messages or use the device.
• Keep private notes and records in a place appropriate to your circumstances.

Do not send passwords, Social Security numbers, full account numbers or detailed case documents in the first website inquiry. After conflicts are checked, ask how the team wants to receive materials.

Link to this answer

5. Bring a short agenda, not a perfect file

• My three main questions and the next decision I need help making.
• Any upcoming dates or proposed changes that make the matter time-sensitive.
• What I know, what I am estimating and what I still need to find out.
• Questions about scope, fees, communication and how representation would begin.

You can ask for a conversation while still considering your options. If a case is already pending or you already have a lawyer, mention that when requesting contact. Submitting an inquiry does not establish representation or extend a deadline.

Read before our first conversation or request a conversation with Charles’s team.

Link to this answer