In this article, our Chicago alimony attorneys discuss the process of how Chicago divorce courts use to make decisions regarding to award spousal maintenance during a divorce. The courts determine a number of factors to determine whether maintenance is appropriate and if so, how much spousal maintenance will be paid to the other party. . Property subject to division by the court includes, but is not limited to, homes, automobiles, furniture, bank accounts, retirement accounts, pensions, stocks, and business interests. The second important issue the court will deal with when dividing the martial estate is whether property is considered marital or non-marital. Marital property means all property acquired by either spouse subsequent to the marriage. Although an equitable division of the marital estate is considered on a case-by-case basis, the court is prohibited from considering marital misconduct when dividing the marital estate. Property will be divided fairly without the court acknowledging the transgressions of either spouse.