DuPage County Family Law Attorney

Lawyer for Child Custody and Child Support in Wheaton and Naperville

The relationship between a parent and child is often deeply personal and intensely emotional. As such, for many parents, the prospect of a court case or legal issue involving their child is unpleasant or even distressing. However, in some cases, the court's intervention is necessary to protect a child and ensure his or her well-being. When you are faced with a family law matter that can affect your life and that of your child, it is crucial that you are represented by a knowledgeable and experienced attorney.

Attorney Jessica Sendek understands the importance of protecting the interests of children and parents, and she has made family law the sole focus of her legal practice since 2007. She will work with you one-on-one to thoroughly understand the details of your case and help you resolve even the most complicated legal issues related to child custody and parental rights.

Family Law Services in DuPage County

At Hensley Sendek Law, we handle a variety of cases related to a parent's rights and a child's best interests. Some of the matters that we can help you address include:

• Paternity and parentage - Establishing legal paternity helps fathers secure parental rights, including the standing to pursue parenting time and responsibilities, and ensures that a child has access to financial support from both parents. We help parents take the necessary steps to establish parentage through adjudication or a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity.
• Allocation of parental responsibilities - We represent parents in divorces and other legal proceedings involving the determination of child custody as they work toward a resolution regarding who will be responsible for making important decisions that significantly impact the child's life, including decisions about education, health, religion, and extracurricular activities.
• Parenting time - Along with decision-making, parents will usually need to allocate the time that a child will spend living in the care of each parent. We help parents develop an equitable schedule that considers the child's needs and accounts for important details including regular weekly parenting time, holidays and special occasions, and transportation and exchanges between homes.
• Child support - For situations in which a child's parents are not married, we help parents ensure that the child support order accurately reflects the child's needs and the parents' financial situations. We can help you understand the important details that go into the basic calculation, advocate for an adjustment based on your child's extraordinary needs or education expenses, and ensure that both parents continue to fulfill their ongoing obligations.
• Parental relocation - A parent's intent to move to a distant location after a divorce or child custody determination significantly complicates issues involving parental rights and responsibilities and parenting time. We help parents demonstrate that relocation is or is not in a child's best interest, and modify parenting plans accordingly if relocation is approved.
• Post-decree modifications and enforcement - In addition to relocation, a variety of circumstances may justify legal modifications to existing child support and child custody orders, including changes in a parent's income or a child's needs. We represent parents pursuing post-decree modifications, as well as those seeking to enforce the terms of an order when the other parent fails to comply with them.
• Interstate child custody - Based on our experience with cases involving the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction and Enforcement Act (UCCJEA), we help parents determine which state has jurisdiction to hear and decide on a child custody case, and pursue the return of a child who has been unlawfully removed to a different state.
• International child removal - We also help parents whose children have been wrongfully removed to the U.S. from their home country. Such parents can pursue relief through the terms of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, and we represent parents who are applying for their child's safe return.

Contact a Wheaton Family Law Attorney Today

If you need to resolve a legal matter related to your child, Attorney Jessica Sendek can help. Contact us for a free consultation today at 630-358-9029. We serve families in Wheaton, Naperville, Warrenville, West Chicago, Glen Ellyn, Lombard, Lisle, Winfield, and throughout DuPage County, as well as surrounding areas in Kane County, Will County, and Cook County.