In this article, our Cook County mediation attorneys explain family mediation in Illinois.  Family mediation is an attempt to resolve issues surrounding divorce, child custody, child support and other domestic relations issues outside of court with the assistance of a trained mediator.  The purpose of the mediator is to work with both parties and their attorneys to facilitate settlement of some or all issues involved so that the parties can both avoid the stress and expense of litigation.

In this article, our Cook County family mediation attorneys explain the role of experts in family mediation. Experts may be jointly retained by the parties in family mediation to assist them in reaching a settlement. Financial advisors, accountants, and therapists can give both parties a clear understanding of the underlying facts. Statements of experts provided in a mediation are privileged and cannot be used in litigation if the mediation fails.

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In this video, our Cook County family mediation lawyers discuss how Illinois child support is calculated when one of the parents have a varying income. There are three principal methods that domestic relations courts use to calculate "net income" when the obligor parent's income is inconsistent. The three methods include: Using historical average, using a base child support amount that is supplemented monthly, and periodical true ups.