A parenting schedule that no longer works for your child
Kids grow, schools change, activities shift. Christine files modification petitions when the substantial-change standard is met — and tells you honestly when it is not.
03Practice Area · St. Charles, IL
A child-first attorney for St. Charles parents.
Custody, support, paternity and parenting time decide the rhythm of your child's daily life. Christine Marshall represents St. Charles parents through the full range of Illinois parenting matters — with an unwavering focus on the child at the center.
The Law Office of Christine Marshall handles allocation of parental responsibilities (formerly 'custody'), parenting time and visitation, establishment and enforcement of child support, paternity actions, and modifications of any existing order — in the Kane County Judicial Center and beyond.
The 2016 rewrite of Illinois parenting law changed the vocabulary but not the substance: courts still decide who makes major decisions, who has the child on which nights, and how the financial obligation is split. Christine has practiced under both the old and new statutes, which matters when your order is decades-old and needs to be modified today.
Every parenting plan Christine builds is designed for the actual family in front of her — the school district, the work schedules, the extracurriculars, the extended family. Boilerplate parenting time schedules do not survive real life; hers do.
Situations We Handle
The problems clients bring us — and what we do about them.
The other parent is not paying court-ordered support
Enforcement is aggressive when it needs to be: income withholding, contempt, tax refund interception, and driver's-license suspension are all available under Illinois law.
Paternity is disputed or not established
Establishing paternity — voluntarily or through the court with DNA testing — opens the door to support, parenting time, decision-making, and inheritance rights.
A move that will change your parenting time
Illinois has specific rules for relocation (more than 25 or 50 miles depending on county). Christine files or defends relocation petitions and negotiates modified schedules that reflect the new geography.
High-conflict co-parenting where communication has broken down
Court-ordered communication tools, structured exchange protocols, and specific-enough parenting plans reduce the moments where two parents have to negotiate in real time.
An out-of-state order that needs to be registered or modified in Illinois
Under the UCCJEA and UIFSA, Christine handles registration, enforcement, and modification of orders from other states in Kane County.
Free Consultation
Talk with Christine before you decide anything.
A short call is often enough to clarify your options, timing, and what a fair resolution looks like.
How Christine Works
A composed, protective process.
Four decades of family law practice, distilled into a process built for the pace of real families in Kane County.
- 01
A parent-focused first consultation
Christine listens to the specifics of your family — not a generic case screen — and outlines what Illinois law can actually do about it.
- 02
A parenting plan drafted for your child
Schedules, decision-making, holidays, transportation, communication — every clause built around the specific facts of your family.
- 03
Support calculated correctly the first time
Income shares, overnight adjustments, healthcare, extracurriculars, and add-ons handled with the precision Illinois' statutory formula requires.
- 04
Enforcement and modification when needed
The relationship does not end at prove-up. Christine represents clients on modifications and enforcement for years after the initial order.
What You Gain
Outcomes clients ask for — and get.
- Parenting plans built for your actual family, not a template
- Accurate income-shares child support calculations
- Prompt enforcement when the other parent is not paying
- Experienced handling of relocation petitions in Kane County
- Continuity of counsel through every future modification
- Honest advice about what a court is realistically likely to order
St. Charles parenting matters are heard in the 16th Judicial Circuit at the Kane County Judicial Center. Christine represents parents from St. Charles, Geneva, Batavia, South Elgin, Wayne, Campton Hills and Elburn. Familiarity with local judges' preferences on parenting plans, guardian ad litem appointments, and support deviations shortens the road to a workable order.
St. CharlesGenevaBataviaSouth ElginWayneCampton HillsElburn
Frequently Asked
Answers to the questions we hear most.
Legally, no — Illinois replaced 'custody' in 2016 with two concepts: allocation of parental responsibilities (decision-making authority) and parenting time (the schedule). Most people still say 'custody,' and the underlying issues are unchanged.
Illinois uses an income shares model: both parents' net incomes are combined, applied to a state schedule tied to the number of children, and then apportioned based on each parent's share of combined income. Parenting time is factored in when one parent has 146+ overnights per year (shared physical care).
The court can allocate all significant decisions — education, healthcare, religion, extracurriculars — to one parent when doing so serves the child's best interest. Sole allocation is not automatic in cases of conflict; the court prefers joint allocation where the parents can cooperate.
The best-interest standard controls. The court weighs the child's needs, each parent's ability to meet those needs, the child's adjustment to home and school, the wishes of the child and parents, any history of abuse or neglect, and how well the parents cooperate.
Through a Voluntary Acknowledgment of Paternity (VAP) signed at the hospital or later, an administrative order from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or a court order — often through a paternity petition and DNA testing. Establishing paternity opens the door to support, allocation, and parenting time.
Yes. Parenting time can be modified when there is a substantial change in circumstances — a move, a schedule change, safety concerns, or the maturing needs of the child. Christine handles modifications regularly in the Kane County Judicial Center.
Enforcement options include income withholding, contempt petitions, license suspension, and interception of tax refunds. Christine can file for enforcement whether or not she handled the underlying case.
Illinois allows grandparent visitation in limited circumstances — typically when a parent is deceased, incarcerated, or absent, or the parents are divorced or unmarried. See our Guardianship & Grandparents' Rights page for detail.
Related Practice Areas
Speak With Christine →Christine also handles
- 01
Divorce & Maintenance
Contested and uncontested dissolutions, annulments, and post-decree relief.
Read More → - 02
Family Law
Steady counsel across every stage of a family's legal life.
Read More → - 04
Guardianship & Grandparents' Rights
Protecting minors, disabled adults, and the standing of grandparents in Kane County.
Read More → - 05
Orders of Protection
Emergency, plenary, and civil no-contact orders for St. Charles families.
Read More → - 06
Prenuptial Agreements
Clear, enforceable prenuptial and postnuptial agreements drafted with care.
Read More →
Ready when you are
Call (815) 666-4873 — speak with Christine directly.
Consultations are free and confidential. Evenings and weekends available for urgent matters.