team-member

Jonathan Merel

N/A

Licensed for 19 years

Law Degree

Awards

Primary Practice Area

Divorce and separation

Language

Spanish English

About

Jonathan Merel is an experienced attorney who advocates for his clients in all divorce and family law proceedings, including settlement negotiations and trials. Jonathan founded the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel, P.C. in early 2009 after working for many years at another family law firm in Chicago. Through his hard work and unwavering dedication to his clients, Jonathan has quickly grown the firm to become one of the premier divorce and family law firms in the Chicagoland area.Jonathan has a great deal of experience in obtaining favorable outcomes for his clients in multi-million dollar marital estates and contested custody suits (custody is now known as the allocation of parental responsibilities in the State of Illinois). 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.EDUCATION 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.AWARDS & ACHIEVEMENTSJonathan has received numerous awards and achievements as a result of his success.  Jonathan has been consistently named as to the Illinois Super Lawyers® lists since 2012. 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.Since 2015, Jonathan has been annually selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the field of Family Law. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey.In all years since 2015, Jonathan has received the prestigious honor of being selected as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois by the Leading Lawyers Network; an award bestowed upon less than 5% of all lawyers licensed in each state.Jonathan has also been honored by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys annually since 2016, being named as one of the 10 Best Lawyers in Illinois based on Client Satisfaction. The American Institute of Family Law Attorneys is a third-party attorney rating organization that publishes an annual list of the Top 10 Family Law Attorneys in each state.Commencing in 2017 and in each year thereafter, Jonathan has received the Nation’s Top One Percent designation by The National Association of Distinguished Counsel; an award received exclusively by the top 1% of attorneys in the United States.Jonathan has also provided his legal skill to prominent national media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and NBC’s Today Show.MEMBERSHIPSJonathan is a member of the American Bar Association, American Bar Association Family Law Committee, Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, North Suburban Bar Association, and Lake County Bar Association.

Practices Areas

Divorce and separation

Family

Language

Spanish English

Contact

Law Offices of Jonathan Merel, P.C.180 N. Stetson AvenueSuite 1300Chicago, IL, 60601

Office: N/A

Website: N/A

Reviews

HW
June 6, 2021

I highly recommend Jonathan Merel law office. Divorce is a stressful and emotional time of life and you need great attorneys to support and to help you navigate through this storm. I have a complicated case that went through GAL and evaluation process, difficult opposing counsel, and a long process over 3 years (partially due to pandemic delay). During this period, I’ve been working closely with Jonathan Merel and David Zwaska. They are fast in response (usually within hours and even over weekends for urgent issues), explain legal matters and procedure in simple terms for me to understand, detail orientated in each circumstance and accurate in financial calculation, bring crystal clarity and bold solutions to complicated matters. While Jonathan takes leadership, oversees and brings goal and visions to the case, David Zwaska works directly with me on routine basis, and both of them are great attorneys that are capable of presenting each issue in logical manner in court and fighting for our best interests and rights. And in my opinion, all these qualities have differentiated Jonathan and David as great attorneys from good attorneys. Now, the divorce is vanishing in my rear view mirror as I am moving into the next chapter of my life, I will definitely go back to Jonathan's office for any future legal assistance.

John
November 25, 2019

I was referred to Jonathan and his firm from one of my close friends. I was already divorced and did not want to use my attorney who worked me through my initial divorce proceedings for many reasons. From the initial meeting, I knew Jonathan was the attorney I wanted to work with. He listened to my journey of how I got to this place in my divorce and provided great insight and perspective on how we could work together to get more time with my child. He worked with me and helped me understand the process that was ahead and was responsive to me and all my questions throughout the process. He represented me and my position well and believed in me and my cause to get more time with my child. I now have more time with my child because of Jonathan and his hard, tireless work to help a single father get what was right: more time with his child. THANK YOU Jonathan for all that you do and I recommend Jonathan to all my friends.

anonymous
October 30, 2019

Jonathan was caring and kind throughout the entire process. He was able to Understand my desires and needs while taking into account what my children and ex would want as well. He was able to keep a tense situation calm through his demeanor and expertise. Thanks again Mr. Merel.

anonymous
July 2, 2019

Jonathan and team helped me make some sense of what was going on. The court system is ridiculous and having someone with a clear head, who understands and represents your best interest is invaluable!

anonymous
April 16, 2019

Jonathan represented me for 7 years , he is a great litigator and will fight for you . I will recommend to anyone who is going thru a child custody or child support battle . His team was great to me and I can’t be thankful enough .

