Illinois AACFL - Divorce Lawyers Adopt Innovative Solution to Help Clients and Judges

CHICAGO, March 31, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The CFL™ designation has taken Chicago by storm with the recent launch of the American Academy for Certified Financial Litigators (AACFL) Illinois Chapter in December of 2018. The AACFL is proud to announce the creation of this chapter and applauds the commitment of its Founding Members. The organization's mission is to solve a growing problem in the divorce world – a rapidly changing economy.

A common path for these attorneys is to study liberal arts at the undergraduate level, go on to law school, and then fight for their clients' financial future without any formal financial training. The mission of this group is to fix that problem in today's complex financial economy. A solid understanding of the financial fundamentals taught in the CFL™ Training course can make the difference between an attorney's client struggling after their divorce and the client being able to start the next chapter of their life with more financial security for their family. While years of experience as a divorce attorney is undoubtedly valuable, imagine the power and benefit to clients of combining that legal knowledge with enhanced financial knowledge!

An additional goal for the group is to raise the level of financial knowledge in the family law community, freeing up the judge's schedules from having to deal with these matters. This will allow judges to spend more time on areas such as domestic abuse, custody problems, and other important, non-financial, family matters. The organization believes that this is a goal that society would benefit from greatly.

The uniqueness of the CFL™ designation and training program is that it was developed by nationally recognized financial firms, financial experts, attorneys and judges who believe in the mission. To create public confidence, the CFL™ designation is only awarded to members of the AACFL who have taken the time to study and receive a passing grade on an objective, comprehensive exam covering these concepts. Not all divorce lawyers would make the commitment of time and effort to obtain and prove their knowledge in these areas. The AACFL seeks to publicly recognize the dedication of these Founding Members and will be indicating those who have earned the designation on their Illinois Chapter website, available for public viewing: http://www.aacfl.org/chapter-il/

The AACFL is hopeful that this trend will continue in Illinois and that its mission of helping the public and the court system will be achieved through the dedication of its members. Currently, the Founding Membership represents some of the finest divorce attorneys and firms in Illinois. The organization has been growing rapidly and currently has membership in over ten states. Congratulations to the following Illinois Founding Members!

Advisory Board Members:

Bruce Richman - Mazars USA
Thomas Field - Beermann LLP
Michael Koenigsberger - Dussias Wittenberg Koenigsberger LLP
Judd Fineberg - Dussias Wittenberg Koenigsberger LLP
Michone Riewer - Riewer & Collins, LLC
Will Stogsdill - The Stogsdill Law Firm P.C.
Michael Strauss - Schlesinger & Strauss, LLC
Laura Baluch - Barrick, Switzer, Long, Balsley, & Van Evera LLP
Burton Hochberg - Schiller, DuCanto & Fleck LLP

Founding Members:

Kelly Collins - Riewer & Collins, LLC
Nicholas Riewer - Riewer & Collins, LLC
Joy Feinberg - Boyle Feinberg Sharma PC
Matthew Shaw - Shaw Family Law, P.C.
Deidre Sanders - Shaw Family Law, P.C.
Erika Foltys - Shaw Family Law, P.C.
Stephen Botti - Botti Marinaccio, Ltd.
Frances Krasnow - Harrison & Held, LLP
Gloria Block - Hoffenberg and Block, LLC
Tiffany Alexander - Hoffenberg and Block, LLC
Jonathan Bereman - Hoffenberg and Block, LLC
Gabriela Asrow - Hoffenberg and Block, LLC
Hon. Michele Lowrance - JAMS
Hon. Karen Shields - JAMS
Ronald Bell - Ronald L. Bell and Associates P.C.
Maureen Sullivan Taylor - Sullivan Taylor, Gumina & Palmer, P.C.
Raiford Palmer - Sullivan Taylor, Gumina & Palmer, P.C.
Juli Gumina - Sullivan Taylor, Gumina & Palmer, P.C.
Anthony Vechiola - Sullivan Taylor, Gumina & Palmer, P.C.
Joseph Emmerth - Sullivan Taylor, Gumina & Palmer, P.C.
Danya Grunyk - The Law Firm of Danya A. Grunk, P.C.
Leah Setzen - The Law Firm of Danya A. Grunk, P.C.
Hilary Sefton - The Law Firm of Danya A. Grunk, P.C.
Victoria Kelly - The Law Firm of Danya A. Grunk, P.C.
Mark Wakenight - Wakenight & Associates
Michael Smith - Michael J. Smith, Attorney at Law, LLC
Susan Alvarado - Law Offices of Susan O'Neil Alvarado & Associates
Christopher Wehrman - Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP
Deanna Bowen - Law Office of Deanna J Bowen
Alexandra Perraud – Hurst, Robin & Kay
Ilene Shapiro - Grund & Leavitt, P.C.
Kristie Fingerhut - FW Family Law Group LLC
Faye M. Lyon - Faye M. Lyon P.C.
Angel Traub - A. Traub & Associates
Lori Peacock - Peacock Law Office, LLC
Gail O'Connor - O'Connor Family Law, P.C.
Wendy Vaughn - Northern Illinois University

Michael Strauss - Partner at Schlesinger & Strauss, LLC, Libertyville, IL Advisory Board member states, "We have seen too many cases in which one or both parties is financially ignorant about the present situation and what financial life will be like after the divorce. That makes the case much more difficult to settle. This is compounded when your opposing counsel lacks understanding of basic financial concepts, let alone advanced financial issues. Having the ability to understand the full extent of the financial intertwining of a divorce case gives an attorney a huge advantage against a lawyer lacking that education and ability. Further, advanced financial education enables an attorney to work quicker and more efficiently to find hidden assets."

For more information, the National AACFL website is http://www.aacfl.org

SOURCE Illinois AACFL