Jennifer Dillon Kotz

An ability to help clients successfully navigate challenging financial issues and child custody matters has distinguished Jennifer’s family law practice for more than 17 years.

Jennifer recognizes that every family’s situation is different, and provides clients with a customized strategy to fit their needs and goals. At the same time she works to maintain integrity, trust and superior service. Jennifer’s experience in litigation and settlement covers all areas of family law, including trust and estate plans, real estate appraisals, and executive compensation benefits. She is especially known for handling complex financial litigation cases that involve business valuations, as well as cases that entail high conflict custody and parenting issues. Jennifer represents a wide variety of clients, both men and women, including executives, professional athletes, entrepreneurs and stay-at-home spouses.

As the mother of a young son and daughter herself, Jennifer knows the importance of developing custody arrangements and parenting plans that put the interests of children first, shield them from harm, and promote their health and happiness. She has established a network of resources and referrals to assist parents of children with learning disabilities, or other special needs. Jennifer also guides parents through the school system to assure that children receive the educational support they need to thrive, including individualized education programs.

In addition to her extensive litigation experience in family law matters, Jennifer has trained in Collaborative Law and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Law. Her skills in both litigation and collaborative law enable her to advise clients which cases should be tried and which cases can be effectively settled.  Jennifer is also a trained mediator and arbitrator.

Jennifer has been widely acclaimed for her litigation and settlement capabilities. She has been recognized in Leading Lawyers Top 100 Women Lawyers in Illinois (2014 and 2015); Illinois Super Lawyers (2013-2015); Best Lawyers in America (2012-2014); as a Top Lawyer in Illinois (2011-2013) as published in West Suburban Living in 2006; in Top Lawyers in Illinois as published in Crain’s Chicago Business (2011); inducted into the Leading Lawyers Network of Top Family Law Lawyers in 2009; received the recognition of Top Lawyer Leading Women Lawyers (2009) as published in Chicago Lawyer; listed as a "Rising Star" by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine in 2009; and selected one of the “40 Under 40 Illinois Attorneys to Watch” by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin in 2006.

Jennifer is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, and is a past Chair of the CBA Young Lawyers Division, Family Law Committee. She has lectured on family law topics for the IICLE, the Chicago Bar Association, and the DePaul Law Society.