Michele M. Jochner
Effective and winning advocacy requires specialized skills to analyze the pertinent legal issues and see the case the way trial court judges and appellate justices do. An effective lawyer must be well-versed in pertinent case law and applicable procedural rules, with the ability to identify those issues and arguments which are likely to be most successful, and to convey them persuasively. In addition, the ability to think "outside the box" and envision novel approaches is required. But, most of all, the lawyer must put the client first, listen closely and be the strong voice which tells his or her story. Ms. Jochner is such a lawyer.
Ms. Jochner served for 15 years as a judicial law clerk to two Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court: the late Hon. Mary Ann G. McMorrow and the Hon. Charles E. Freeman. During her tenure with our State's highest tribunal, she has worked on numerous high-profile matters involving cutting-edge issues of first impression, providing her with a unique breadth and depth of experience in all areas of substantive and procedural law combined with a keen understanding of the mechanics of our trial and appellate courts. Her first-hand experience and crucial insights into the State court system provide her with the basis to craft and communicate compelling legal strategy and arguments.
A recognized legal scholar, expert writer and educator to law students and attorneys, Ms. Jochner has been honored by her peers in "Best Lawyers in America," as a Super Lawyer and as a "Leading Lawyer" who has ranked in the top 100 Women Consumer Lawyers in Illinois and who was profiled in the 2016 Consumer Edition of Leading Lawyers Magazine. Ms. Jochner was also named to the inaugural class of Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s and Chicago Lawyer’s 2020 Salute! Women in Law awards, and the recipient of the 2015 Top Women Lawyers in Leadership Award by the Women's Bar Association of Illinois. She also has authored nearly 200 articles on a wide array of legal topics appearing in publications nationwide, and her two columns, “Law From a Different Perspective” and "On Appeal," appear regularly in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. In addition, she is listed in several “Who’s Who” publications, and was previously recognized as one of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch” by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Ms. Jochner regularly speaks on legal issues to various groups across the State, including seminars on effective legal writing, appellate advocacy, and family law. She has also served as an adjunct professor at both DePaul University College of Law and The John Marshall Law School. In testament to her career-long commitment to legal education, the Illinois Supreme Court appointed Ms. Jochner to serve as the Chair of its Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Board.
As a well-known leader in the Chicago legal community, she is active with many organizations, including the Chicago Bar Association (CBA), where she has served as a member of the Board of Managers and on the Executive Committee of the CBA’s Alliance for Women, as well as on the Editorial Board of the CBA Record and as past-chair of the CBA's Committee on Public Affairs. She is similarly active with the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), where she served as Secretary of the Association, as well as a past member of the Board of Governors, the Assembly and the Editorial Board of the Illinois Bar Journal. She also served as past Chair of the General Practice Section Council, as a co-editor of the Bench & Bar Newsletter and as a member of the Family Law Section Council. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR), as well as on three panels at her alma mater, DePaul University College of Law: as the Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Council, and as a member of both the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center Advisory Board and the Advisory Board for the Center for Public Interest Law. She also holds several leadership positions within the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, and serves on the Leader Council for Mercy Home for Boys and Girls.
Recognizing the importance of ensuring that the future of the legal profession is in good hands, Ms. Jochner also actively mentors numerous law students at DePaul, as well as through Phi Alpha Delta. Her mentoring efforts were recognized by The Chicago Lawyer Magazine in honoring her as a "Woman Making an Impact."
- Best Lawyers in America - Recognized in the area of Family Law (2015-2021)
- Salute! Women in Law (Top 50 Most Influential Woman in Law) - Law Bulletin Media (2020)
- Illinois Leading Lawyer - Recognized in the area of Family Law (2014-2020)
- Illinois Super Lawyer (2016 - 2020)
- LawDragon 500 (Family Law) - 2020
- Recognized as one of 2013's "Women Making an Impact," Chicago Lawyer magazine (2013)
- DePaul University College of Law Outstanding Service to the Profession Award (2013)
- Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch - Law Bulletin Publishing Co. (2004)
- Illinois State Bar Association, Lincoln Award Legal Writing Contest, (Record-Holding Seven-Time Recipient (2013, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1999, 1997, 1996, 1994)
- Illinois State Bar Association, Recipient of Board of Governors Award for exemplary service to the profession and the Association (2009)
- Illinois State Bar Association, Recipient of Presidential Commendation for Indispensable Service to the ISBA and the Profession Through Many Leadership Roles (2007)
- Illinois State Bar Association, Newsletter Editor Service Award (2006 - 5 years service, 2011 - 10 years service)
- Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International 2013 Recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Joseph L. Story Chapter at DePaul University College of Law (2014).
- Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, Recipient of the Chicago Alumni Chapter 2019's Hon. Mary Ann G. McMorrow Service to the Profession Award (2012)
- Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, Recipient of the Chicago Alumni Chapter's Centennial Award (2012)
- Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, International, Honored as the International Fraternity 2019's Outstanding Alumni Chapter Justice (2010)
- Listed in Who's Who 2019's Who in the World - 16th and 18th Ed.
- Listed in Who's Who 2019's Who in America - 51st thru 58th, and 62nd thru 63rd Ed.
- Listed in Who's Who 2019's Who in American Law - 9th thru 15th Ed.
- Listed in Who's Who 2019's Who of American Women - 27th Ed.
Chicago, Illinois 60654
