Michelle Dahlquist

Going through a divorce or a custody dispute is one of the hardest things a person can face. Michelle Dahlquist has focused her entire legal career on family law, helping clients through those moments with clear guidance and steady advocacy.

Michelle handles all aspects of family law, including divorce, legal separation, parentage, parenting responsibilities and parenting time, child support and maintenance, property division, orders of protection, college expenses, premarital agreements, post-judgment issues, and appeals.

Her approach is simple: make sure every client understands their rights and options so they can make informed decisions about their future. She knows no two families are alike, and she tailors her strategy to each client’s goals. Many cases can be resolved through thoughtful negotiation, and Michelle works toward fair settlements whenever possible. When a case does need to go to trial, she is prepared to advocate firmly in the courtroom.

Experience and recognition

Michelle is a Certified Guardian ad litem (GAL) in DuPage County where she has been selected on multiple occasions to present at the biennial GAL training seminar.  She is also a Certified Mediator, having completed the Northwestern University Divorce Mediation Training program. Michelle is an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the DuPage County Bar Association. She chaired the DCBA’s Children’s Advocacy and Continuing Legal Education Committees and served as Secretary of the DuPage Association of Women Lawyers (2011–2013). The DCBA honored her with its Pro Bono Service Award (2011) and Board of Directors Award (2013).

Education

Michelle earned her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2008, where she made the Dean’s List several times, and her B.S., cum laude, from Illinois State University in 2005. During law school she gained hands-on family law experience as a judicial extern in the Cook County Domestic Relations Division, at the Chicago-Kent Family Law Offices, and as a law clerk at a Chicago matrimonial firm.

A western suburbs native, Michelle lives in the area with her family.

Practice Areas

• Divorce
• Family Law
• Paternity
• Child Custody (Allocation of Parental Responsibilities)
• Visitation (Parenting Time)
• Pre and Post Judgment Issues
• Premarital Agreements

Bar Admissions

• Illinois, 2008

Education

• Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, Divorce Mediation Training Certificate, 2026
• Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois, J.D., 2008
• Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois, B.S., Cum Laude, 2005

Certifications

• Certified Guardian ad Litem, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, DuPage County
• Certified Mediator, Eighteenth Judicial Circuit, DuPage County

Professional Memberships and Associations

• DuPage County Bar Association (DCBA)
  • Member, 2008-Present
  • Chair and Vice-Chair of Membership Committee, 2013-2015
  • Chair and Vice-Chair of Continuing Legal Education Committee, 2011-2013
• Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA)
  • Execute Committee Member (Appointed), Young Lawyers Division, 2014-Present
  • Member, 2008-Present
• DuPage Association of Women Lawyers (DAWL)
  • Member, 2008-Present
  • Secretary, 2011-2013

Honors and Awards

• Selected To Super Lawyers, 2026-Present
• Client's Choice Award, Avvo, 2017
• Emerging Lawyers, Leading Lawyers Network, 2015-2016
• Board of Directors Award, DCBA, 2013
• Pro Bono Legal Service Award, DCBA, 2011

Publications

• Not the Mama? Assisted Reproduction and the Illinois Parentage Act of 2015, DCBA Brief, 2022
• Percentage Upheld, Deviation Denied, Illinois Divorce Digest, May 2014

Past Presentations

• Relocation at DCBA GAL Training, January 2020, 2022, 2026
• DCBA Family Law Division CLE Meeting, “Prosecuting, defending and seeking remedies: criminal and civil contempt proceedings”, March 2017