Faruk
January 4, 2019

I had initial consults with three other attorneys before my initial consult with Jonathan. I have decided to work with Jonathan because, in our initial meeting, he was very professional, knowledgeable, approachable, and he explained the process very clearly answering all my questions satisfactorily. Looking back now, I have made the correct decision to work with Jonathan in this dissolution of marriage case. Having Jonathan on my side was the pleasant part of this unpleasant process. During the whole process, Jonathan was always very professional and very responsive, Jonathan is excellent about returning texts (to his cell phone), emails and phone calls. He responded promptly to texts, emails and phone calls. He was always available when I needed him and always offered great legal advice. More importantly, he is very professional, well prepared, supportive, and looks at the long term benefit of the client and the children. I was impressed by his knowledge, his patience, and his experience. At the end, the dissolution of marriage resulted with a nice settlement. I am very satisfied with the services of Jonathan. Everyone in the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel was very helpful, organized, and professional. I was also very fortunate to have Aurelija Fitzpatrick, Jonathan’s Associate, working on my case together with Jonathan. She too is very knowledgeable, professional, and responsive. I highly recommend Jonathan and the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel to anyone in need of legal services. Thanks.

anonymous
January 3, 2019

Always responsive, always available to you, patient, tough on the opposing team. Responsible, very involved - this is the man you want in your corner during this rough time. Thank you Jonathan.

Nina
June 20, 2018

I hired Jonathan's law firm to represent me during my divorce. Jonathan was very honest about what he thought may or may not be the outcome for my personal situation. He didn't waste time or money fighting for things he didn't believe would resolve my case. He has lots of experience and didn't mislead me simply to drag things on.

Alexander
April 13, 2018

Getting divorced was a painful, difficult experience. I was lucky to have Merel’s firm to navigate through the process. Jonathan Merel has a fantastic team, including Melissa Caballero and Stephen Lincoln, who led the charge in my divorce settlement. They fought for my rights and kept me well informed as the case progressed. I highly recommend them if you are looking for an experienced law firm.

Marzena Grzelak
March 5, 2018

Jonathan Merel and his colleague Bradley R. Kaye, Law Offices of Jonathan Merel ARE the BEST divorce/family law attorneys you can hire to help you with your divorce process...They get things done in a speedy way to finish, be done, so you can be HAPPY again! They are extremely experienced, dedicated, and right on top of things at all times to make sure you get the BEST results possible during and in the finale of your divorce! They achieve and complete things very thoroughly in an extraordinary professional way! Jonathan M. and Brad K. handle arising matters asap, reply to your emails, texts and phone calls immediately with truthful answers, strategies, plans of resolution and even attack (if needed) in an ugly disagreements, conflicts, and disputes with your ex, who just don't wanna do what's right for your children! Jonathan Merel will not treat you like a number in his law firm's client statistics. HE WILL make sure your case is NOT put on a back burner until the end of completion of your case, giving you best legal attention at all times when you need him! He will not take your hard earned money and promise you pears on apple trees! Both, Jonathan & Brad are very truthful, straightforward, trustworthy and mostly right on point with what they can accomplish, and what the results in the finale of your divorce will be! Jonathan Merel gets things done with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed for his client, who is going thru a repulsive, unpleasant divorce. I highly recommend Jonathan Merel as your divorce attorney! I had to fire 2 attorneys BEFORE I hired Jonathan M and wasted a lot of money & time making that mistake... Jonathan Merel as my divorce attorney delivered FAST the BEST results I needed for my two wonderful children an I with a 110% satisfaction as his client in the finale! thanks so much!

