About

As a certified mediator and Fellow with the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois, Stephanie is able to offer clients alternative processes to resolve their divorce outside of the courtroom. Stephanie is also a Certified Financial Litigator with the American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators, uniquely positioning herself to assist clients with complex financial issues.

Education:

Stephanie graduated from University of Illinois College of Law, Magna Cum Laude with pro bono notation. While in school, Stephanie received CALI Excellence for the Future Awards in Family Law and Regulations of Financial Institutions and the Marguerite L. Rickert Award for Excellence in both Legal Writing and Service as one of the top eight students in her graduating class in both areas.

Stephanie served as Managing Editor and Executive Administrative Editor of The Elder Law Journal and received “Best Note” distinction for her student note and won “Best Overall” and “Best Oralist” at the HNBA Internal Moot Court Competition. Stephanie now serves on the University of Illinois’ Family Law Advisory Board, providing input into the school’s family law curriculum and events for law students.

Stephanie received her Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where she graduated with a double major in psychology and legal studies. She received departmental honors in Legal Studies and earned “Thesis with Distinction” honors for her thesis, “Examining the Legal Legitimacy of False Light Claims.”

Employment:

Prior to joining Kogut & Wilson, Stephanie completed judicial externships for the Honorable Debra B. Walker (Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division), the Honorable Holly F. Clemons (Champaign County Circuit Court, Family Law Division), and the Honorable Michael J. Chmiel (McHenry County Circuit Court, Civil Division), wherein she researched and summarized issues in complex divorce proceedings. Upon graduating from law school, Stephanie worked as an attorney at a prominent family law firm in Chicago, specializing in high net worth divorce proceedings.

Awards:

Since 2016, Stephanie has been selected annually to receive the Avvo Clients’ Choice Award in Divorce for outstanding client reviews from clients she represented through divorce proceedings. In support of this award, clients described Stephanie as a “professional, patient, hard worker”, “excellent communicator”, and an attorney who helped clients “feel calm and prepared in court because of her in-depth preparation.”

In 2017, Stephanie was selected among over 2,300 volunteer attorneys to receive the Distinguished Service Award for outstanding pro bono services by the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, Chicago’s first and pre-eminent legal aid organization. In 2019, Stephanie was recognized as “Young Lawyer of the Year” by the Illinois State Bar Association.  

Since 2018, Stephanie has been selected annually as a “Rising Star” attorney by Illinois Super Lawyers magazine, an award only given to less than 2.5% of lawyers under 40 years old in Illinois.

Since 2017, Stephanie has been recognized annually as an Emerging Lawyer for being a top family law attorney under 40 years old who has been practicing for less than 10 years.  

Professional Associations:

Stephanie is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division and Family Law Section Councils. As chair of the case law committee for the Family Law Section Council, Stephanie briefs and presents on recently published family law cases to practitioners and judges on a monthly basis.

Stephanie is the current Secretary of the Center for Disability and Elder Law’s Young Professionals Board. In this capacity, she helps plan Senior Center Initiatives through which members help seniors prepare durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care and Property to avoid potential abuse and financial exploitation.

Community Involvement:

Stephanie volunteers on a bi-weekly basis as a legal aid hotline attorney for CARPLS Legal Aid, Cook County’s largest provider of legal services. As a hotline attorney, she advises clients on a wide array of civil litigation issues including divorce and parentage matters.

Stephanie also volunteers for the Chicago Volunteer Legal Services’ Chinese American Service League Legal Clinic on a monthly basis. In this role, she helps members of the Chinese community increase their access to legal services by translating and completing legal forms on their behalf, in addition to providing them with legal advice.