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Michele Lowrance

Hon. Michele F. Lowrance (Ret.)

JAMS Mediator, Arbitrator and Referee/Special Master

Case Manager
Kayleigh Evans
T: 312-705-9317
F: 312-655-0644
71 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60606
kevans@jamsadr.com

Michele F. Lowrance is available to conduct cases virtually. JAMS is equipped to provide virtual ADR services on a variety of online platforms, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx, and more.

Biography

Hon. Michele F. Lowrance (Ret.) has over 39 years of experience as a lawyer, judge, and sought after commentator on family law issues in Illinois and nationally.  A child of divorce and divorced herself, Judge Lowrance brings special personal perspective to her family law matters.

Her approach is wholistic, encompassing the emotional and financial aspects of divorce.  Judge Lowrance brings unique problem solving skills to even the most high conflict cases, recognizing that successful breakup or divorce signals a changed relationship more often than simply an ended one.

Judge Lowrance has substantial litigation, judicial, and settlement experience in all aspects of family law including:

ADR Experience and Qualifications

  • Custody and parenting time
  • Special issues related to same-sex divorce and parenting
  • Property
    • College contribution
    • Contributions and reimbursements between marital and non-marital estates
    • Distribution of assets and debts
    • Family support and maintenance
    • Prenuptial and postnuptial agreements
    • Valuations and the use of forensic accounting in the valuation of real estate, businesses, art, and other assets

Representative Matters

  • Allocation of college expenses
  • Custody and care of children, including those with special needs
  • Dissolution of family partnerships and family corporations
  • Distribution of assets and debt from small estates overwhelmed with debt to very large estates with millions in assets
  • Grandparent custody and visitation
  • Grounds where one party objected to divorce for religious reasons
  • Negotiation of pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements
  • Paternity cases involving DNA
  • Physical, sexual, and emotional abuses of minors and young adults
  • Stock option division
  • Tax issues in divorce
  • Termination of parental rights
  • Trust and estate disputes; wills
  • Valuation of high asset estates
  • Validity of pre/postnuptial agreement
    • Alimony
    • Annulment
    • Child custody, support, and visitation
    • Enforcement of prenuptial agreements
    • Modifications of custody
    • Property division
    • Surrogate/in vitro cases
  • Use of experts relative to removal, custody, visitation, real estate appraisals, business valuation, life style, disability, and forensic accounting
Completed Virtual ADR training conducted by the JAMS Institute, the training arm of JAMS. 

  • Honors
    • Recipient, Samuel S. Berger Award, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, Illinois Chapter, 2015
    • Ranked Third, Top 10 Women ADR Neutrals in Illinois, Leading Lawyers, 2015
    • "Retired Judge Michele Lowrance," Attorney at Law, Judicial Profile, February 2015
  • Memberships & Professional Activities
    • Board of Directors, Illinois Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, 2013-2015
    • Chair, Committee for On-line Parenting, Cook County
    • Advisory Board Member, Divorce Magazine, 2013-Present
    • Advisory Board Member, Family Lawyer Magazine, 2014-Present
    • Founding Member and Co-Chair, Divorce Attorneys Mentoring and Educational Group, 2012-present
    • Past Member, Board of Directors, Illinois Judges Association
  • Presentations/Workshops
    • Guest, "The Good Karma Divorce with Judge Michele F. Lowrance" Episode 124 of THE Amicable Divorce Expert Podcast with Judith Weigle, 2021 
    • Creator and Teacher, Protocol for Mental Health Professionals to Minimize Trauma of the Divorcing Process; Workshop Given to the Family Institute of Northwestern University, The Institute of Psychoanalysis, The Forensic Forum, The Chicago Think Tank, and the Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital (forthcoming, 2014)
    • Speaker, Understanding Divorce Trauma for Mental Health Professionals, Urban Balance Mental Health Association, December 2013
    • Keynote Speaker, The Voices of Children, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers National Conference, November 2013
    • Panelist, IL CLE Cutting Edge Child Custody Symposium, September, 2013
    • Trauma of the Divorcing Process, National Association of Social Workers Annual Conference, October 2012 and 2013
    • Keynote speaker, Conference of the National Association of Divorce Financial Planners Keynote, 2012
    • Keynote speaker, Annual Collaborative Law Conference, 2010
    • Chair, Script, and Production Committee, Focus on the Children, Film for Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
  • Publications
  • Judge, Domestic Relations Division, Cook County Circuit Court, Chicago, Illinois, 1995-2013
  • Certified Mediator, Harvard & DePaul Law Schools
  • Harvard Program on Negotiation, Interdisciplinary Collaborative Training, 2013
  • Northwestern Law School, Mediation and Neuroscience, 2013
  • Law Office of Michelle F. Lowrance, 1975-1995
  • J.D., DePaul University College of Law, 1975
  • B.A., Sociology, Roosevelt University, Chicago, Illinois, 1970

Counsel Comments

    • "Michele, you were so supportive of our entire family and such a support to me. I cannot imagine a better mediator. There were many times, when during a session, I would step out of the participant role and move to that of an observer. Your skills are phenomenal….  Just unbelievable."

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Disclaimer

This page is for general information purposes.  JAMS makes no representations or warranties regarding its accuracy or completeness.  Interested persons should conduct their own research regarding information on this website before deciding to use JAMS, including investigation and research of JAMS neutrals. See More

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