Wakeman Law Group

Meet Liz Wakeman, Divorce Attorney and Founder, Wakeman Law Group

I threw a Divorced Girl Smiling Launch party in 2014 and Liz Wakeman was there! We recently reconnected and got to know each other. Liz, who earned her law degree in 1993, and who is also a Certified Mediator and Collaborative Divorce Attorney, is based in Crystal Lake, IL. What I love about Liz is her commitment to ethics and doing the right thing in every case. Her standards are high for fairness and the best possible divorce outcome for her clients.

Not only is Liz just such a lovely person, she’s smart, experienced, and dedicated and passionate about divorce law and amicable, fair divorce. I am so excited to call her a new Divorced Girl Smiling trusted professional. Welcome, Liz!

Sincerely,

Jackie Pilossoph, Founder, Divorced Girl Smiling

Liz’s Bio:

Liz holds a law degree from DePaul University School of Law. She began her legal career with Williams & Montgomery in Chicago practicing in the area of insurance defense litigation. She defended claims for products liability, contract actions, declaratory judgments, automobile accident, premises liability and medical malpractice through multiple insurance carriers including Allstate, ISMIE, and many others while also handling a variety of litigation for the now defunct Venture Stores.

Seeking a more suburban practice, Liz moved to a firm in Vernon Hills and Chicago. While there, in addition to continuing the general insurance defense practice, she served as National Counsel for PST Vans managing their vehicular accident litigation claims across the country. She also handled medical malpractice cases for ISMIE and many Chicagoland hospitals and physicians and served as monitoring counsel for the Illinois Guaranty Fund for malpractice cases across the state.

Liz was a partner at the firm of O’Hagan, Smith & Amundsen/SmithAmundsen in the Woodstock office continuing to handle automobile accident, premises liability (slip and fall), medical malpractice and myriad of other types of insurance defense claims for State Farm, Farmers, Liberty Mutual, American Country Insurance as well as self- insured hospital systems such as Advocate.

Liz was a partner with Crystal Lake firms where she expanded her practice to include family law and injury cases for plaintiffs. With her knowledge and experience of the analysis and process the insurance companies utilize to evaluate and prepare cases for settlement and trial, she has been able to help many plaintiffs recover damages for injuries sustained in a variety of accidents including automobile and motorcycle accidents, injuries from falls and from the negligence of medical care providers. Learn more here.

Liz on the Divorced Girl Smiling Podcast

Connect with Liz on Social Media:

Testimonials:

• • LISA SZAREK

    – Jun 30 2023 Liz is a compassionate attorney (something I always thought to be an oxymoron.) She tries her best to keep costs down, while getting the job done to the best of her ability. She is levelheaded, patient, and smart. I didn’t get all that I wanted in my circumstance, but that’s just because we were dealing with someone who didn’t play by the rules. I appreciated her dedication and honesty throughout a very difficult case.

  • SAMANTHA N

    – Feb 17 2023 Liz and her team (Seema and Stephanie) have been amazing. I’ve been fighting a custody case for over 2 years and although it’s been a lengthy and torturous process dealing with my narcissistic ex, we’ve reached a best possible outcome this far. I’m extremely grateful for her attention to detail, timely responses and understanding for my situation. She is someone you can trust and know she has your best interest at heart. Thank you again for everything you’ve done and continue to do as we still have a long road ahead of us.

  • TRUDY

    – Dec 16 2018 Liz worked with us on our will and trust. She was very attentive to our needs and challenges that goes with creating a will. Great working with her team.

  • TLC

    – Dec 06 2018 Liz is an amazing attorney. Very thorough and on top of everything. I would recommend her to anyone and actually have.

  • CATHY BEHRENS

    – Oct 23 2018 Liz is great to work with. She is always willing to answer all of my questions. Her assistant Stephanie is always great as well.

  • LAURA MIDDAUGH

    – Oct 22 2018I  was divorced 6 years ago and I still recall how unsettling and unnerving starting the process felt. From our initial meeting, however, I knew Liz was the best person I could have chosen to stand by my side during the process, and I continue to be thankful for her support during that time as well as the well-written decree that resulted from my work with her. Since its finalization, the decree has preemptively spelled out specific procedures for post- divorce situations that I never would have anticipated and that would have likely resulted otherwise in additional stress and conflict between myself and my former spouse, as well as the potential for additional litigation. Based on her years of experience, Liz told me what I could realistically expect legally which helped me stand strong when I needed to while at the same time keeping my expectations realistic. She was good about employing wise legal strategies and keeping me informed of her reasoning. Most importantly, Liz knows how to be supportive on a human level. She is compassionate when working with clients while standing strong and firm in the courtroom. This was vital in moving me through a long and draining process. One of her greatest strengths is that she realizes that maintaining a positive outlook and a clear head are critical and helps her clients maintain both.

  • AMY KEATON

    – Oct 21 2018 Top notch legal representation!! I cannot say enough about the service I received from Wakeman Law Group. They are excellent communicators, organizers and a formidable presence in court. My divorce was lengthy and nasty. I could not have gotten through it without the compassion and work done by Liz and Stephanie.

Articles by Liz: