Get to know: Elmhurst resident and Leading Lawyer Laura Kern

ELMHURST — Elmhurst attorney Laura Kern has been named a Leading Lawyer by her peers every year since 2005, among a bevy of other accomplishments in her nearly 30-year career.

The mother of five directed the DuPage County Bar Association for three years in the 1990s, founded a committee for children's rights in the organization among myriad other professional, civic and educational duties in Elmhurst and the western suburbs.

What is it like balancing work and raising children?
I went to work for a couple different attorneys but it was frankly hard to keep a job when I was always having kids. I worked during all my pregnancies but with the twins, I was forced on bedrest for the majority of the pregnancy which forced me out of work.
When I recovered, I started my law office at a desk in the middle of the room in another guys' office. I started with two files. For the next 27 years, I juggled practicing law with raising five kids. My husband worked nights and weekends and I worked days and I am proud to say I think my kids turned out pretty darn good with that set up.

How did you choose family law, mediation, DFCS work, guardianship and juvenile law as your specialties?
One of the attorneys I worked for before I started my own shop was a divorce attorney. I saw how multifaceted that type of practice is and wanted to learn more about  disabilities, protecting kids and older folks, psychology, tax, contracts, estate planning, neglect, abuse, domestic violence, juvenile delinquency, the Constitution, trial practice, litigation, real estate and more. ... I also realized that practicing this type of law can make a huge difference in a family's future if they understand from the beginning what the process is and how it can work for them instead of against them.

Where do you find the most gratification in your work?
After doing this the adversarial way for about 10 years, mediation came on the scene. The absolute best way for people to resolve conflict is mediation, not litigation. Mediation allows people with the help of a skilled mediator to fashion creative solutions to their problems without breaking the bank. Research has shown that people who come to agreement in mediation for the most part do not return to court. This is a real boon to families and the kids caught in the middle.

What advice would you give to students either in law school or considering a future in law?
I hope that the people entering this practice have a different perspective from when I first entered this field that it is not about who wins because frankly, no one wins. A win for a divorce attorney is that both people walk away equally unhappy because if you have to go to trial, irreparable damage is the result. I hope that the law school graduates take a holistic approach to family law incorporating alternative dispute resolution like mediation, arbitration and collaborative law instead of fighting to the death in a courtroom.