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Yolanda earned a Bachelor of Science in Speech Communication and Criminal Justice from Illinois State University and a Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law. A proud Peoria native, she is deeply passionate about her work and committed to advocating for her clients.
She began her legal career as a Staff Attorney at a large regional firm handling matters across nine central Illinois counties, where her practice focused on expungements and record sealing, post-conviction criminal relief, family law, landlord–tenant disputes, orders of protection, and guardianship matters.
Yolanda later joined a smaller private practice, concentrating on family law, criminal defense, and expungement/sealing work, before moving on to serve as a Litigation Attorney with Kavanagh, Scully, Sudow, White & Frederick, P.C. There, she focused on civil litigation, criminal defense, expungement/sealing, family law, and estate planning.
She is now the founder and principal of her own solo practice, serving clients throughout Central Illinois.
Yolanda is an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, Peoria County Bar Association, Tenth Judicial Circuit Pro Bono Committee, Prairie State Legal Services Peoria Campaign for Legal Service, serves on the board of Elite Community Outreach, a member of the PCBA - Foundation Trustee Committe, and the ISBA Committee on Equal Justice.
Her prior leadership roles include serving on the board of the Hult Center for Healthy Living, as President of the Peoria Area Chapter of the ACLU and former member of Central Illinois Black Bar Association.
Yolanda’s dedication and impact have been recognized through numerous honors, including:
2018 Doers of Deeds Award
2019 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Award
2021 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year – PCBA
2023 Peoria Role Model Project Recipient- City of Peoria
2024 Pro Bono Volunteer Honor Roll Recipient – Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI)
2024 Game Changer Award – Elite Community Outreach
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Chat withState: Illinois
Acquired: 2016
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http://www.yolandarileylaw.com, 2601 W. Lake Ave. Ste. A6 #202, Peoria, IL, 61615
119 Client Reviews
Showing 1 - 5 of 11 reviews | Child Custody
Posted by My Angel | November 21, 2025 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody
Eternally grateful
I am beyond grateful for Yolanda’s representation. She guided me through an incredibly stressful and emotional case with compassion, clarity, and unwavering dedication. Thanks to her hard work, I was able to secure the ruling I needed to protect my child and move forward with peace of mind. Throug...
Posted by Marcus | December 27, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody
Best Lawyer Ever
Yolanda did an amazing job on helping me get my daughter. She focused on the facts, evidence and what was best for my daughter! She’s very easy to work with and knows what she’s doing in the courtroom. She stayed in communication with me every step of the way. Very grateful for Yolanda thanks again!!...
Posted by Brook | June 13, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody
Yolanda is Phenomenal
Yolanda is relentless in the court room! She goes to war for her clients, she can't be bought or bullied and IT SHOWS! She is a no-nonsense person, professional, and straight to the point. I hired Yolanda to represent me in an unexpected custody battle following my divorce. Thanks to Yolanda, ...
Posted by Bree | January 16, 2024 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody
Custody Hearing
Amazing is an understatement. Yolanda kept my spirits high during one of the toughest moments of my life, and she helped me be the voice for my child. I highly recommend her, and will forever be grateful for her services.
Posted by Jyneisha | September 15, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody
Best Lawyer EVER In My Opinion <3
I can give praise in under 4000 words, Challenge accepted ! I have been going through some issues in court regarding custody. I have had the court give me incorrect court dates/times, I have been attacked for things that were not relevant to my case and I have been all around mistreated. Yolan...
I am absolutely blown away by your review! Your detailed thoughts and opinions on how I handled your case means more than you know. I try to see every case I take on until the end, achieving the best results possible in each case. I'm honored you took the time to provide your feedback because it motives me to continue to fight just has hard for all my clients! Many many blessings to you and your little girl J! ❤️ Thank you for trusting me!
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2024
Game Changer Award, Elite Community Outreach
2024
Pro Bono Volunteer Honor Roll Recipient, Public Interest Law Initiative "PILI"
2023
Peoria Role Model Project Recipient, City of Peoria
2021
Volunteer Lawyer of the Year, Peoria County Bar Association
2020
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drum Major Award, The King Holiday Committee
2018
Doers of Deeds, Jehan Gordan-Booth
2021 - Present
Attorney, The Law Offices of Yolanda J. Riley, LLC
2019 - 2019
Assistant Public Defender, Peoria County Government- Pubic Defender's Office
2018 - 2021
Litigation Attorney, Kavanagh, Scully, Sudow, White & Frederick, P.C
2017 - 2018
Staff Attorney, Prairie State Legal Services
2021 - Present
PCBA- Diversity CommitteChair
2019 - Present
Illinois Association of Criminal Defense LawyersMember
2016 - Present
Illinois State Bar AssociationMember
2015 - Present
Peoria County Bar AssociationMember
2021 - 2023
Hult Center for Healthy Living Board MemberBoard Member
2016 - 2020
American Civil Liberties UnionGeneral Member, Vice President & President
2015
JD - Juris Doctor
2019
Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Field
2017
Barriers to Employment
English
Legal Answers
If my arrest record has been expunged, how do I answer a question "Have you been arrested"?
17 Aug 2022
Can I press statutory rape charges?
19 Dec 2018
Fathers rights to child?
19 Dec 2018