Property Division

Property division is a very complex issue for many couples considering divorce. An experienced divorce attorney will help you determine your marital and non-marital assets and ensure that you and your spouse fairly divide your marital assets. Many divorcing couples have real estate, retirement funds, joint bank accounts, shared cars, investments, and personal property. Determining where the asset originated is frequently a decisive issue in deciding how the assets will be divided. Marital assets are commonly divided while non-marital assets often remain with their original owner. Additionally, a Court may consider the length of the marriage, each party's contributions to the marriage, the dissipation of marital assets (the use of marital assets for non-marital purposes), and the needs of any children.

Closely held corporations present unique problems for divorcing couples. Typically, the spouse most active in the business will want to retain his or her control and interest. There is no one solution to valuing and dividing a family business. Lyn C. Conniff Law Offices has experience in corporate law and working with clients to allocate interests in closely held corporations. We encourage spouses to work together with the goal being the health of the surviving business.

If you choose a resolution process other than divorce litigation, such as collaborative divorce or mediation, you will have the choice of working together as a couple to find a fair approach to value and divide your assets. Couples often find the Collaborative Law Process or divorce mediation to be less stressful, and more likely to lead to creative solutions. However, the effectiveness of the process will largely be determined by the couple's ability to work together and the experience and integrity of the professionals they hire. For example, in a collaborative divorce, the parties and their attorneys work cooperatively with a Collaboratively trained financial neutral to create alternatives that are fair for the divorcing couple.

Throughout her 20 years of extensive experience, Lyn C. Conniff has represented many clients in divorces involving complex property issues. As your collaboratively-trained attorney, Lyn will work with you, your spouse, and your spouse's attorney to find solutions that consider the financial needs of all members of the family. Lyn C. Conniff Law Offices encourages parties to work cooperatively with each other to come up with a result that is in the best interest of the whole family.

Lyn C. Conniff Law Offices represents clients within and throughout Chicago. Our Oak Park office typically serves Chicago's western suburban communities, such as Oak Park, River Forest, Hinsdale, Riverside, Brookfield, Oak Brook, Elmhurst, Naperville, and Schaumburg. Our Chicago office has typically served clients from the north side of Chicago, as well as the northern suburbs of Evanston, Skokie, Wilmette, Glenview, Kenilworth, and Winnetka, and the southern suburbs including Flossmoor, Olympia Fields, and Palos Heights. Contact us for a consultation.