Illinois Domestic Violence Attorneys


Domestic violence, also referred to as domestic battery or domestic assault, is an act in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Domestic violence can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, gender, or religion and can happen to couples that are married, living together or dating.

Abuse can be physical, psychological, emotional, sexual, economic, or threats of actions that influence another person. Any person who hits, chokes, kicks, threatens, harasses, or interferes with the personal liberty of another family or household member has broken Illinois Domestic Violence law.

Under Illinois law, family or household members are defined as: family members related by blood; people who are married or used to be married; people who share or used to share a home, apartment, or other common dwelling; people who have or allegedly have a child in common or a blood relationship through a child in common; people who are dating or engaged or used to date; and people with disabilities and their personal assistants.

Domestic violence is a Class A misdemeanor, which carries a possible sentence of up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,500. Under some circumstances a domestic violence offense can be enhanced to a felony charge, depending on the prior criminal history of the accused or the circumstances of the case.

Circumstances that may make a domestic violence charge more severe are: if you have a previous domestic violence conviction; if children were present during the batters; if there was a restraining order in place at the time; or if you have a conviction for one of many other felonies.

Penalties and convictions for domestic violence in Illinois have increased. If you have been charged with a domestic violence related offense we strongly recommend that you hire a qualified criminal defense lawyer to help defend you and advise you of all your constitutional rights. The difference between a good attorney and a bad one can be jail, a huge fine and a record that can not be cleaned up. It's important that the lawyer you hire has handled a lot of these charges in the past and has a game plan for success with your case. Unlike many misdemeanors, domestic battery charges don't get routinely dropped.

Many callers to our service want to drop charges against someone they filed a domestic complaint against. Unfortunately it's not that simple. Once the police make an arrest the case is in the hands of the State's Attorney. In fact we have seen many instances where someone refused to testify or tried to get the charges dropped and then were charged with filing a false police report.

We have helped thousands of people with battery charges and would be happy to help you. If you have any questions about Illinois domestic violence laws, or would like a referral to an experienced Illinois criminal defense lawyer please do not hesitate to contact us.