Merel Family Law has announced the addition of Jody Meyer Yazici as a partner, effective immediately. With more than 30 years of practice in Illinois and authorship of the state's leading family law reference, Meyer Yazici brings unparalleled depth of experience to the firm.
Meyer Yazici is the author of The Illinois Practice of Family Law, a treatise widely known as the "Red Book" among Illinois judges and practitioners. The reference covers the full scope of state and federal law affecting family law practice and is part of Thomson Reuters' Illinois Practice Series. She has written all 25 editions since its first publication in 1995, with the most recent released in March 2026. The treatise began as a project she undertook as a law student alongside the late Muller Davis.
Throughout her career, Meyer Yazici has focused on financially complex family law matters, collaborating with accountants, business valuators, and other financial experts. This background has shaped her approach to every case, regardless of size. "Once you get beyond the very superficial level of almost any case, even simple cases have complex issues that need to be addressed," she said. "It's important that lawyers see this field as something deserving of that attention and level of professionalism."
Her decision to join Merel Family Law stems from the firm's forward-looking philosophy and commitment to elevating the practice of family law. Jonathan Merel, founder of Merel Family Law, commented: "Jody has shaped how family law is practiced and understood in Illinois. For more than 30 years she has written the reference that judges and attorneys across the state rely on, and she has done it while holding every case to an exacting standard. Raising the level of this field is exactly what we set out to do when we built this firm, and we are proud to welcome her as a partner."
Beyond the treatise, Meyer Yazici has contributed to the Illinois Bar Journal and the ISBA Family Law Section Newsletter, as well as to Strategies for Family Law in Illinois. She assisted in the prepublication review of The Lawyer's Guide to the Cost of Capital by Shannon Pratt and Roger Grabowski. She has been named repeatedly to the Leading Lawyers Network and served on the Chicago Council of Lawyers' judicial evaluation committee. She earned her law degree from Cornell Law School and her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, and has practiced in all aspects of family law since her admission to the Illinois bar in 1994.
Merel Family Law, founded in 2009 by Jonathan Merel, serves clients across the Chicago area and metropolitan Detroit. With more than 20 attorneys across four offices, the firm handles divorce, high net worth divorce, child custody, child support, alimony, property division, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, LGBTQ family law, domestic violence, and mediation. The firm is guided by its commitment to "Your Family In Family Law®," combining experienced advocacy with a compassionate, client-centered approach.
For leaders in business and technology, this partnership signals a continued elevation of legal standards in family law, particularly in complex financial matters that often intersect with business interests. Meyer Yazici's expertise in high-stakes cases and her authoritative treatise will likely enhance the firm's ability to serve clients with sophisticated needs.
