Tanya Stanish
Senior Partner
Meet Tanya
- Bio
- Honors & Awards
- Admissions
- Memberships
- Articles & Publications
- Videos
Education
DePaul University College of Law, J.D., Order of the Coif, with honors, 1995, American Jurisprudence Awards
DePauw University, B.A., (1991) Economics; Management Fellows Student
A highly experienced negotiator and formidable litigator, Tanya Stanish represents a wide variety of clients, from prominent executives, entrepreneurs, medical and legal professionals to professional athletes, spouses with trusts and stay-at-home spouses. Her work includes every aspect of complex and high net-worth family law such as executive compensation plans, trusts and business interests as well as high-conflict child custody and parenting issues. Trial experience includes success with complex divorces and paternity and domestic violence cases. Outside the courtroom, she has considerable proficiency with prenuptial and postnuptial agreements for wealthy individuals.
High net worth family law often involves legacy and generational money, and Tanya understands the desire to protect family and children's' interests in a divorce proceeding. With a background in economics, mathematics and accounting, she knows the nuances of balance sheets and can decipher complicated assets, incentive plans, trusts and distribution issues – whether you are protecting the wealth or are trying to capture it. She also understands lifestyle perspectives of her clients. Child and spousal support is often complex due to wealth, and Tanya knows how to present it to the court.
Over her career, Tanya has turned around cases for clients who were previously with other attorneys. After developing expectations and goals with clients, she is well known for her advocacy and insight. She has gained positive results in many divorce, custody and parenting cases and successfully negotiated difficult settlements.
Representative cases include:
Litigated a substantial increase in a business owner/father’s parenting time with his son against a mother who wanted minimal contact and alienation of the child from his father.
Represented ex-husband with generational wealth and trust interests and successfully negotiated the termination of substantial spousal support payments to his ex-wife.
Represented wife and stay-at-home mother of prominent professional and obtained permanent maintenance award of spousal support plus a post-marriage percentage share of husband’s royalty income from various patents he held.
During what can be a confusing and tumultuous time, clients rely on the steady, compassionate and insightful counsel of Tanya, and appreciate her assistance in easing the financial and emotional transition into a new life post-divorce.
- Lawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers (2025)
- Illinois Top Leading Lawyers (2022)
- Profiled In Crain’s Notable Women In Law For 2020
-
Lawyers of Distinction (2020)
- Top 100 Civil Plaintiff – The National Trial Lawyers (2020)
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers – The National Trial Lawyers (2012-2018)
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America, Naifeth and Smith (2010-2025)
- Illinois Super Lawyer – Family Law (2006 & 2012-2024)
- Leading Lawyers Network – Leading Lawyer in Family Law (2006-2020)
- Top 10 Women Consumer Lawyers - Leading Lawyers Network (2019)
- Top 50 Women Consumer Lawyers - Leading Lawyers Network (2011-2012)
- Top 100 Women Consumer Lawyers - Leading Lawyers Network (2015, 2016)
- Illinois (1995)
Memberships
- Illinois State Bar Association (Former Member of Legislative Committee and Family Law Section Council)
- Chicago Bar Association (Past President of Young Lawyers Section Family Law Committee)
Leadership Roles
- DePaul University College of Law – President, Schiller DuCanto and Fleck, LLP Family Law Advisory Board (2006-08)
- Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) – Member, Family Law Advisory Committee
- Latin School of Chicago – Divorce Class Instructor, Adult Education Program
- Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois – Certificate of Collaborative Law
- DePaul University Center for Dispute Resolution – Certificate of Professional Achievement in Family and Divorce Mediation Training
Court Service
- Former Child Representative, Cook County
Lectures
- “Post-Divorce Representation,” Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE), 2007-08
- “Commingled and Transmuted Property: Reimbursements Owed between Marital and Non-Marital Estates,” Chapter in Property Issues in Family Law Handbook, Illinois State Bar Association, September 2006
- “Cutting-Edge Illinois Custody Law,” Chapter in Handbook for Fifth Annual Family Law Conference, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, Spring 2006
- “Issues in Paternity Litigation,” Chapter in Handbook for Fourth Annual Family Law Conference, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education, April 2005
- “How to Prepare and Obtain an Order of Protection,” Chapter in Handbook for The Chicago Bar Association Young Lawyers Section: A Divorce Primer for New Attorneys, April 2004
- “The Essentials of Effective Dealings with Clients.” Jenner & Block LLP, Seminar, January 2003
- “English Only Rules in the Workplace: Discrimination of Employer Prerogative.” DePaul Business Law Journal, Spring/Summer, 1995
Authorships
- Interviewed on NBC 5 Chicago regarding Brad Pitt child abuse allegations, September 2016.
- Interviewed for CBS Local, "Spouse on Ashley Madison? Read These Tips," August 2015.
- “A Quiet Divorce,” Worth (February 2006)
- Co-Author, “Family Law in Illinois,” Manual for National Business Institute (2003)
- Co-Author, “Paralegals in Family Law Practice in Illinois,” Manual for Institute for Paralegal Education (2001)
Articles and Publications
- Tanya Stanish Profiled as a Legal Leader by Hinsdale Living and Sheridan Road Magazines, 2023
- Tanya Stanish Featured in Sheridan Road Magazine, March 2022
- Summer Newsletter 2018
- "Local relocation" in custody cases now bigger problem than distant moves
- New Child Custody/Support Laws: How the changes affect divorcing couples
- Tanya Stanish was interviewed on Univision regarding the new child support laws in Illinois
- US Supreme Court Upholds Adoption Rights
- Family Law Practitioner Wins With Compassion
- A reason to reflect on protection orders
- Baby Veronica: Is it Possible to Mediate the Impossible?
- Divorce: Maximizing Your Results and Minimizing Your Fees and Time