Top Family Lawyers in ZIP 60045 | 8 available

Michael S. Sabath is a distinguished litigator with over twenty-five years of experience in all areas of family and matrimonial law, including matters involving complex financial issues, corporate valuations, non-marital asset protection, pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, as well as child custody, support, and visitation (including grandparent visitation).. Mr. Sabath is the managing partner of Berger Schatz’s Lake Forest office and has been a partner with Berger Schatz for over fifteen years.. A skilled negotiator, Mr. Sabath assists clients in reaching favorable settlements without the necessity of trial when possible. Mr. Sabath also regularly represents clients successfully in trials and appeals.. In 1999, Mr. Sabath was one of the youngest attorneys ever nominated as a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (Illinois Chapter). He has been selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyerseach year since the inception of the designation, and named to the Leading Lawyer Network each year since 2004. He has earned a peer rating of BV Distinguished by Martindale Hubbell and also recently recognized and included in Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer review publication in the legal profession.. Mr. Sabath is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and Lake County Bar Association; was past co-chair of the Family Law Committee Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (Illinois Chapter, and past Illinois Chapter Board of Managers of the Illinois Chapter of the Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers).

I received my Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law. I have been practicing law for over 14 years with experience in all areas of family and matrimonial law, including custody and visitation, maintenance, child support, financial issues, adoptions and post decree actions.  I am a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Lake County Bar Association, The Association of Women Attorneys of Lake County, and  Lake County Bar Association Family Law Committee.

I have been licensed in Illinois since 1974, practicing in the Cook County State's Attorney's office for 3 years (1974 - 1977); My family lived on Long Island, New York for several years, so I also became licensed in New York in 1981 and worked for several years in the Queens District Attorney's Office (1985-1986); we returned to Illinois in 1986 and I worked in the Lake County State's Attorney's office from 1987 to 1991.. I have been in private practice since 1991.  My practice is a general practice -handling adoptions primarily, residential real estate closings, probate, guardianship (both disabled adults and minors), juvenile matters, preparation of wills and trusts. I am also an experienced criminal defense attorney and will accept clients with felony or criminal cases, including DUI and traffic violations.

I embrace my role as more than just your attorney, but rather a guide for you in the domestic relations legal system. Whether the issue is simply a divorce, parenting issues, child support, spousal support, or understanding how a family business gets factored into a dissolution situation, going through the legal system is oftentimes one of the more difficult parts of your life.. I believe my job is not only to advocate on your behalf and fight in Court when necessary, but to assist you in weighing options, encourage communications when possible, and ensure that your best interest are being considered whether that be going to trial or working through a peaceable resolution. I believe that trial is always an option, but not necessarily the only option. I find my job, my role within the legal profession, to be profoundly rewarding in aiding people through such a troubling time in which I have unique experience and insight.. I have handled highly contested custody cases, high net worth cases, cases involving family businesses, and all other varieties of family situations.  I represent litigants in domestic violence situations, obtaining and defending against orders of protection.  I am a friend to the LGBTQ community and supportive of all versions of family dynamics that require legal services in the domestic relations legal system.. I am certified to serve as a mediator and also have had training in the collaborative practice. I am also experienced in the areas of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. I have been published in the ISBA Family law newsletter and the Illinois Bar Journal on a variety of subjects relevant to litigants and practitioners in the domestic relations field. I have tried and settled cases in Cook, Lake and DuPage counties.

As an accomplished Matrimonial and Family Law practitioner, Ms. McAlister understands that her clients are real people facing emotionally challenging decisions that will affect the rest of their lives. She is an experienced litigator known for her tenacity in the courtroom, yet she is accessible and sensitive to her clients throughout case proceedings.. Ms. McAlister is skilled in handling divorces involving substantial assets and complex estates, including the identification and valuation of real estate, securities, business interests, retirement funds, pension plans, tax shelters, overseas accounts, stock options, trusts, and other sources of wealth.. Ms. McAlister has over 10 years of experience representing clients in all areas of family law, dispute resolution, and litigation. Areas of expertise include divorce, allocation of parental responsibilities and parenting time/child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, prenuptial/postnuptial agreements, equitable distribution, and separation and settlement agreements. We also handle complex financial issues, matters involving corporate valuations, non-marital tracing, asset protection, and grandparent visitation.