Emily Rebecca Carrara

Emily Rebecca Carrara

4.7
Rating: 9.9

Licensed for 24 years

Family Lawyer at Naperville, IL
Practice Areas: Family, Divorce & Separation, Guardianship ... +3 more

1250 E. Diehl Road, Suite 400, Naperville, IL

About Emily

Biography

Practice Areas

6

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

Cost

Retainer

Sometimes


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

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Licenses

Licensed in Illinois for 24 years

State: Illinois

Acquired: 2001

Active and Authorized to Practice Law

No misconduct found

Location

Law Offices of Emily Rebecca Carrara

1250 E. Diehl Road, Suite 400, Naperville, IL, 60563

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Emily Rebecca Carrara's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.7 /5.0

14 Client Reviews

Filter Avvo Reviews (14) Refine reviews to match your needs. Use the filters to quickly surface reviews that align with your case or priorities.

Showing 1 - 3 of 3 reviews | Responsiveness

Posted by Natalie | March 16, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Zero star if I could, please save your heartache and AVOID

Working with this attorney has been an absolute nightmare. I spoke with her a few weeks after my divorce was finalized. My best friend had recently gone through a divorce & told me to make sure a qualified and competent attorney handled the QDROs portion of my divorce, as hers took an unreasonabl...e amount of time. Emily was recommended by my divorce attorney. I spoke with her a few weeks after my divorce & stated to her my friend’s experience. She assured me my friend’s experience would not be the way she treated me & the process would be smooth & she had good relationships with the plan administrators where my money was invested. Fast forward to November. I emailed Emily, as I had heard nothing from her in almost 4 months. 25 days later she responded to me. She said she would get back to me the following week. Guess what? Not a word. 1/2/20 I asked her for an update. I received no response. Getting fed up Emily was ignoring me, as well as my financial planner stating this was nonsense, I put her in charge of contacting Emily. She called multiple times and received a lot of dodging by Emily’s secretary. I then let my attorney know what was going on. 1/17/20 — the paralegal finally seems to get things moving. 2/3/20 we were told this would be wrapped up in a few weeks. Today is 3/14. That day has come and gone. Nothing has happened. Also 3/13 I received a bill from my own attorney for $810. All the billing had to do with my attorney chasing down Emily Carrara and figuring out what was going on. I’m on a fixed income and do not have $810 just laying around for someone to chase this woman down. My own attorney stated he was disappointed in her actions. The portion of the QDRO I was to receive as cash that was owed to me by my ex husband has probably gone down 20-30% due to the stock market tumble. I am a social worker and that money was to go toward a bachelors of nursing degree I am pursuing, to help purchase a new home so I can get my son into the high school he wishes to attend with his friends & to pay for my kids’ college. I do not know now if the money will be there to make these goals happen. Had this been finalized months ago, I would not be in this predicament & would not have lost a large portion of my life savings. I am not a person who likes to leave negative reviews. I also always give people the benefit of the doubt. Given these circumstances I would NEVER use this attorney for any reason. She is incompetent & she will not respond to you. Please stay away from Emily Carrara.

Posted by Arlene | October 19, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Emily Carrara

I hired Emily Carrara for my divorce proceedings. In the course of these proceedings, she drafted two QDRO's, one for a pension and one for a supplemental retirement fund. She also wrote a proposed settlement agreement and made herself available to contact and answer questions that my husband had. I ...believe that her skill, tact, and sensitivity really made the difference in my case. Her advice was sound, my case did not escalate in cost, and my husband and I were able to settle the divorce amicably. Thank you, Emily, for facilitating the resolution of a difficult and potentially contentious process. My case ended as well as it could have.

Posted by anonymous | August 08, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Divorce & Separation

Life-changing representation

Emily, Maureen and the STG team did an amazing job ensuring my divorce resulted in a positive outcome for the most important person involved in it -- my daughter. They knew she was my No. 1 priority and never lost sight of that while we endured a grueling four-year court process against a very aggres...sive and large law firm. Emily started on the case before our trial and did all the day-to-day work that often goes unnoticed. After a successful trial outcome, she led the appeal and did an incredibly thorough job that included catching dozens of mistakes in the opposing counsel's filings. In the years following she was always there for me when there were flare-ups in or out of court. I can't say enough about the job she and the team at STG did for us. I highly recommend her as a lawyer and as a person.

