Nanette Augustin McCarthy

Even at the start of her family law career in 1995 as a fierce litigator at a well-known matrimonial firm in Chicago, deep down Nanette knew she would be most effective at helping families if she led her own firm. Realizing that goal eight years later, she founded what today is Griffin McCarthy & Rice LLP - a highly respected boutique divorce practice in Chicago.

Since then, Nanette has been appointed by the Cook County Court to act as a child's representative and guardian ad litem in custody and visitation proceedings and engages in continuous training to maintain this qualification. She has extensive experience working on cases with complex custody issues, including cases with special needs children, mental health issues and international removal. While Nanette works with clients in alternative dispute resolution settings such as collaborative divorce and mediation, the bulk of her work is in traditional litigation.

Prior to practicing law, Nanette obtained her B.S.B.A. from Lawrence Technological University and her Juris Doctor from DePaul University School of Law in Chicago. Her undergraduate studies focused on accounting and finances, providing strong financial acumen that is critical in the handling of high net-worth divorces. She also received training in negotiation at the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation, which has framed her entire approach to the practice of law.

Nanette is viewed as a leading voice among matrimonial lawyers and has been invited to speak at numerous engagements on the topic. She has also written many briefs for the Appellate Court of Illinois and authored multiple articles on family law topics including one that was published in the ISBA Family Law Newsletter regarding non-customary parentage law cases.