Co-parenting in Chicago, without the 10 p.m. scramble
The school email. The $120 receipt. The pickup you have to confirm again. Hand Civly any of it as it arrived and it lands on one calendar both houses read — and if you ever need the record for a matter in Cook County Circuit Court, Domestic Relations Division, it's already there. You won't be building it at 10 p.m.
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Chicago family court information
Custody and family law cases in Chicago are handled by the Cook County Circuit Court, Domestic Relations Division in Cook County. Illinois custody matters are heard in the Circuit Court system; the governing custody statute is 750 ILCS 5/602.7. Civly exports a complete, timestamped PDF of your messages, calendar and expenses that you can hand to your attorney.
Chicago co-parents juggling CPS school schedules and custody across neighborhoods from Lincoln Park to the South Side rely on Civly to keep parenting plans organized year-round.
How custody works in Illinois
Illinois uses 'allocation of parental responsibilities' and 'parenting time' instead of custody, focusing on the best interests of the child.
Illinois custody cases require a parenting plan filed within 120 days of serving the petition. If parents cannot agree, the court may order mediation. Judges allocate both 'parenting time' (physical schedule) and 'significant decision-making responsibility' (legal authority) for education, health, religion, and extracurriculars. Relocation more than 25 miles from the current residence (or across state lines) requires court approval.
Cases from Chicago are filed in Cook County and heard in the Cook County Circuit Court, Domestic Relations Division. The court that hears your case is determined by where the children have been living, not by where either parent works.
For the full picture, see custody in Illinois.
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How Civly helps Chicago parents
AI-powered message rewriting
Type what you really feel — Civly writes the calm version — the one you would not cringe at if it were read back later. Your vent stays private and never enters an export. What you send is what gets kept.
Shared custody calendar
Color-coded custody schedule built from your own parenting plan. Share a read-only link with grandparents, attorneys, or mediators.
Snap the receipt, skip the math
Snap a receipt or forward an email. AI extracts the amount. Your co-parent approves or disputes. Track every shared expense in Chicago.
Frequently asked questions
You don't need their agreement to start
Set up the calendar, log what's owed, draft the message you have to send tonight. Invite them when you're ready — the shared parts switch on the day they join.
Start tonight — $79/year30-day money-back guarantee. Available in every state.
Civly is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. Custody law and the rules of evidence vary from state to state, and individual judges apply them differently. For advice about your own case, speak to a family law attorney licensed in Illinois. Civly launched in 2026 and is not named in many court orders yet — if your order already requires a specific platform, keep using it and ask your attorney before switching.