Correcting DIY AI Divorce Decrees in Illinois

 Posted on November 30, 2025 in Divorce

We live in an era of DIY, from tutorials that tell you how to fix your car or make home repairs to AI-generated legal tools that promise quick, cheap divorce paperwork. While AI and DIY projects are not inherently bad, there really are some things that should be left to professionals. Divorce is one of those things. Illinois attorneys are seeing a surge of clients whose DIY divorce turned out to be unworkable, overly vague, or legally invalid.

Missing parenting plan (750 ILCS 5/602.10) requirements, incorrect property language, and unenforceable support provisions from copy-and-paste "legal" websites are increasingly common. Unfortunately, these defective decrees can cause significant financial or parenting problems, with the only solution involving returning to court. Sometimes, a simple correction is all that is necessary, but more often, much more is required.

Fixing an AI-drafted judgment is not as easy as editing a document; every change must be procedurally and legally sound. Divorcing spouses need to understand how a flawed AI form can become a long-term legal nightmare. A Kane County, IL family law attorney can help you determine how to fix your AI-drafted divorce decree before it causes more problems.  

Specific Language is Required in Every Illinois Divorce Judgment

A divorce judgment in Illinois must comply with the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. This means that parenting plans must include specific allocation language, and child support must be calculated using statutory guidelines. Spousal maintenance must include findings associated with income and duration, and property must be clearly classified as marital or non-marital and divided equitably.

Finally, all jurisdictional statements must match Illinois law. Most AI-generated forms fail to include all these components because they are designed to be general, multi-state templates for the final documents. As a result, critical sections are often omitted from the final decree.

What Are the Most Common AI Errors that Can Lead to Major Problems in Illinois?

There is virtually an endless possibility of errors that can cause major issues in an Illinois final divorce decree, including:

Incorrect Language in Parenting Plans

Many AI tools use generic custody and visitation language rather than the accepted Illinois terms regarding "allocation of parental responsibilities" and "parenting time." Missing transportation rules, holiday schedules, communication expectations, and school-year routines can lead to post-divorce disputes.

Miscalculations in Illinois Child Support

AI often miscalculates Illinois child support by using the wrong formula, omitting worksheets, failing to take all income into account, ignoring health insurance contributions, and leaving out statutory deviation findings. If the support calculation is not correct, the court may require a full modification proceeding rather than a correction.

Problems with Spousal Maintenance

Maintenance provisions that are written by AI often fail to follow the statutory duration guidelines, correctly calculate income, or include terminating events. These generic spousal maintenance provisions may also fail to distinguish between modifiable and non-modifiable terms. A single missing clause could cost a spouse tens of thousands of dollars.

Errors in Property Division

DIY divorce decrees often misclassify non-marital property as marital, and vice-versa. Deadlines for refinancing or property transfer may be missing, or complex QDROs and tax implications may not be calculated or referenced appropriately. Since property divisions are usually non-modifiable, these mistakes can be the most damaging.

Can the Court Fix an AI Mistake After Judgment?

Illinois law distinguishes between clerical errors, such as typos, missing dates, or math errors, which can often be corrected through a motion to correct. Substantive errors, such as changes in parenting time, recalculations of child support, modifications to maintenance terms, or significant property division mistakes, may require a motion to vacate, modify, or a separate action.

Contact a St. Charles, IL Divorce Lawyer

If your AI-generated divorce judgment contains errors, or you are unsure whether it complies with Illinois law, do not wait for a small problem to become a significant legal dispute. A Kane County, IL family law attorney from Mirabella, Kincaid, Frederick & Mirabella, LLC can identify issues and take the necessary steps to correct or modify the judgment. MKFM Law serves family law clients at their offices in Kane County, DuPage County, and DeKalb County. To schedule your initial attorney meeting, call 630-665-7300.