What is a Conciliation Conference in an Illinois Divorce? 

 Posted on February 14, 2022 in Divorce

Most couples do everything they can to reconcile their differences before resorting to divorce, especially when there are children involved. While couple’s therapy, family counseling, and renewed efforts to revive a relationship may work for some people, for other couples, divorce is inevitable. 

Some couples agree that divorce is the best option, but it is common for one spouse to be confident about the decision to divorce while the other spouse still hopes or wishes to reconcile. A spouse who is determined to exhaust all possible options cannot ultimately prevent a divorce from happening, but he or she can slow things down and make it more difficult for a divorce to proceed. One way this might happen is through trying to convince a court that reconciliation may still be possible and asking for a conciliation conference. 

What is a Conciliation Conference? 

Couples in Illinois no longer have to prove fault in a divorce case. In the past, abandonment, infidelity, and abuse could be difficult to prove and were not necessarily present in marriages that spouses wished to end. Today, fortunately, couples in Illinois need only list “irreconcilable differences” as their cause for divorce. 

While no-fault divorce makes things easier for most couples, a family court may sometimes worry that a couple is getting divorced hastily or without considering the consequences. In a court-ordered conciliation conference, spouses attend a counseling session provided by a counseling service of the court’s choosing. Because the nature of a conciliation conference is non-combative and intended to see whether an intimate relationship can be saved, spouses usually do not attend with their attorneys. The content of a conciliation conference cannot be used as evidence in divorce proceedings and cannot last longer than four hours. 

A successful conciliation conference will, of course, result in a divorce case being dismissed. When conciliation conferences are not successful, the divorce can then move forward, even if one spouse still disagrees. 

Call an Arlington Heights Divorce Conciliation Conference Lawyer

Even if you believe you have no chance of reconciling with your spouse, you may need to attend a court-ordered conciliation conference. It is important to understand what you will be expected to do. With the help of a skilled Arlington Heights divorce attorney, you can get your questions answered and prepare for all of divorce’s eventualities. Schedule an initial consultation with the experienced team at A. Traub & Associates and allow us to help you move forward to the next stage of your life. Call us today at 847-749-4182. 

Source: 

https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs4.asp?ActID=2086&ChapterID=59&SeqStart=3700000&SeqEnd=5200000