Anna K Law · Northbrook, Illinois
Yes, there is a better way to divorce. Ask me how.
I’m Anna Krolikowska, a divorce and family lawyer in Northbrook and a past president of the Illinois State Bar Association. Mediation, collaborative divorce, or court when it must be: we choose the table that fits your family.
- 145thPresident, Illinois State Bar Association, 2021 to 2022
- Since 2006Licensed in Illinois
- Mediatorand collaboratively trained attorney
- LoyolaUniversity Chicago, B.A. and J.D.
Three tables
Three tables. You choose.
I am a collaboratively trained attorney, a trained mediator and an experienced litigator, so I can offer you more than one way forward. Together we choose the one that fits your goals and your values.
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One neutral, at the head. Table one
Mediation
You and your spouse sit down with one neutral mediator, who helps the two of you talk through each decision and reach your own agreement. A mediator represents neither of you, so each of you may still want a lawyer to advise you and to put the agreement in writing for the court.
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Two lawyers, one table. Table two
Collaborative divorce
You each hire your own collaboratively trained lawyer, and everyone signs a participation agreement to settle out of court under the Illinois Collaborative Process Act (750 ILCS 90). If the case goes to court instead, both collaborative lawyers generally must step aside, which keeps everyone working at the table.
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When it must be. Table three
Court
When agreement is not possible, or not safe, each side’s lawyer presents the case and a judge decides the issues you could not settle. It can take longer and be more public, and sometimes it is still the right table.
“there are some situations where we do need a judge to hear the case and we do need a judge to decide.”
Anna, That’s Good Parenting podcast, July 2023
General information about Illinois law, not advice about your situation.
“Families are often looking for more than legal guidance. They are looking for a trusted guide through one of life’s most difficult transitions.”
For parents
The kids come first.
Anna, That’s Good Parenting podcast, July 2023: in my mind, the kids come first.
Illinois law no longer speaks of custody. It speaks of parental responsibilities: who makes the significant decisions about a child’s education, health, religion and activities (750 ILCS 5/602.5), and how parenting time is shared (750 ILCS 5/602.7).
Parents who agree can set this out in a parenting plan, and a court will generally adopt it if it serves the child’s best interests (750 ILCS 5/602.10). In a collaborative case we can also bring in a mental health professional who helps the two of you build a schedule around your children’s ages and needs.
My advice starts before any of that: keep the children out of the court process, keep the adult reasons between the adults, and decide together how you will tell them.
The Family We Will Be
I also write for children. My series of children’s books about divorce is told by a girl named Emma: My Parents Are Getting Divorced and Emma's New Holidays.
About
I’m Anna.
My family came to the United States from Poland when I was 13, and I enrolled in Chicago Public Schools. No one in my family was a lawyer, and we did not know any. Then came a Constitution test.
“I got hooked on the idea of the rule of law, and how the Constitution works in the United States”
Anna, to the Illinois State Bar Association, June 2021
I studied at Loyola University Chicago, including time at Loyola’s Rome Center, and earned my B.A. in 2003 and my J.D. in 2006; one of my undergraduate degrees is in international relations. I formed K&R Legal Services in Northbrook in 2008 and led it as managing partner, and in late 2020 I formed Anna K Law.
In June 2021 I was installed as the 145th President of the Illinois State Bar Association, at the Illinois Supreme Court building in Springfield.
“I am only the 5th woman elected President of ISBA in its 146 year history.”
Anna, in a 2023 interview with Chicago North Shore Moms
- Licensed
- Illinois, 2006
- Education
- Loyola University Chicago, B.A. 2003 and J.D. 2006
- Training
- Collaboratively trained attorney and trained mediator
- Bar service
- 145th President, Illinois State Bar Association, 2021 to 2022
- Practice
- Divorce, mediation, collaborative divorce, parenting matters, allocation of parental responsibilities, post-decree modifications, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
- Recognition
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® since 2023, in Collaborative Law: Family Law and in Family Law
- Books
- The Family We Will Be, a children’s book series about divorce
Mówię po polsku · I speak Polish
Questions
Before we talk.
What is the difference between mediation and collaborative divorce?
In mediation, one neutral mediator helps you and your spouse reach your own agreement, and the mediator represents neither of you. In collaborative divorce, each of you has your own collaboratively trained lawyer at the table, and everyone commits in writing to settle without going to court. Both aim to keep the decisions with your family.
What happens if a collaborative divorce does not settle?
If either of you takes the case to court, the collaborative process ends and, under the Illinois Collaborative Process Act (750 ILCS 90), the collaborative lawyers generally cannot represent either of you in that case, so each of you would hire new counsel. That rule is deliberate: it gives everyone a reason to keep working at the table.
How are decisions about the children made in Illinois?
Illinois law speaks of parental responsibilities, not custody. Significant decisions (education, health, religion and extracurricular activities) are allocated under 750 ILCS 5/602.5, and parenting time under 5/602.7, both by the child’s best interests. Parents can propose an agreed parenting plan (5/602.10); if they cannot agree, a judge decides.
Do we have to go to court to get divorced in Illinois?
You need the court’s judgment, but not necessarily a fight. Only a judge can enter a judgment of dissolution, and the ground is irreconcilable differences (750 ILCS 5/401). When you settle through mediation or a collaborative process, finishing is usually brief: the agreement goes to the judge for approval, often at one short hearing.
Are prenuptial agreements enforceable in Illinois?
Generally yes, when made properly. The Illinois Uniform Premarital Agreement Act (750 ILCS 10) requires a written agreement signed by both of you. A court may refuse to enforce one that was not signed voluntarily, or one that was unconscionable when signed and made without fair financial disclosure. Child support cannot be adversely affected.
These answers are general information about Illinois law. Your situation will have its own details; ask me about them.
Ask me how
Start with a conversation.
“I welcome an opportunity to speak with you to see if we are a good fit and how I can help you in your life transition.”
Anna, Chicago North Shore Moms, 2023
- Consultation
- Free initial consultation, in person or by Zoom
- Counties
- Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake and McHenry
- Languages
- English and Polish
Calling or emailing does not by itself make you a client. Please leave out confidential details until we have talked.