HAMMER SERNA & QUINN - Key Persons
A Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and an experienced and creative courtroom litigator for over 15 years, Brendan Hammer works with and represents a wide variety of individuals, from executives, entrepreneurs, and medical, legal and creative professionals to political figures, professional athletes and their spouses or intimate partners. Seeing up-close the toxicity, emotional toll and financial cost of litigation, Brendan concentrates his practice on finding intelligent, pragmatic resolutions to sophisticated family law matters including high-conflict custody disputes, complicated domestic and international child-relocation matters, the valuation and division of assets, fraud, tort and dissipation claims, complex compensation structures, spousal challenges to trust and estate plans and high net worth maintenance and child support. Brendan is also an AAML Certified Arbitrator (one of less than a dozen in Illinois) and is a Court-approved Mediator in the Domestic Relations Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.
In addition to working on behalf of individual clients and attorneys in litigation and alternative dispute resolution processes, Brendan provides nationwide strategic consulting and litigation support to private clients as well as family law and related professionals. Often teaming with a wide array of custody and financial consultants and experts, Brendan assists private clients and attorneys in the creation, development and deployment of litigation strategies for complex family law matters; and he helps facilitate the maximization and optimization of client and attorney performance - with a specific focus on the psycho-social and performative aspects of litigation.
Selected to Crain's Most Influential Minority Lawyers in Chicago (2017), the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin's 40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch (2012) and other honors, Brendan speaks, teaches, lectures, and publishes on various family law matters-including ADR (mediation, arbitration and hybrid processes), cross examination, discovery, evidence, the intersection of forensic psychology with family law, performance aspects of litigation, trial techniques and oral argument. Certified in divorce mediation through Northwestern University over a decade ago, he also completed the family law trial advocacy program and the Advanced Cross Examination Program of the National Family Law Trial Institute with Roger Dodd. Brendan also previously served on the Faculty of the National Family Law Trial Institute.
Brendan brings a unique background, perspective and set of abilities to his practice, drawing equally upon his wealth of experience in complicated family law matters, his own divorce, relocation and coparenting experience, his three decades of practice in both Tibetan and Zen (Rinzai and Soto) meditation, and his background in the performing arts. While recognized by his peers and the judiciary as a zealous, effective, and articulate advocate, Brendan also is proud of his reputation in non-litigated settings as a practical, emotionally intelligent, and collegial professional. Brendan is frequently cited in mainstream media on divorce and family law matters, including in The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune.
A Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and an experienced and creative courtroom …
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Member of the Illinois State Bar Association
Before beginning her legal career, Kristen was a youth advocate at Mercy Home for Boys & Girls in Beverly. In 2012, she received her Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent, College of Law where she spent several semesters on the Dean's List.
Kristen is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Lake County Bar Association."
Kristen R. Serna is a founding partner of Hammer Serna & Quinn, LLC. She focuses her practice solely on matrimonial matters including complex divorce litigation, allocation of parenting time and parental responsibilities, and the enforcement or modification of divorce judgments in Cook and Lake Counties.
Prior to founding Hammer Serna & Quinn, LLC, Kristen litigated for years under the mentorship of Howard H. Rosenfeld and Kathryn D. Farmer at Rosenfeld/Farmer. Kristen has worked with a wide range of cases involving closely-held corporations and trusts. Further, Kristen has litigated multiple cases involving the putative spouse doctrine in Illinois.
Kristen obtained her Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent, College of Law and her Bachelor's Degree from Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana. She was selected as an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2021 and 2022.
Chicago family lawyer Shannon K. Quinn is a founding partner of Hammer Serna & Quinn. Shannon focuses her practice exclusively on family law, including complex financial matrimonial issues and allocation of parental responsibilities (formerly known as child custody and parenting time). Shannon maintains a client-focused divorce practice through listening to her client's goals and negotiating settlement agreements to meet those goals.
Prior to forming Hammer Serna & Quinn, Shannon worked at Rosenfeld/Farmer under the tutelage of Howard H. Rosenfeld and Kathryn D. Farmer. Besides her work at Rosenfeld/Farmer she began her career at a boutique family law firm in DuPage County.
Shannon received her Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Shannon received her B.A. in History from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2021 and 2022.
Job Titles:
- Founding Partner
- Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers
Vanessa L. Hammer is a founding partner of Hammer Serna & Quinn, LLC and has devoted her practice exclusively to the area of Matrimonial/Family law. Prior to starting Hammer Serna & Quinn with her partners, Vanessa worked as an associate attorney with prominent boutique law firms in Chicago, Illinois and Houston, Texas.
Vanessa has proven success in representing a wide range of clients in all areas of family law including high-net-worth professionals, executives, and business owners. While Vanessa is a skilled trial lawyer with many years of litigation experience, she also encourages and utilizes, where appropriate, various forms of alternative dispute resolution such as mediation and the collaborative/cooperative law processes in order to yield the best possible results for her clients.
Vanessa is a member of numerous associations, including: Illinois State Bar Association (Family Law Section, Racial and Ethnic Minorities and the Law and Military Affairs Committee), DuPage County Bar Association, State Bar of Texas (Family Law Section), and the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Vanessa is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML). The AAML is comprised of the top matrimonial attorneys throughout the nation who are recognized as preeminent family law practitioners with the highest levels of knowledge, skill, and integrity. In order to be elected, each Fellow must successfully complete a rigorous selection process that includes national and state examinations, personal interviews, and professional and judicial recommendations.
Vanessa is fluent in Spanish and welcomes the opportunity to assist Spanish-speaking clients.
Hammer Serna & Quinn, LLC is a family law firm founded by Vanessa L. Hammer, Kristen R. Serna, and Shannon K. Quinn. The founding partners met at the preeminent family law firm, Rosenfeld/Farmer, where they fostered a passion for helping families facing difficult legal matters.
The attorneys at Hammer Serna & Quinn are zealous advocates who will pursue all options in order to achieve their client's goals, from mediation, settlement negotiations and, if necessary, trial. You can depend on Hammer Serna & Quinn to provide creative and common-sense solutions and to provide steady guidance during an otherwise tumultuous time in your life.
If you are looking for an attorney who has the necessary knowledge, experience, and resources to effectively handle your family law matter, contact the attorneys at Hammer Serna & Quinn today.