Jonathan Merel

Jonathan Merel is an experienced attorney and litigator who advocates for his clients in all family law proceedings, including settlement negotiations and trials. Jonathan founded The Law Offices of Jonathan Merel, P.C. in early 2009. Prior to starting the firm, Jonathan worked at another Chicago-based family law practice for many years. Jonathan has grown his firm to include 4 other attorneys, an excellent staff and an additional office location in the suburbs.

Jonathan has a great deal of experience in obtaining favorable outcomes for his clients in multi-million dollar marital estates and contested custody suits. His ability to settle heated divorces and custody disputes has gained him a great deal of respect from fellow attorneys and judges within the Chicagoland legal community. When settlement is not a viable or reasonable option, Jonathan’s experience as a zealous litigator in the courtroom has produced outstanding results for his clients.

Always committed to his clients and their causes, Jonathan’s philosophy is to build strong, trusting relationships with his clients, founded on compassion, sound legal strategy, and open and frequent communication. Known as a skillful and aggressive negotiator with strong tenacity, Jonathan has an impressive track record of protecting his clients’ best interests and helping them meet their legal goals.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1999, Jonathan received a Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2002. While at Chicago-Kent, he was on the Dean’s List and served as a law clerk at a family law firm in Chicago. This valuable, diverse, and hands-on work experience sparked Jonathan’s passion for helping others through the practice of family law.

Jonathan has provided his legal expertise to prominent national media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and NBC’s Today Show. Jonathan has been selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2012, 2013 and 2015 - 2017. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.

Jonathan is a member of the American Bar Association American Bar Association Family Law Committee, Illinois Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, North Suburban Bar Association, and Lake County Bar Association.