See All Client Reviews

Emily Rebecca Carrara's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Emily
Jonathan Gerald Anderson headshot
Jonathan Anderson

Divorce and separation lawyer | Apr 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Steven H. Mevorah headshot
Steven Mevorah

Adoption lawyer | Apr 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Scott William Tzinberg headshot
Scott Tzinberg

Divorce and separation lawyer | Dec 03

Relationship: Worked together on matter

"I have consulted and retained Emily several times related to retirement plan issues in divorce cases. Her knowledge and quick turnaround on QDROs and other retirement related documents is invaluable."

Cameron H. Goodman headshot
Cameron Goodman

Family lawyer | Sep 26

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"I endorse this lawyer. I had the opportunity to work with Emily on a highly contested post-decree case. She is an experienced family law attorney with excellent judgment, outstanding litigation skills and a highly professional temperament. I highly recommend her."

Stephen W Vertucci headshot
Stephen Vertucci

Divorce and separation lawyer | Aug 29

Relationship: Co-worker

"Emily is a tireless advocate for her clients and is extremely knowledgeable, artculate and a strong advocate for her clients. She helps clients negotiate amicable resolutions to disputes but is a skilled litigator when a trial becomes necessary. When a client has Emily as their attorney, that client can be assured they will be more prepared and more informed than their opponent when they walk into court."

Anique Kane Drouin headshot
Anique Drouin

Divorce and separation lawyer | Feb 02

Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer's work. Emily is an excellent attorney who listens to her clients and works to reach the best resolution to their complicated divorce/custody matters."

View All Endorsements
Melissa Kuffel headshot
Melissa Kuffel

Family lawyer

Joshua D Jachimowicz headshot
Joshua Jachimowicz

Personal injury lawyer

Janella Lynn Barbrow headshot
Janella Barbrow

Litigation lawyer

Mark Thomas Schmidt headshot
Mark Schmidt

Probate lawyer

Scott William Tzinberg headshot
Scott Tzinberg

Divorce and separation lawyer

Joseph Frederick Emmerth IV headshot
Joseph Emmerth

Divorce and separation lawyer

Juli Ann Gumina headshot
Juli Gumina

Divorce and separation lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.9 (Superb)

Honors

2017

Leading Lawyer, Leading Lawyers

N/A

One of the Eight Women to watch, DuPage County Bar Association

Work Experience

2001 - Present

Partner, Sullivan Taylor & Gumina, P.C.

Associations

2001 - Present

Illinois State Bar Association

Member

2001 - Present

American Bar Association

Member

2001 - Present

DuPage County Bar Association

Member

2005 - 2006

DuPage County Bar Association Young Lawyers

Chair

2003 - 2004

Kane County Bar Association

Chair

Sample of Legal Cases

• In re the Matter of Felzak v. Hruby, 226 Ill.2d 382, 876 N.E.2d 650, 315 Ill.Dec. 338, Ill., September 20, 2007

• In re the Matter of Felzak v. Hruby, 367 Ill.App.3d 695

See More Legal Cases

Education

2001

John Marshall Law School, Chicago

JD - Juris Doctor

1993

Boston University

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2015

Advanced Family Law

Special Issues in Military Divorce

2014

Paralegal Seminar

Retirement Accounts and Qdro

2014

Oddities and Challenges of Family Law

Drafting Pitfalls and Tips for Family Law Agreements

2014

Mega Meeting

A Primer on Resolving Retirement Issues

2014

Advanced Family Law Issues

Failure to Equitably Distribute Assets

2013

Chicago Kent School of Law

Dividing Retirement Assets

2013

Advanced Issues in Divorce

Post-Divorce Considerations

2011

DuPage County Bar Association Mega Meeting

Everything You Want to Know about QDROs

2010

Financial Settlements and Support Issues in Divorce

Division of Retirement Accounts

2010

Chicago Kent School of Law

Dividing Retirement Assets

2007

DuPage County Bar Association Mega Meeting

Grandparent Visitation Post Wickham

Publications

2016

DuPage County Bar Association Brief The Illinois Probate Act; Updates and Changes

2009

DuPage County Bar Association Brief Parenting Agreements for Non-Christian Parents: A short primer on Holidays Beyond Christmas

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

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