Since June 1, 1997, Illinois has had detailed legislation that controls attorney fee awards in divorce and parentage cases. (cases under the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act – “IMDMA”). While there was a promise to quickly amend this legislation to address significant concerns, no significant amendments were made until 2009.
Effective January 1, 2016, we have a new amendment, and more recently, the Illinois Supreme Court has weighed in to allow lawyers to more readily provide limited representation in appropriate cases.
Also in 2016, a rewrite of Illinois law regarding paternity went into effect – the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015. This outline addresses issues unique to parentage (paternity) cases, focusing on the interplay between the IMDMA and the Parentage Act of 2015.
