Why This Isn’t A QDRO Shop

What you’re paying for when you hire us – and why it’s worth the difference.

If you’ve been shopping for someone to handle your QDRO, you’ve probably found options that are cheaper than us. Online services, document mills, attorneys who draft an order and hand it back. On the surface, the output looks the same: a domestic relations order.

It isn’t the same. Here’s what we do that they don’t.

Anne Actually Knows How These Plans Work

Most QDRO preparers – including most family law attorneys – have learned to draft domestic relations orders. Anne has learned how retirement plans are designed, regulated, and administered from the inside.

Before private practice, she worked at the U.S. Department of Labor’s Benefits Security Administration, auditing retirement plan compliance and fiduciary correction matters. She designed qualified and nonqualified retirement plans at an Am Law 100 firm. She holds a Master of Laws in Employee Benefits.

When a plan administrator pushes back on language, Anne understands why – and what the plan’s rules actually allow. A document service cannot do this. Most general practitioners cannot either.

This matters most for: Illinois state pension plans (QILDROs with no death benefits for former spouses in some systems), executive compensation and nonqualified plans, union pension plans, and complex 401(k) structures with company stock or after-tax contributions. Learn more about our tiered referral models for family law attorneys.

You Get A Team, Not A Transaction

Cheri McIntyre, our QDRO Specialist and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®), works alongside Anne on every matter. Together, they review your plan documents, MSA, and specific circumstances before a word of the order is drafted.

Most firms draft from the MSA. We read the MSA first to understand what the plan can and cannot do with it – and we tell you before we draft.

We Run The Entire Process

A domestic relations order doesn’t become effective when it’s drafted. It becomes effective when the plan administrator processes it and the money moves. We stay with you through all eight steps:

Step 1: Intake

We collect and review plan documents before drafting. Most services skip this.

Step 2: Drafting

Anne reviews the plan rules. Issues are flagged before the draft goes anywhere.

Step 3: Plan Pre-Approval

Draft submitted to the plan before court. Denials at this stage are common and expected – corrections included in your fee.

Step 4: Client and Counsel Review

All parties review and approve before the order moves forward.

Step 5: Signatures

Clean final version circulated via HelloSign. We track this – links expire.

Step 6: Court Entry

Signed copies prepared for court. Judge enters the DRO. We order the certified copy.

Step 7: Final Submission

Certified copy sent to the plan with a cover letter. We provide tracking.

Step 8: We Close When It’s Actually Done

File closes when the plan confirms receipt – not when the order is drafted.

The gap between ‘we drafted your QDRO’ and ‘your retirement account has been divided’ is where things go wrong. We close that gap.

The Stakes Are Higher Than The Document Looks

Retirement accounts are typically the largest asset in a divorce. An invisible error in a QDRO can surface years later when you try to collect. The most costly mistakes:

• Survivor benefit provisions omitted – if the participant dies before you collect and there’s no survivor benefit, you may receive nothing
• Award structured against the wrong balance – the difference between ‘percentage of account as of separation’ and ‘percentage of the marital portion’ can be tens of thousands of dollars
• Order entered but never sent to the plan – court entry alone does not put the plan on notice
• Nonqualified plan treated like a qualified plan – wrong framework, order the plan won’t honor

Ready To Get Started?

We handle QDRO drafting on a flat-fee basis covering everything from intake through final plan submission – including pre-approval, corrections, and follow-up. To start a matter or discuss a specific plan situation, call 847-926-7679 or schedule a phone consultation.