Chicago lawyer, Russell Knight, has opened up a solo general practice. He is both a divorce lawyer and criminal defense lawyer. In his blog Russell recommends doing a criminal background check on your spouse at the beginning of a divorce:
By presenting this [evidence of a criminal record] to the judge, an attorney is able to wake the judge out of his or her “he-said-she-said stupor” and begin portraying their client as the good guy and the other party as the bad guy.
Generally speaking, criminal convictions should not play a big role in a divorce. Divorces are simply about dividing the marital property and establishing how two parties will raise their children. However, depending on the type of crime committed, your spouse’s criminal record could be useful in a divorce. For example, a conviction for tax fraud might show that your spouse has a history of hiding money. This information, of course, could help you establish the groundwork necessary for convincing a judge that your spouse is hiding assets.
