The Firm
Built around people, not caseloads.
Family law only.
Single focus, every case
One attorney,
one client
Wheaton
based
Free consultation
What You Can Expect
Two people. Every client. Every time.
A small practice means every client knows — and is known by — the people working on their behalf. There are two of us, and we are the two you'll work with from your first call to your final order.
Founder & Principal Attorney
Joe O'Brien
A career spent exclusively on family law, with experience that spans every corner of the field — from negotiated settlements to contested trials to oral argument at the appellate level. The attorney clients describe as the one who is genuinely in their corner.
Paralegal
Julie Clairmont
The steady hand behind every case. Julie manages filings, coordinates with courts and opposing counsel. Her organization and care are what keep cases moving — and clients informed.
"The decisions made during divorce will follow you for years. You deserve an attorney who takes that seriously from day one."
Joe O'Brien
Founder & Principal Attorney
Divorce & Separation
A practice shaped by what families actually need.
A divorce, a custody dispute, a fight over support — these are not transactions. They are inflection points. The kind of representation a family deserves at those moments cannot be measured in billable units alone.
O'Brien Family Law was built on a simple premise: the best client experience comes from a practice organized around people, not caseloads. Every matter the firm takes on is handled personally, from the first consultation to the final order. There is no associate pool, no rotating cast of paralegals, no first-call screening with someone you'll never speak to again.
That structure is a deliberate choice. Family law is unlike other areas of practice because the client and the case are inseparable. Decisions about parenting time aren't abstract. Property settlements affect retirement, housing, and how children grow up. The attorney making strategy calls on those questions should be the same person who has actually sat across from you and listened.
The firm represents clients across the full breadth of Illinois family law — divorce, parenting and decision-making, support, modifications, and appellate work — and brings the same depth of preparation to a straightforward dissolution as it does to a contested trial.
A note on what came before.
Before founding O'Brien Family Law, Joe O'Brien spent a decade as a founding partner of Opal O'Brien Law — a respected Wheaton firm where he led the family law practice and built lasting relationships with clients across the region.
This new firm is the natural next step. Same attorney, same standards, same commitment to families. With the added freedom to practice exactly the way he has always believed family law should be practiced.
What You Can Expect
Four commitments to every client.
These are not aspirations. They are the operating principles of the firm — the standard you should hold us to from the first call forward.
i.
Direct attorney access
The attorney you hire is the attorney handling your case. Every consultation, every court appearance, every strategic decision. No handoffs.
ii.
Honest counsel, always
Plain answers about what Illinois law actually allows, where your case is strong, and where it isn't. Strategy built on what's true — not what's easy to sell.
iii.
Genuine availability
Returned calls. Responsive communication. The reassurance of knowing someone is paying attention to your case between hearings, not just at them.
iv.
Preparation that shows
Whether the matter resolves at the negotiating table or in front of a judge, the work behind it is the same. Thorough, careful, and ready.
Let's talk about your situation.
The first conversation is private, free of cost, and free of obligation. Tell us what's going on — we'll tell you what your options actually look like.
CALL DIRECTLY