Illinois Family Law Attorney
Debra J. Braselton is an experienced family law attorney with a unique background and a career built around families. Debra's first career was as a certified nurse midwife at a large teaching hospital in Chicago. During her career as a nurse midwife, Debra gained a wealth of knowledge and experience with families, particularly with families in crisis. Debra's clients benefit from her experience and enjoy her unique sensitivity to the personal nature of their family law matters.
Debra handles cases involving divorce, custody, visitation, domestic violence, guardianship and adoption in Cook, Dupage, Kane and surrounding Counties. She is adept at counseling her clients as to the proper course of action and regularly handles trials, pretrial conferences, evidentiary hearings and contested motions in her cases. Debra is also a skilled negotiator - as comfortable developing and presenting a complex settlement proposal as she is evaluating and responding to a settlement proposal presented by her opponent. Whether she's handling litigated cases or negotiating settlements, Debra's skills help achieve the best possible results for her clients.
An advocate of alternative dispute resolution in family law matters, Debra was among the first attorneys in Illinois to receive training in Collaborative Law. Approximately half of Debra's divorce practice is comprised of collaborative cases and she is actively involved in the Illinois and international collaborative law professional organizations.
Debra achieves an out of court settlement in over 90% of her divorce cases, a success rate she attributes to meticulous case preparation, excellent client communication and a willingness to aggressively try the case when settlement options have been exhausted. Debra demonstrates her commitment to professional responsibility through her active involvement in local bar associations, not-for-profit divorce educational organizations and as a Hearing Board Chairperson with the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission. Ms. Braselton's background and experience have earned her widespread respect among her peers and, based upon peer recommendations, she was selected for inclusion in Illinois Super Lawyers in 2012. An active community volunteer, Debra currently serves on the Village of Hinsdale Zoning Board of Appeals and is a merit badge counselor with Boy Scout Troop 8 in Hinsdale.
Education:
- Juris Doctor, Loyola University of Chicago School of Law
- Master of Science, Maternal & Child Nursing, Rush University
- Bachelor of Science, Nursing, Rush University
Licensure:
- Admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of the United States
- Admitted to practice in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- Guardian ad Litem, 18th Judicial Circuit, Dupage County, IL
- Certified Nurse Midwife, American College of Nurse Midwives
- Registered Professional Nurse, State of Illinois
- Certified Child Representative, 18th Judicial Circuit, Dupage County, IL
Professional:
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Dupage County Bar Association
- Member, Child Advocacy Committee
- Member, Family Law Committee
- Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission
- Chairperson, Hearing Board
- Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois - Officer and Executive board member, 2005-2008
- International Academy of Collaborative Professionals
- Chicago Area Families for Adoption
- Sigma Theta Tau National Honor Society
