What is service of process? When you file a legal case against someone, including for divorce, parentage, or child support, you have to serve the other party (the respondent) with a formal notice of the lawsuit, and let them know how soon they must response. The legal name for this is “Service of Process.” Although […]
The official website to get your free credit report is: AnnualCreditReport.com. This is the only official program to receive your free report and you must go through this program in order to a report with absolutely no strings attached. You can request your free report once per year. There are lots of other websites, TV […]
What is a Divorce Prove Up? In Cook County, Illinois, one of the parties always has to appear before a Judge to get a divorce. For an Uncontested Divorce in Chicago, this court appearance is called a “Prove Up.” At a prove up, the court hears some brief testimony from you. Then it reviews your […]
The old adage around the courthouse is to wait 30 days to “let the ink dry” on your Divorce Judgment before getting remarried. In Cook County divorce cases, the moment the judge signs your Judgment for Dissolution of Marriage, you are, in fact, legally divorced. Nothing in the law says you have to wait 30 […]
If you are making or receiving child support payments in Cook County, Illinois through the Illinois State Disbursement Unit, they keep exact records of all of the payments posted through your account. Depending on how far back you need records, there are two ways to request the payment history. Records for the last 2 months […]
What is it? In most Cook County family law cases, the local court rules require each party to give the other party information relating to their income, expenses, property, assets and debts. There are three items that must be provided: 1) a disclosure statement, 2) tax returns and 3) pay stubs. It doesn’t matter if […]
What is an “Appearance?” An Appearance is a legal document that officially notifies the court that you are going to participate in the lawsuit and identifies who is going to represent you. For family law cases (divorce, custody, child support, etc.) in Cook County, Illinois, you should use the court’s Appearance form, which you can […]
An Appearance is a legal document that notifies the court that you want to participate in the lawsuit (for example, to sign a settlement agreement or contest the divorce). It also identifies who represents you. If you are “pro se,” you will file your own appearance, which costs $206 for a divorce, child support or […]
The Cook County court clerk’s office maintains an online database that contains information about your case. It’s not just for lawyers and judges, you can use the database to monitor your case. Though this database does not contain links or images to any orders and documents in the clerk’s physical case file. It’s a simple […]
A Guide to Getting Legal Documents Notarized in Cook County, Illinois In Illinois, getting a document notarized means you’ve signed the document in front of a Notary Public, and the notary has confirmed your identity. The notary examines your photo identification, matches it to your face and the name on the document. If all three […]
Jeffrey Esser is the founder and principal attorney of the Law Office of Jeffrey R. Esser. He has been practicing law since 2005 and has helped hundreds of clients with their divorce and family law cases in Cook County. Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Jeffrey moved to Chicago in 1995. He graduated with honors from Northwestern University and the University of Southern California’s Gould School of Law, where he served as his class president and graduation speaker. Jeffrey and his wife live in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago.
The Law Office of Jeffrey R. Esser
161 N Clark #1600
Chicago, IL 60601
(312) 564-5743
(312) 267-1745
jeff@esserlegal.com