Jonathan is very knowledgable about family law. He takes time to understand complex family issues such as child custody, visitation, and child support. Jonathan is intelligent and empathetic and pays attention to the details of a case and family. He is skilled at negotiating settlements and litiga...ting matters that cannot be settled. Jonathan is skilled at communicating with clients, other attorneys, and judges. All of my experiences with Jonathan have been excellent!

I found Jonathan on the internet and at the time was in quite a state. My husband was petitioning for me to be in contempt of court since my attorney - who I had to fire - showed up for court with none of my disclosure documents! I frantically interviewed attorneys and each was worse than the one bef...ore. By the time I met with Jonathan I had all but given up and was planning to go before the Judge without an attorney. But Jonathan got right to work, was direct and seemed to immediately be on my side (something you'd think all attorneys would do!) and like me was not necessarily vindictive to my husband but just wanted him to agree to some kind of equitable divorce - I won't go into all the crazy demands my husband was making but I'll just say one of them was he wanted to keep keys to my house after the divorce so he could still come and go when he pleased. Since my husband has free legal I knew he would do his best to drag things out as long as possible in an attempt to get me to agree to anything just to end it. But Jonathan and his team - Melissa, Anita, Joseph and Jasmine were so effective that I felt confident for the first time that I had real representation in this unpleasant matter. Of course it's not cheap... but let me warn you about 'cheap' attorneys: My husband's "free" attorney got him a week in Cook County Jail!! You get what you pay for most times. Take your time and interview your prospective attorneys. If you don't feel that they are 'on your side' from day one, it doesn't get better after that! I could tell from my interview with my initial attorney that she was more interested in timing my session in her office on her iPhone than what I was saying. That should have gotten me running out of her office! But as a a simple law abiding citizen how many times have I hired a lawyer?? Yup, first time! So let my lesson be yours! I'm not saying Jonathan is the right attorney for everyone out there, but I am very satisfied with his handling of my case: he is thorough, prepared, never late or unready for court and his team is just as committed to providing top quality legal service as he is. Jonathan and his team are compassionate even though they deal with divorce everyday they seem to understand that my divorce is painful and sad at times. Their guidance through this process has saved me money and court time. They've chosen the battles they were confident of winning and didn't pursue the ones I suggested knowing it would only lead to more court time, more money spent and no real progress to my goal: being divorced. In all I do recommend Jonathan - at least give him an interview and see if you don't feel how I felt after our first interview - that someone was finally listening to what I wanted and not just trying to get money regardless of service quality, and wasn't going to make my divorce convenient for them but tailored to me. Oh yeah, he's one of the few that charges for the initial interview so bring your paperwork and make it a working session!! What can I say? We all need to be paid for our time. Good luck!

I was blindsided by my ex with divorce papers. My friend heard of Jonathan and I made an appointment with him. Jonathan explained everything as well as my options. I walked out of the initial consultation knowing he was the man for the job. My ex and I negotiated most things on our own after she fire...d her lawyer, but Jonathan made sure the language in the decree protected me for the future. That language enabled me to get a home loan after my ex stopped paying the mortgage and subsequently short selling the home. If you're looking for a great and knowledgeable lawyer Jonathan is your man.

Jonathan has the ability to take on challenging situations, and help transform them into possitive outcomes. Jonathan has not only advised me about my case as a professional, but has advised me on situations as a friend. I trust Mr. Merel and he has made the last few years with my case very tolerable.... He is a fair, to the point lawyer, and I highly recommend his services to anyone.