Audrey founded Gaynor Law in 1998, after practicing complex commercial litigation in San Francisco for 5 years and family law in Chicago for 6 years. Audrey’s philosophy has always been to provide the most sophisticated, top-shelf legal work and representation in a boutique environment.

Audrey has consistently practiced with and against the largest firms and succeeded because she was professionally raised in that environment. Audrey’s clients have the benefit of large firm training and small firm attention.

Family law, however, requires a more nuanced and thoughtful approach than commercial litigation. In a divorce, prenuptial agreement, parentage matter or post-decree issue, everything is personal. So, while Audrey can walk the walk of a hard-edged litigator, it is important to speak and think in a manner that fits the family and recognizes emotional issues, understands how children will be affected and respects the economic values of the family.

As one judge was fond of saying about Audrey, she is an iron fist in a velvet glove.

Audrey is one of the most creative negotiators and collaborative lawyers in Chicago. She has cultivated meaningful relationships with other counsel, supportive professionals, therapists and mediators with the goal of forming teams to support the family and guide it through what is always a challenging transition, regardless of whether the marriage is short or long, has children or not or substantial or not so substantial financial assets.

Audrey is particularly skilled at addressing complex financial matters that arise in family law legal matters, such as closely-held corporate interests, partnerships, executive compensation plans, cash flow assessments and valuation issues. She also is able to help families solve parenting disputes and learn to find the most effective methods to work with each other to raise their children holistically when they are no longer together.

Audrey is adept at compassionately representing and supporting people with health challenges while they go through a divorce or post-decree process. Many families must address mental health and other health issues in the course of family legal proceedings. It is critical that the lawyers and other professionals involved in the action protect and respect that information while appropriately addressing limitations and consequences within the family law matter of a party’s or child’s condition and treatment.

Audrey remains passionately committed to the smart and compassionate representation of individuals who must address the legal issues that arise within a family’s journey and uses all available tools and processes to their best advantage. No one ever gets married with the intention of getting a divorce.

Audrey graduated with honors from the University of Michigan in 1983 and received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1986. Prior to concentrating in family law, Audrey practiced securities law and complex litigation in San Francisco, California and clerked for former Chief Judge Clarence A. Brimmer of the United States District Court for the state of Wyoming.

Audrey shares her life with her husband, Paul, and their grown children who are a vibrant source of optimism, critical thinking and creativity. Paul and Audrey have enthusiastically devoted their resources to sustaining our planet through their organic farm and event venue, White Oak Savanna, located in Dodgeville, WI. They can be found biking, hiking, swimming, paddling, and skiing in the hills and valleys of the Driftless Region, or supporting live theatre and music in Wisconsin and Chicago.

gaynor@gaynorlaw.net

Tamara M. Jaggers (“Tami”) has worked her entire legal career helping professionals and high net-worth individuals and their spouses navigate complex family law matters. The individual attention she provides clients ensures their specific concerns are considered and addressed while developing a plan for their financial futures.

Her skills as a mediator result from working with clients to identify and prioritize their financial and parenting issues and goals and come up with creative solutions that work for each family’s unique set of circumstances. She understands that each client comes to her with different needs, goals and priorities, and that there are no cookie-cutter solutions.

Tami has extensive experience addressing and demystifying executive compensation benefits and contracts, as well as dealing with valuations and cash flow issues of closely held businesses. She truly enjoys helping clients develop and assess their positions on financial issues by taking complex financial data and creating realistic models of potential outcomes so clients can assess their options as a whole and make the best decisions for their futures.

While a skilled litigator and careful trial lawyer, Tami prefers to resolve cases outside of the courtroom, when appropriate, so clients can actively participate in and direct their own settlements through mediation or other alternative dispute methods. Her extensive training in mediation and the collaborative model help settle, even in the midst of litigation, the most difficult of issues.

Tami has been with the firm since 2004 after working opposite of Audrey on a case when she was a law student at Chicago-Kent College of Law’s family law clinic. She joined the firm as an associate upon graduating from Kent in 2005 and was promoted to partner in 2012. She received her B.A. from Purdue University in 1996.

Prior to attending law school, Tami was the Director of Special Events for a radio station group in Indianapolis, Indiana, and subsequently worked as an assistant publicist at a Los Angeles entertainment public relations firm. Even though she was originally lured to the legal field to work in entertainment law, she found her versatility and background especially suited for helping individuals through an extraordinarily difficult time in their life.   Tami enjoys going to music concerts, planning trips (that may or may not ever be taken) and exploring the city with her young children when she is not working.

jaggers@gaynorlaw.net

Lisa’s passion for family law stems from her desire to help clients navigate through what can be one of the most difficult and challenging times in their lives. Lisa approaches each case with compassion, strength, and tenacity. Her background in psychology provides her with a unique understanding of issues that arise.

Lisa has extensive experience in legal research and writing and is skilled at crafting persuasive and sound legal arguments to achieve positive outcomes for clients. She strives to bring each matter to a successful conclusion in order to bring stability to the family, while ensuring her client’s financial well-being.

Prior to family law, Lisa practiced commercial litigation in Chicago where she handled complex business disputes and gained invaluable knowledge to understand the intricate, financial aspects of divorce and structure favorable financial solutions for clients. She also has experience in mental health law, which is particularly helpful within the family law area, where mental health and other health issues are common.

Lisa graduated from the University of Michigan in 1990 with a B.A. in psychology and received her J.D. from Northwestern University in 1993.

When not working, Lisa enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, who continue to amaze and inspire her.

ben-isvy@gaynorlaw.net