HW
June 6, 2021

I highly recommend Jonathan Merel law office. Divorce is a stressful and emotional time of life and you need great attorneys to support and to help you navigate through this storm. I have a complicated case that went through GAL and evaluation process, difficult opposing counsel, and a long process over 3 years (partially due to pandemic delay). During this period, I’ve been working closely with Jonathan Merel and David Zwaska. They are fast in response (usually within hours and even over weekends for urgent issues), explain legal matters and procedure in simple terms for me to understand, detail orientated in each circumstance and accurate in financial calculation, bring crystal clarity and bold solutions to complicated matters. While Jonathan takes leadership, oversees and brings goal and visions to the case, David Zwaska works directly with me on routine basis, and both of them are great attorneys that are capable of presenting each issue in logical manner in court and fighting for our best interests and rights. And in my opinion, all these qualities have differentiated Jonathan and David as great attorneys from good attorneys. Now, the divorce is vanishing in my rear view mirror as I am moving into the next chapter of my life, I will definitely go back to Jonathan's office for any future legal assistance.

John
November 25, 2019

I was referred to Jonathan and his firm from one of my close friends. I was already divorced and did not want to use my attorney who worked me through my initial divorce proceedings for many reasons. From the initial meeting, I knew Jonathan was the attorney I wanted to work with. He listened to my journey of how I got to this place in my divorce and provided great insight and perspective on how we could work together to get more time with my child. He worked with me and helped me understand the process that was ahead and was responsive to me and all my questions throughout the process. He represented me and my position well and believed in me and my cause to get more time with my child. I now have more time with my child because of Jonathan and his hard, tireless work to help a single father get what was right: more time with his child. THANK YOU Jonathan for all that you do and I recommend Jonathan to all my friends.

anonymous
October 30, 2019

Jonathan was caring and kind throughout the entire process. He was able to Understand my desires and needs while taking into account what my children and ex would want as well. He was able to keep a tense situation calm through his demeanor and expertise. Thanks again Mr. Merel.

anonymous
July 2, 2019

Jonathan and team helped me make some sense of what was going on. The court system is ridiculous and having someone with a clear head, who understands and represents your best interest is invaluable!

anonymous
April 16, 2019

Jonathan represented me for 7 years , he is a great litigator and will fight for you . I will recommend to anyone who is going thru a child custody or child support battle . His team was great to me and I can’t be thankful enough .

Faruk
January 4, 2019

I had initial consults with three other attorneys before my initial consult with Jonathan. I have decided to work with Jonathan because, in our initial meeting, he was very professional, knowledgeable, approachable, and he explained the process very clearly answering all my questions satisfactorily. Looking back now, I have made the correct decision to work with Jonathan in this dissolution of marriage case. Having Jonathan on my side was the pleasant part of this unpleasant process. During the whole process, Jonathan was always very professional and very responsive, Jonathan is excellent about returning texts (to his cell phone), emails and phone calls. He responded promptly to texts, emails and phone calls. He was always available when I needed him and always offered great legal advice. More importantly, he is very professional, well prepared, supportive, and looks at the long term benefit of the client and the children. I was impressed by his knowledge, his patience, and his experience. At the end, the dissolution of marriage resulted with a nice settlement. I am very satisfied with the services of Jonathan. Everyone in the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel was very helpful, organized, and professional. I was also very fortunate to have Aurelija Fitzpatrick, Jonathan’s Associate, working on my case together with Jonathan. She too is very knowledgeable, professional, and responsive. I highly recommend Jonathan and the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel to anyone in need of legal services. Thanks.

anonymous
January 3, 2019

Always responsive, always available to you, patient, tough on the opposing team. Responsible, very involved - this is the man you want in your corner during this rough time. Thank you Jonathan.

Nina
June 20, 2018

I hired Jonathan's law firm to represent me during my divorce. Jonathan was very honest about what he thought may or may not be the outcome for my personal situation. He didn't waste time or money fighting for things he didn't believe would resolve my case. He has lots of experience and didn't mislead me simply to drag things on.

