Merel Family Law

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Merel Family Law

Your Family in Family Law The Chicago divorce attorneys at Merel Family Law proudly serve clients throughout the entire Chicagoland and Detroit Metro areas.

Founded in 2009, the firm has a well-earned reputation and every lawyer at the firm takes pride in their ability to help their family law clients protect their best interests and obtain a favorable resolution in even the most complex litigation. They will look for the most efficient resolution to help clients move forward, maintain respectful relationships with the other party, and avoid future co

stly litigation. They are skilled negotiators and will help find a solution through mediation or alternative dispute resolution whenever possible. For assistance in achieving your legal goals, contact Merel Family Law Today!

08/30/2026

We hate to break it to you, but yes, your retirement is on the table during a divorce.

If you earned any of it during the marriage, that portion is considered marital property, and marital property gets divided like everything else.

The one exception is whatever you earned before you got married. That part stays yours.

08/27/2026

Do you want the bulldog lawyer?

This is a very common question people ask themselves when they are looking for a divorce attorney.

You want someone who can get aggressive only when the situation calls for it. Aggression without a strategy behind it makes everything worse for everyone.

Skill is knowing when to push hard and when to settle. A good attorney uses that aggression to get you in the best possible position and not to create a mess.

08/24/2026

When our founder, Jonathan Merel, started Merel Family Law in 2009, he never pictured this.

A 25,000 square foot office downtown with:

- A meditation room
- Zoom courtrooms
- A lounge
- A bar
- Ping pong tables
- And so much more

None of this was part of some grand plan at the start. It grew out of the culture the team built along the way, and making it a reality was a dream Jonathan didn't even know he had back then!

08/20/2026

Fourteen of our attorneys at Merel Family Law landed on the 2026 Best Lawyers lists. Five earned Best Lawyers in America and nine were named Ones to Watch.

Best Lawyers in America:
Jonathan Merel, David Zwaska, Ashley Margason, Laura Presto, and Melissa Caballero Dunn

Ones to Watch:
Samantha Sharland, Emily Morris, Jaclyn DeSana, Mitchell Dean, Josephine Norton, Marleena Broekema, Laude Hartrum IV, Colette Gallo, and Melissa Spero

Best Lawyers runs on peer review. These names came from other family law attorneys who evaluated each nominated attorney’s work and vouched for it. You cannot buy your way onto this list or nominate yourself onto it.

Congratulations to all 14. That is what a deep bench looks like.

08/11/2026

What happens if your divorce case goes to trial?

Not every trial covers everything. Some decide every issue at once, while others come down to just one like maintenance or a parenting schedule.

The more you and your spouse can agree on, the less a judge has to decide for you. We recommend staying out of the courtroom and resolving things amicably unless litigation and trial are absolutely necessary.

08/10/2026

Some reviews stop you in your tracks. This is absolutely one of them.

For almost two years, Josie Norton and Samantha Sharland stood beside Nida through every setback and every hard-won victory. On the days she felt overwhelmed and unsure of what came next, she never had to face them alone. She always knew she had Merel Family Law in her corner.

In her words, Josie was so much more than her attorney. She listened when Nida needed to be heard and fought for Nida and her children on the days Nida didn't have the strength to fight for herself. Behind every filing and every piece of evidence was Samantha's tireless work and the care to make sure no detail was ever missed.

What moved us most was that she said she never felt like another case file. That is very important to us and everything we hope every client feels walking through our doors.

Nida, thank you for trusting us with one of the hardest chapters of your life and for these incredibly kind words. It means more to us than you know. As you step into this next chapter, we're wishing you and your children nothing but peace and every good thing ahead.

08/06/2026

Today is National Paralegal Day, and we are absolutely not letting it pass without saying something!

The truth about any great law firm is that the work you see in the courtroom is only part of the story. Behind every case is a team of paralegals and legal assistants doing a bunch of the heavy lifting, like making sure everything gets done before deadlines and the mountains of documents that have to be exactly right.

To our paralegals and support staff, Merel Family Law could not run without you. Thank you.

08/04/2026

We are honored to see our founder Jonathan Merel featured in the 2026 Premier Lawyers issue of Sheridan Road and Hinsdale Living! Every year this feature recognizes a select group of attorneys across the North Shore and beyond.

When clients are going through a divorce, many assume the harder and more aggressive their lawyer fights, the better the outcome. That is usually not true. As Jonathan puts it, most cases are best resolved through an amicable resolution outside of court, so families keep control over the decisions that matter most rather than dealing with the emotional and financial stress of litigation.

Knowing when to fight and when to resolve is what separates a good attorney from a great one. 17 years in at Merel Family Law, that is still the standard here for all of us.

Thank you to Sheridan Road Magazine, Hinsdale Living, and JWC Media Group for the recognition!

Read the Sheridan Road issue here: https://jwcmedia.com/sheridan-road-digital-edition/ (scroll down to select the August issue). The Premier Lawyers feature begins on page 102, and Jonathan's feature is on page 106.

Read the Hinsdale Living issue here: https://jwcmedia.com/hinsdale-living-digital-edition/ (scroll down to select the August issue). The Premier Lawyers feature begins on page 91, and Jonathan's feature is on page 95.

08/02/2026

You’ll usually find us in the courtroom, but this time you found us in the park!

We had a blast sponsoring The Lounge Puppets at the Hinsdale Chamber Uniquely Thursday this summer in Burlington Park. So much great music and great food, not to mention a whole lot of familiar faces from the community and more memories made.

We love Hinsdale and the community here, and this is a big reason why. Ten weeks of so much fun!

07/29/2026

Not all depositions are the same and knowing the difference matters.

Laude Hartrum IV breaks down the two types: discovery depositions, where you’re digging for information you don’t have yet, and evidence depositions, where you’re locking someone into their testimony so they can’t change it later.

The strategy changes completely depending on which one you’re running. If you’re boxing a witness in, you walk in with every document and fact already in hand. If you’re gathering information, you keep it open-ended and let their answers lead you.

Preparation is what separates a good deposition from a wasted one. Always be prepared.

Address

440 W Randolph Avenue 5th Floor
Chicago, IL
60606

Telephone

+13124087000

Website

https://www.merelfamilylaw.com/

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