Family Law

Are you looking for a family lawyer in Chicago, IL?

At Merel Family Law, we serve clients in Chicago family law matters with over 200 years of combined legal experience.

If you are facing a divorce, a custody dispute, or a disagreement over support in Chicago, you need an attorney who understands both the law and what is at stake for your household. These cases impact your finances, your parenting schedule, and your sense of stability.

Our attorneys have spent decades handling family matters in Cook County and the surrounding collar counties. A Chicago, IL family lawyer at Merel Family Law can walk you through your options before you commit to a course of action. Reach out to schedule a confidential consultation.

Family Lawyer Chicago, IL

A family lawyer handles the legal side of relationships and households, like ending a marriage, dividing what a couple owns, determining where children live, and setting the financial terms that follow. The work is part negotiation and part advocacy. Some matters resolve entirely by agreement, while others require a trial to reach a conclusion.

Illinois circuit courts recorded 58,679 new family filings in 2024, according to the Illinois Courts annual report. Chicago cases are heard in the Circuit Court of Cook County, the largest circuit in the state, which took in 541,268 new cases across all categories that year.

Types of Family Law Cases We Handle in Chicago

Family law covers a wide range of disputes, and most clients arrive with more than one concern. The matters below make up the bulk of our Chicago family law practice.

• Divorce. Ending a marriage sets in motion decisions about property, support, and, where children are involved, parenting. Some couples reach terms through negotiation. Others litigate the issues they cannot resolve. We assess early which path the facts and the opposing party actually support.
• Child custody. Illinois courts allocate decision-making authority and parenting time according to the best interests of the child. Disputes commonly begin with the schedule and expand into schooling, medical decisions, or a proposed relocation. We build a record that reflects how the family functions day to day.
• Spousal support. Maintenance depends on the length of the marriage, the income and earning capacity of each spouse, and the standard of living the couple established. Requests arise at dissolution and again years afterward. We handle both initial awards and later disputes over amount or duration.
• Property division. Marital estates in Chicago frequently include a residence, retirement accounts, business interests, and deferred compensation. Classification comes before division, because not everything a couple holds is marital. We bring in valuation professionals when the numbers are genuinely contested.
• High net worth divorce. Substantial estates draw closely held companies, executive compensation, real estate holdings, and trusts into the case. Discovery is heavier and the risk of understated assets is real. We build these matters on documentation rather than assertion.
• Domestic violence. Orders of protection can restrict contact, address exclusive possession of a residence, and affect parenting time. Petitions often coincide with a pending dissolution. We represent petitioners and respondents alike, and we prepare the evidence each position requires.
• Prenuptial agreements. Couples use premarital and postmarital agreements to define property rights and support obligations before any dispute exists. Business owners, second marriages, and inherited wealth are the most common reasons. We draft agreements designed to survive a later challenge.
• Divorce mediation. Mediation gives spouses a structured setting to resolve issues without a trial. It suits couples who still communicate reasonably and who want control over the outcome. We advise clients throughout the process and step in when it stalls.

Why Choose Merel Family Law as My Family Lawyer in Chicago, IL?

Attorneys Admitted in Illinois and Beyond

Our founder, Jonathan Merel, earned his law degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and is admitted to practice in Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan. He holds membership in the Chicago Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. That range matters when a family owns property across state lines or when one spouse has already relocated.

A Practice Built Around Resolution and Trial

Laura Presto has practiced for eighteen years and works across the full spectrum of family law, litigating cases in court, serving as a Guardian ad Litem, and facilitating resolution as a certified mediator. She earned her Juris Doctorate from the UIC School of Law and has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer, an Illinois Rising Star among top women attorneys, and a Leading Lawyer in family law. Our family law attorneys in Chicago prepare every matter as though it will be tried, which strengthens the firm’s position when settlement talks begin.

What Is Important To Understand About Family Law Cases?

Parental Responsibilities, Property, and Support in Illinois

Most Chicago family law cases turn on a set of core questions. The answers determine what the final judgment looks like.

• Grounds. Illinois is a no-fault state for dissolution purposes, so the reason a marriage ended rarely drives the financial outcome.
• Marital and non-marital property. Property acquired during the marriage is generally marital, while gifts, inheritances, and premarital holdings generally are not. The way marital property is classified often matters more than the eventual split.
• Allocation of parental responsibilities. Courts treat decision-making authority and parenting time as two separate determinations.
• Maintenance. Spousal support is discretionary and reflects need, earning capacity, and the circumstances of the marriage.
• Child support. The incomes of both parents and the parenting schedule both factor into the obligation.

What Are Important Aspects of a Family Law Case?

The details that shape an outcome are frequently the ones clients underestimate. A few deserve early attention.

• Documentation carries more weight than recollection, particularly on financial questions.
• Communications with a former partner become evidence, including text messages and social media activity.
• Temporary arrangements have a way of becoming permanent, because courts are reluctant to disrupt a child’s settled routine.
• Local practice varies by judge, and knowing how a particular courtroom operates affects strategy. Parents researching child custody in Chicago often find that procedure matters as much as substance.

What Is The Family Law Case Timeline?

Cases in Cook County move at very different speeds depending on how much the parties agree. An uncontested matter may conclude within a few months, while a contested case involving business valuation can run substantially longer.

• Filing of the petition and service on the other party.
• Requests for interim relief covering support, parenting time, or use of the residence. These temporary orders frequently establish the practical baseline for everything that follows.
• Discovery, including financial disclosure, appraisals, and depositions.
• Negotiation, mediation, or a pretrial conference before the assigned judge.
• Trial and entry of judgment, if the parties do not reach agreement.

What Should You Bring to Your Family Law Consultation?

Bring documents that detail income, assets, and any orders already in place. The more complete the picture at the first meeting, the more specific our guidance can be.

• Recent tax returns, pay stubs, and account statements
• A list of assets and debts, including retirement accounts and business interests
• Any existing court orders, agreements, or petitions that have been filed
• A rough outline of the current parenting schedule, if children are involved

Gathering the key documents in advance saves time later. A first consultation is a working conversation rather than a sales pitch. We review the facts, identify which issues are likely to be contested, and set out realistic options.

Chicago Family Court and Local Resources

Chicago family law matters are heard in the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, which sits primarily at the Richard J. Daley Center in the Loop.

• Filings pass through the circuit court clerk, and electronic filing is required for most civil matters. Suburban municipal districts hear some cases closer to where the parties live.
• Petitions for orders of protection connected to a pending dissolution stay in Domestic Relations, while standalone petitions may be heard in the Domestic Violence Division at 555 West Harrison Street.
• Statewide forms, including the financial affidavit required in most support and dissolution matters, are published by the Illinois Supreme Court. 
• Illinois Legal Aid Online maintains plain-language guides for people working through the process without counsel.

Reach Out to Merel Family Law to Schedule a Consultation

Contact us to arrange a confidential consultation with a Chicago family lawyer. We will ask about your circumstances, explain how Illinois courts approach the issues in front of you, and describe what representation would involve. Consultations can be scheduled in person or remotely, and our office responds to inquiries promptly.