Alexander
April 13, 2018

Getting divorced was a painful, difficult experience. I was lucky to have Merel’s firm to navigate through the process. Jonathan Merel has a fantastic team, including Melissa Caballero and Stephen Lincoln, who led the charge in my divorce settlement. They fought for my rights and kept me well informed as the case progressed. I highly recommend them if you are looking for an experienced law firm.

Marzena Grzelak
March 5, 2018

Jonathan Merel and his colleague Bradley R. Kaye, Law Offices of Jonathan Merel ARE the BEST divorce/family law attorneys you can hire to help you with your divorce process...They get things done in a speedy way to finish, be done, so you can be HAPPY again! They are extremely experienced, dedicated, and right on top of things at all times to make sure you get the BEST results possible during and in the finale of your divorce! They achieve and complete things very thoroughly in an extraordinary professional way! Jonathan M. and Brad K. handle arising matters asap, reply to your emails, texts and phone calls immediately with truthful answers, strategies, plans of resolution and even attack (if needed) in an ugly disagreements, conflicts, and disputes with your ex, who just don't wanna do what's right for your children! Jonathan Merel will not treat you like a number in his law firm's client statistics. HE WILL make sure your case is NOT put on a back burner until the end of completion of your case, giving you best legal attention at all times when you need him! He will not take your hard earned money and promise you pears on apple trees! Both, Jonathan & Brad are very truthful, straightforward, trustworthy and mostly right on point with what they can accomplish, and what the results in the finale of your divorce will be! Jonathan Merel gets things done with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed for his client, who is going thru a repulsive, unpleasant divorce. I highly recommend Jonathan Merel as your divorce attorney! I had to fire 2 attorneys BEFORE I hired Jonathan M and wasted a lot of money & time making that mistake... Jonathan Merel as my divorce attorney delivered FAST the BEST results I needed for my two wonderful children an I with a 110% satisfaction as his client in the finale! thanks so much!

HW
June 6, 2021

I highly recommend Jonathan Merel law office. Divorce is a stressful and emotional time of life and you need great attorneys to support and to help you navigate through this storm. I have a complicated case that went through GAL and evaluation process, difficult opposing counsel, and a long process over 3 years (partially due to pandemic delay). During this period, I’ve been working closely with Jonathan Merel and David Zwaska. They are fast in response (usually within hours and even over weekends for urgent issues), explain legal matters and procedure in simple terms for me to understand, detail orientated in each circumstance and accurate in financial calculation, bring crystal clarity and bold solutions to complicated matters. While Jonathan takes leadership, oversees and brings goal and visions to the case, David Zwaska works directly with me on routine basis, and both of them are great attorneys that are capable of presenting each issue in logical manner in court and fighting for our best interests and rights. And in my opinion, all these qualities have differentiated Jonathan and David as great attorneys from good attorneys. Now, the divorce is vanishing in my rear view mirror as I am moving into the next chapter of my life, I will definitely go back to Jonathan's office for any future legal assistance.

John
November 25, 2019

I was referred to Jonathan and his firm from one of my close friends. I was already divorced and did not want to use my attorney who worked me through my initial divorce proceedings for many reasons. From the initial meeting, I knew Jonathan was the attorney I wanted to work with. He listened to my journey of how I got to this place in my divorce and provided great insight and perspective on how we could work together to get more time with my child. He worked with me and helped me understand the process that was ahead and was responsive to me and all my questions throughout the process. He represented me and my position well and believed in me and my cause to get more time with my child. I now have more time with my child because of Jonathan and his hard, tireless work to help a single father get what was right: more time with his child. THANK YOU Jonathan for all that you do and I recommend Jonathan to all my friends.

anonymous
October 30, 2019

Jonathan was caring and kind throughout the entire process. He was able to Understand my desires and needs while taking into account what my children and ex would want as well. He was able to keep a tense situation calm through his demeanor and expertise. Thanks again Mr. Merel.

anonymous
July 2, 2019

Jonathan and team helped me make some sense of what was going on. The court system is ridiculous and having someone with a clear head, who understands and represents your best interest is invaluable!

anonymous
April 16, 2019

Jonathan represented me for 7 years , he is a great litigator and will fight for you . I will recommend to anyone who is going thru a child custody or child support battle . His team was great to me and I can’t be thankful enough .

