FAMILY LAW - Key Persons
James T. Keleher focuses his practice solely in family law. James began his employment with Conniff & Keleher, LLC as an undergrad, then as a law clerk, and, upon graduation from John Marshall Law School, as an associate attorney, and is now a Partner at the firm. James is well respected amongst his peers as a skilled practitioner who is honest and forthright about his client's goals and objectives. James has a unique combination of knowledge and interpersonal skills that make him an exceptional family law attorney.
James strongly believes that family law issues are best resolved by the parties, particularly when there are children's issues in dispute. As a father of three young children, James is philosophically opposed to a Judge's making decisions about other people's children, rather than the parties' working together to reach solutions that work best for their unique family. Litigation should be used as a last resort. It is more expensive, and more likely to harm the parties' post-divorce relationship - the importance of which should not be underestimated where children are involved, and, more importantly, litigation can have a very serious impact on the children.
However, James realizes that not all cases can be resolved through settlement for a variety of reasons, including personality differences, mental illness, and issues such as domestic abuse. James has an extensive litigation background which enables him to provide a full-range of services to his client both in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. James has specialized experience in complex divorce litigation. He has been successful at the trial level in child custody and financial cases, and two of those rulings have been affirmed on appeal.
James has recently earned Avvo's Clients' Choice Award due to the large number of satisfied clients he has assisted, and he has been named to the National Advocates Top 40 Under 40 and Top 100 attorneys, and the American Institute of Family Law's 10 Best Attorneys.
Education
B.A. Political Science, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
J.D. The John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner at Conniff & Keleher
Lauren E. Chibe is a partner at Conniff & Keleher, LLC. Lauren has successfully represented clients on a wide range of divorce, paternity and other family law matters including custody and visitation disputes, child support, maintenance, property division and extensive asset valuation, orders of protection, legal separation, grandparent visitation and post-divorce issues. Prior to joining Conniff & Keleher, LLC, Lauren worked as an associate attorney for a prestigious family law firm in Chicago working on complex litigation matters. In 2016, Lauren was named an Emerging Lawyer in Illinois by Leading Lawyers, which recognizes the top two percent of lawyers under age 40 who have proven themselves to be professional, ethical and experienced at an early point in their legal careers.
Lauren received her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. During law school, Lauren worked as both a Legal Writing Teaching Assistant and as a Research Assistant for Vincent Vitullo, Professor Emeritus. Lauren also served as the Justice and Recruitment Chair of the DePaul student chapter of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International and as Mentor Chair of the Student Bar Association.
Lauren finds her work as a family law attorney very rewarding and seeks to help people and their families during the most difficult times in their lives. She especially relies on her psychology background when counseling her clients. Lauren believes that it is extremely important to understand her clients on a personal level and to approach every case with the clients' unique circumstances and goals in mind.
Lyn is a skilled and knowledgeable attorney with over 30 years of experience in family law, and in working with families transitioning from one home to two homes. Lyn began her legal career as a corporate and securities attorney before devoting her practice to family law and encouraging families to find peaceful solutions to family challenges. Lyn's international background brings a sensitivity and creativity to the complex, and an appreciation of the nuances of family systems.
Although experienced in divorce litigation and a vigorous advocate, Lyn counsels her clients to explore creative alternatives to litigation and to resolve family issues outside the legal system.
During her career in family law, Lyn has helped clients resolve a wide range of family and divorce issues, including complex financial scenarios, division of high net worth estates, and parenting and custody challenges. Lyn has been trained in the Collaborative Law Process since 2002. Her training in the Collaborative Law Process gives Lyn even more tools to help resolve difficult situations with innovative techniques and a commitment to open and respectful conversations between the parties.
Education
B.A. University of Sydney, N.S.W. Australia
J.D. Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Partner at Conniff & Keleher
- Partner at Conniff & Keleher, LLC
Marc is a Partner at Conniff & Keleher, LLC. and practices in all areas of divorce and family law in Cook, DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry and Will Counties, and focuses on negotiating and litigating a wide variety of pre-decree divorce matters, including high net-worth individuals and complex marital estates, post-decree modifications, child allocation and parentage matters, child support, orders of protection, and various other family law matters.
Marc believes that the first goal in any family law matter should be to try and work out disputes through negotiation and agreements, while keeping the parties out of the courtroom if possible. However should litigation be necessary in a contested family law matter, with his extensive experience from thousands of combined hearings, bench trials, and jury trials during his time as a family law attorney and prosecutor, Marc has earned the highest of accolades regarding his skill in the courtroom, his negotiation skills, and his excellent relationships with the judiciary and court personnel in numerous courthouses throughout the Chicagoland area.
As a parent of two young children, Marc knows first-hand that parents will go to great lengths to advocate on behalf of their children and to protect them. Marc also knows that children are often the most vulnerable and the most affected in family law matters. To that end, besides making a child's best interests the top priority in any divorce or parentage matter, Marc has often been appointed by the Court in his capacity as a Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) to investigate and make recommendations concerning the best interests of children of a variety of ages and in a range of circumstances.
Because of his stellar work and reputation in the legal community, Marc has been named repeatedly as a Super Lawyers "Rising Star," one of the Top 100 Matrimonial & Family Lawyers by National Advocates, and has received various other accolades reflecting his high character and skill in divorce and family law.