Catherine Joan Ryan

Catherine Ryan handles all aspects of family law representation, including: dissolution, parentage, domestic violence, spousal support, child support, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, allocation of parental responsibility (formerly known as child custody and visitation), property division, contempt and enforcement proceedings, legal separation and post-judgment matters. Ms. Ryan has a deep appreciation for the fact that each family situation is unique and is dedicated to advocating for her clients and helping families transition from a place of uncertainty to a place of peace. She prides herself on offering practical solutions to emotionally overwhelming and complex situations.

Ms. Ryan earned her Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law in 2014. During law school, she was permitted by the Illinois Supreme Court to represent clients in divorce and domestic violence proceedings as a 711 licensed student clinician at DePaul’s Family Law Clinic. In addition to her doctrinal and practical course work, Ms. Ryan clerked for the Child Support Enforcement Division of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and volunteered with the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, assisting petitioners seeking Emergency Orders of Protection in Domestic Violence court. Ms. Ryan was elected President of DePaul Law’s Women’s Bar Association. Additionally, she was appointed to serve on the Executive Board of the DePaul Law Diversity Committee and the Executive Board of Law Students for Reproductive Justice. Upon graduation, Ms. Ryan received a Special Certificate in Public Interest Law and was the recipient of DePaul’s distinguished President’s Award for Service.

Following law school, Ms. Ryan was hired to serve as a Divison Attorney for the Cook County Domestic Relations Division. In that role, she aided Presiding Judge Grace G. Dickler in the exercise of her administrative duties and assisted Domestic Relations’ judges with complex legal research and writing assignments. Ms. Ryan served as Judge Dickler’s liaison to various committees and government offices including the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, Administrative Office of Illinois Courts, and the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

In connection with her employment with the Domestic Relations Division, Ms. Ryan was appointed to the Illinois Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission’s Remote Access Committee where she worked to promote, facilitate, and enhance equal access to justice for all people, particularly the poor and vulnerable. Ms. Ryan was also a member of the committee responsible for drafting of Public Act 99-0763, the clarifying trailer bill to the recent rewrite of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. The update to the statute brought much-needed improvements to Illinois’ divorce and related family laws. As a result of her knowledge of the law and the new statute, Ms. Ryan was tasked with managing the Cook County Circuit Court’s Domestic Relations Division’s Rules and Forms Committee. The Committee updated Cook County’s local rules and forms to conform to the changes in the statute.

In 2019, Ms. Ryan was identified by her colleagues as a Leading Lawyers Emerging Lawyer, representing one of the top lawyers who are age 40 or younger in Illinois. Less than 2% of all lawyers licensed in each state have received the distinction of Emerging Lawyer.

Ms. Ryan is a third-generation lawyer and daughter of founding partner Maureen McGann. She joined McGann& Matesevic, Ltd. with the hope of continuing the firm’s 40-year commitment to achieving excellence in the practice of family law.