Kimberly A. Cook

Kimberly’s family law practice is informed by an intimate understanding of the needs, challenges, and family dynamics of her contemporaries. This understanding is valuable throughout the divorce process, particularly when custody, spousal, and child support issues are involved. In addition to divorce, Kimberly also handles dissolution of civil unions, as well as prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.

Highly regarded by clients, judges, and her peers, Kimberly has been named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine for the past three years. In 2013, she was named a 40 Under 40 Illinois lawyer to watch.

Kimberly knows that disintegrating relationships are distressing for all involved, but she helps her clients recognize that they are not at all powerless, but instead the driving force that shapes the future.

Whether advising young professionals without children, or fathers or mothers with several, Kimberly helps her clients focus on the big picture and involves them in generating solutions that keep control in their hands and out of the court’s. She works in concert with clients to develop clear plans and strategies that enable them to take back control of their lives, rebuild, and move on in the best way possible. Kimberly endeavors to resolve cases amicably through negotiation, but she is a skilled litigator and is always prepared to go to court if out-of-court settlement is not possible.

Having grown up in the Republic of Panama, Kimberly is sensitive to the many ways culture, religion, and other social forces impact family life. As a married working mother, former teacher, and former staff member of an organization focused on children’s development and well-being, Kimberly has in-depth knowledge and experience in parenting matters, including developing parenting plans and mediating parenting schedules.

Kimberly recognizes and understands that the “traditional” parenting schedule made popular in the Eighties— the “every other weekend and one night for dinner” plans —are not always realistic for New Millennium families. Investigating family dynamics, she believes, is the key to developing arrangements that work for modern parents. Fully understanding how a week looks for mom, for dad, and for the kids helps assure that plans reflect how families actually live.

Committed to serving others, Kimberly is a volunteer attorney at the Cook County Domestic Violence Courthouse. She served on the Young Professionals Board of the Chicago Bar Foundation (2010 – 2012) and is an annual participate in Race Judicata and the March of Dimes – March for Babies Walk. She is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, Black Women Lawyer’s Association, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Kimberly received her B.A. from Spelman College and J.D. from The Catholic University of America – Columbus School of Law. She served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Gerald B. Lee, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and the Honorable John Mott, Superior Court of the District of Columbia – Domestic Relations Division.