Elizabeth  Lazzara
Elizabeth Lazzara
Member,
Co-Chair, Executive Management Committee
T: 312.755.3144
F: 312.222.6357
Download vCard
elazzara@agdglaw.com
Elizabeth Lazzara
Member,
Co-Chair, Executive Management Committee
T: 312.755.3144
F: 312.222.6357
Download vCard
elazzara@agdglaw.com

Elizabeth Lazzara has 31 years of extensive experience representing clients in all financial phases of divorce or family law conflict, including, but not limited to: antenuptial (prenuptial) and postnuptial agreements; trial practice and procedure; child support and maintenance; property distributions; valuations of closely-held corporations, limited partnerships, retirement funds, commercial and residential real estate holdings and employee stock options; and tax analysis of complex income scenarios. She works closely with accountants and valuation experts to determine non-marital and marital asset classification and valuation.

Elizabeth also devotes a substantial portion of her time to representing clients on children’s issues involving contested and uncontested child custody, allocation of parental rights and responsibilities, supervised visitation, relocation, termination of parental rights,domestic violence matters, Orders of Protection, DCFS reporting and investigation, and issues of physical, sexual and/or substance abuse. In this capacity, she works closely with court appointed Guardians ad Litem, psychiatrists and child psychologists on custody evaluations in both mediated and litigated settings.

In May 2014, Elizabeth completed the Divorce Mediation Skills Training course at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies. Today she uses these skills to assist clients in reaching reasonable, creative and cost-effective solutions that are right for their family. Elizabeth is on the Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division’s list of Court-Certified Mediators, and is certified to mediate Discretionary (financially related issues) and Mandatory (custody related issues) mediation cases.

Elizabeth has been recognized by Illinois Leading Lawyers for Family Law since 2003, by Best Lawyers in America for Family Law from 2019-2023, and by Crain's Chicago Business as a Notable Gen X Leader (2019) and Notable Woman Lawyer (2018). 

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

  • Representing victims of domestic violence in protecting their rights and the rights of their children

  • Representing parents and grandparents in all phases of parenting, custody, guardianship, parenting time, supervised parenting time and restricted parenting issues

  • Representing owners of residential, commercial, investment and equestrian properties in connection with valuing the marital estate

  • Successfully representing a minority shareholder’s non-marital interest in a family business

  • Representing full-time homemakers, housewives and mothers in securing rehabilitative and permanent maintenance

  • Representing self-employed individuals and high wage-earners in maintenance and support matters

  • Representing clients in issues involving interstate custody disputes

  • Successfully litigating a father’s pursuit to have custody of his minor child

  • Working with evaluators and mental health professionals on psychological evaluations and testing, substance abuse and sexual deviance evaluations

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Elizabeth joined Aronberg Goldgehn in July 1998. Since 2022, Elizabeth has served the firm as a member and co-chair of the Executive Management Committee. In this role, she focuses on specific management tasks including firm policy-making, strategic planning, and culture and relationship building.

She regularly publishes and lectures on numerous family law topics, including “Preventing Critical Financial Mistakes During Divorce” and "Family Law From A to Z." Most recently, she presented “Initiating the Child Support Case” and “Modifying and Enforcing Child Support Decrees” at the National Business Institute’s “Advanced Issues in Assignment of Parental Responsibilities and Support in Divorce” seminar, March 2017.

Elizabeth holds the AV® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for ethics and legal ability. She has been recognized as a 10 Best for Client Satisfaction by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. Since 2020, she has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the field of Family Law. In addition, she has been named to the inaugural 2020 Best of the Best Attorney’s Top 10 Family Law Attorneys list for Illinois.

In 2019, Elizabeth was named to "Crain’s 2019 Notable Gen X Leaders in Law” list, published in Crain’s Chicago Business. In 2018 and 2022, she was named by Crain’s Custom Media as a “Notable Woman Lawyer in Chicago.” Also among her accolades, since 2003 she has annually been named a Leading Lawyer in Family Law by Illinois Leading Lawyers, and she has been named a Super Lawyer in Family Law by Illinois Super Lawyers.

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RELATED NEWS



Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, J.D., 1989

John Carroll University, B.A., 1986

Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, Divorce Mediation Skills Training, 2014



BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS

  • Illinois
  • Louisiana

MEMBERSHIPS

  • Illinois State Bar Association, Family Law Section
  • Chicago Bar Association, Family Law Section
  • DuPage County Bar Association, Family Law Section
  • Northwest Suburban Bar Association, Family Law Section
  • Association of Family and Conciliation Courts


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  • AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell
  • The Best Lawyers in America for Family Law (2019-2023)
  • 10 Best for Client Satisfaction by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys
  • Best of the Best's Top 10 Family Law Attorneys (2020-2023)
  • Illinois Leading Lawyer in Family Law (2003-2023)
  • Illinois Super Lawyer in Family Law (2006)
  • Crain’s Chicago Business's Notable Gen X Leaders in Law (2019)
  • Crain’s Chicago Business's Notable Woman Lawyer in Chicago (2018)

PERSONAL

What is your favorite thing about working at Aronberg Goldgehn? We provide the best, high quality, time-sensitive legal representation at some of the best rates in the city.
What is one item on your bucket list? To set aside more time for traveling.
What would you be doing if you weren’t a lawyer? Gardening. I love to garden.
What is your favorite place in Chicago? Any of our great sports venues. I’m a sports fan, and there’s no better sports town than Chicago.
What is the best vacation you’ve ever been on? Every vacation that we were lucky enough to have the entire family along!
What is your favorite restaurant? Shaw’s
What is something most people don’t know about you? I discovered running in my late 40s. Who knew I had it in me?