Faruk
January 4, 2019

I had initial consults with three other attorneys before my initial consult with Jonathan. I have decided to work with Jonathan because, in our initial meeting, he was very professional, knowledgeable, approachable, and he explained the process very clearly answering all my questions satisfactorily. Looking back now, I have made the correct decision to work with Jonathan in this dissolution of marriage case. Having Jonathan on my side was the pleasant part of this unpleasant process. During the whole process, Jonathan was always very professional and very responsive, Jonathan is excellent about returning texts (to his cell phone), emails and phone calls. He responded promptly to texts, emails and phone calls. He was always available when I needed him and always offered great legal advice. More importantly, he is very professional, well prepared, supportive, and looks at the long term benefit of the client and the children. I was impressed by his knowledge, his patience, and his experience. At the end, the dissolution of marriage resulted with a nice settlement. I am very satisfied with the services of Jonathan. Everyone in the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel was very helpful, organized, and professional. I was also very fortunate to have Aurelija Fitzpatrick, Jonathan’s Associate, working on my case together with Jonathan. She too is very knowledgeable, professional, and responsive. I highly recommend Jonathan and the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel to anyone in need of legal services. Thanks.

anonymous
January 3, 2019

Always responsive, always available to you, patient, tough on the opposing team. Responsible, very involved - this is the man you want in your corner during this rough time. Thank you Jonathan.

Nina
June 20, 2018

I hired Jonathan's law firm to represent me during my divorce. Jonathan was very honest about what he thought may or may not be the outcome for my personal situation. He didn't waste time or money fighting for things he didn't believe would resolve my case. He has lots of experience and didn't mislead me simply to drag things on.

Alexander
April 13, 2018

Getting divorced was a painful, difficult experience. I was lucky to have Merel’s firm to navigate through the process. Jonathan Merel has a fantastic team, including Melissa Caballero and Stephen Lincoln, who led the charge in my divorce settlement. They fought for my rights and kept me well informed as the case progressed. I highly recommend them if you are looking for an experienced law firm.

Marzena Grzelak
March 5, 2018

Jonathan Merel and his colleague Bradley R. Kaye, Law Offices of Jonathan Merel ARE the BEST divorce/family law attorneys you can hire to help you with your divorce process...They get things done in a speedy way to finish, be done, so you can be HAPPY again! They are extremely experienced, dedicated, and right on top of things at all times to make sure you get the BEST results possible during and in the finale of your divorce! They achieve and complete things very thoroughly in an extraordinary professional way! Jonathan M. and Brad K. handle arising matters asap, reply to your emails, texts and phone calls immediately with truthful answers, strategies, plans of resolution and even attack (if needed) in an ugly disagreements, conflicts, and disputes with your ex, who just don't wanna do what's right for your children! Jonathan Merel will not treat you like a number in his law firm's client statistics. HE WILL make sure your case is NOT put on a back burner until the end of completion of your case, giving you best legal attention at all times when you need him! He will not take your hard earned money and promise you pears on apple trees! Both, Jonathan & Brad are very truthful, straightforward, trustworthy and mostly right on point with what they can accomplish, and what the results in the finale of your divorce will be! Jonathan Merel gets things done with a 100% satisfaction guaranteed for his client, who is going thru a repulsive, unpleasant divorce. I highly recommend Jonathan Merel as your divorce attorney! I had to fire 2 attorneys BEFORE I hired Jonathan M and wasted a lot of money & time making that mistake... Jonathan Merel as my divorce attorney delivered FAST the BEST results I needed for my two wonderful children an I with a 110% satisfaction as his client in the finale! thanks so much!