Merel Family Law has announced the addition of Jody Meyer Yazici as a partner. With over three decades of experience in Illinois family law and authorship of the state's leading treatise on the subject, Meyer Yazici brings a level of expertise that is rare in the field.
Meyer Yazici is the author of "The Illinois Practice of Family Law," a comprehensive reference widely used by Illinois judges and practitioners. Known colloquially as the "Red Book," the treatise covers the full scope of state and federal law affecting family law practice. She has written every one of its 25 editions since 1995, with the most recent published in March 2026. The work is part of the Thomson Reuters Illinois Practice Series and is often encountered by attorneys during law school.
Her practice has focused on financially complex family law matters, collaborating from her early career with accountants, business valuators, and other financial experts. This foundation has shaped her approach, applying rigorous standards to every case regardless of its size. She views the treatise not merely as a professional achievement but as integral to a larger mission shared with the firm: elevating the practice of family law. "Once you get beyond the very superficial level of almost any case, even simple cases have complex issues that need to be addressed," Meyer Yazici said. "It's important that lawyers see this field as something deserving of that attention and level of professionalism."
Jonathan Merel, founder of Merel Family Law, emphasized the significance of her addition. "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 "Strategies for Family Law in Illinois" and assisted in the prepublication review of "The Lawyer's Guide to the Cost of Capital" by Shannon Pratt and Roger Grabowski. She has been repeatedly named 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 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's commitment, "Your Family In Family Law®," pairs experienced advocacy with a compassionate, client-centered approach.
