JANET BOYLE: FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL, FAMILY LAW SOLUTIONS, P.C.

Janet Boyle, Founder and Principal of Family Law Solutions, says that after decades of representing both the rich and not so famous through everything from domestic violence to million-dollar custody fights, she realizes that for most people, divorce is just a blip on the radar of their lives. “When all is said and done, the children grow up, the house they fought so hard to keep is empty and sold, and the healthy people move on to new and better partners,” says Boyle, who began her career as an Assistant Cook County Public Defender. “Watching this happen can be rewarding, melancholy, funny, or sad. I have had a long professional career of being able to observe the best and the worst in human nature.” She’s built a specialty in family law with a special expertise in tax issues, harnessing her graduate degree in taxation during cases that involve complex asset division. Through it all, she’s with each of her clients during pivotal moments in their lives, strategically guiding them with empathy. “There is a common misconception that family law is nasty and negative. I try to change that,” she says, adding that another thing she’d like to change about the system is the implementation of minimum requirements to ensure judges are more qualified to deliver decisions that can often be life changing. “Some judges are just lawyers who are looking for a 9 to 5 job or a pay raise because they are not particularly successful. It is not always a desire to serve that prompts many to seek this office.” One of the organizations she’s passionate about supporting is WINGS, a nonprofit group that provides resources to end the cycle of domestic violence. “WINGS and other groups struggle to have judges comprehend that the charming abuser in front of them is abusive and that the victim who appears to be fragile with maybe some mental health issues is this way because of the abuse. To place the children with the abuser is continuing the cycle,” adds Boyle, who serves as a WINGS board member. “I have seen the abuse from all sides and I have seen what recovery from abuse looks like. It is magical.”

For more information, visit familylawsolutionschicago.com/janet-e-boyle.