Current Employment Position(s)

Principal

Lawyer Overview

I recognize that you have a choice in attorneys and all family law attorneys CAN ultimately resolve your problem. The questions you must ask is, "Will the attorney I choose work to dismantle my marriage as carefully as it was originally built? Will my children be the #1 priority throughout the process? Will my lawyer explain the process and recognize that my life will be forever changed from this point forever?"

Our practice is a client centered, team approach: your life, your decisions. We will guide you, lay out your options and try to teach you conflict resolution methods that you may use in the future. Your family unit needs to be dismantled with the same care as when it was built. Our goal is to try to preserve family principles while resolving your problems.

Areas of Practice

• Family Law - General
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)/Mediation
• Criminal Law

West Practice Categories

Criminal Law, Family Law, Transportation Law, Aviation

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Illinois State Bar Association, 1984 - Present (Member)
• Illinois State Bar Association, 2004 - 2005 (Ex-Officio, Illinois State Bar Association Family Law Section Council)
• Illinois State Bar Association, 2003 - 2004 (Chair, Illinois State Bar Association Family Law Section Council)
• Illinois State Bar Association, 2002 - 2003 (Vice Chair, Illinois State Bar Association Family Law Section Council)
• Illinois State Bar Association, 2001 - Present (Secretary, Illinois State Bar Association Family Law Section Council)
• Illinois State Bar Association, 2001 - Present (Assembly Member)
• Continuing Legal Education Committee of Illinois State Bar Association Family Law Section Council, 1998 - 2001 (Member)
• DuPage County Bar Association, 1984 - Present (Member)

Honors and Awards

• Selected by Peers as Leading Lawyer (Top 5% in State in Family Law), 2003 - 2008
• Top 100 Consumer Lawyers by Leading Lawyers
• Top 50 Women Lawyers by Leading Lawyers
• Chicago Daily Law Bulletin 2007 Law Day Edition
• Lecturing on Family Law Topics since 1999
• 2003 Pro Bono Award - DuPage County Bar Association Legal Aid
• American Jurisprudence Award, 1984
• Best Appellate Brief Award, 1982
• Special Commendation for outstanding performance in legal research, writing and oral argument, 1982

Past Employment Positions

• Kubiesa, Spiroff, Gosselar, Acker & Kern, P.C., 2001 - 2004
• Hinsdale, Illinois, Sole Practitioner, 1987 - 2001
• DuPage County Assistant State's Attorney, Wheaton, Illinois, 1984 - 1987
• Village of Roselle, Village Prosecutor, 1994 - 2006
• City of Elmhurst Police and Fire Commissioner, 2000 - 2005
• DuPage County Arbitration Program, Arbitrator, 1990 - Present
• DuPage County Mediator Program, Mediator, 1995 - Present
• City of Elmhurst Youth Commission, Commissioner, 1995 - 1996
• University of Illinois Officer Training School, Instructor, 1993 - 1994
• College of DuPage, Instructor, 1991 - 1992
• Federal Defender Program, Intern, 1983 - 1984
• California Western School of Law, Research Assistant, 1982 - 1983

Education

• California Western School of Law, San Diego, California, 1984
  J.D.
• University of Salzburg, Faculty of Law, Salzburg, Austria, 1982
  Course work and certification in International Legal Studies & Jurisprudence
• College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, MN, 1978
  B.A.
  Major: Political Science
• Immaculate Conception High School, Elmhurst, IL, 1975

Accepts Credit Cards

Published Works

• Editorial, Law Day Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, 2007
• Editorials, Illinois State Bar Association Family Law Newsletter, Sept. 2003, Dec. 2003, Apr. 2004
• Editorial: "Children's Rights", DuPage County Bar Brief, Jan. 1994
• Book Review: "Legal Rights of Children", DuPage County Bar Brief, Jan. 1994

Address

386 North York Road
Suite 204
Elmhurst, IL 60126-2367

Office Hours

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday

Phones

(630) 993-1230

Faxes

(630) 993-1231

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://familykidlaw.org
http://www.laurakern.com