2021
KATHLEEN OPAL
Katie is an exceptional lawyer and an extraordinary advocate for her clients.” K athleen Opal has one priority: serving her clients and helping them reach their goals.
Lisa Ruble Murphy, a Chicago-based mediator and retired judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Domestic Rela- tions Division, has worked with Opal fre- quently as a mediator in her cases. Mur- phy says that Opal never fails to impress with her ability and smarts. “Katie is an exceptional lawyer and an extraordinary advocate for her clients,” Murphy said. “Katie has great command of the law, very good communication and writing skills and practices her profession with the utmost professionalism. We have had two very difficult cases together and I always have been impressed with her legal abilities. I absolutely would recommend Katie to any who asked for a reference for a domestic relations lawyer.” A judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County’s Domestic Relations Division, points to one case that highlighted Opal’s skills. The case involved a multi-mil- lion-dollar earner with substantial dissipa- tion claims. Opal engaged in a week-long nearly 60-hour pretrial conference before the judge, a conference necessitated by impending changes to tax law. Opal, the judge said, expertly and clear- ly presented her client’s position. She was integral to resolving the case before trial and before the changes to the tax law went into effect, the judge said. “Katie is extremely astute at analyzing complex financial matters,” the judge said. “She has the exceptional ability to clearly present the material she analyzes to en- sure the correct division of marital debts and assets, including accounting for dif- fering dissipation claims of the parties.”
This singular focus helps explain how Opal has built such a thriving family law career at Chicago firm Dussias Witten- berg Koenigsberger. Her peers say that Opal works tirelessly for her clients and boasts a deep understanding of the intri- cacies of family law. She also has a rare ability to target and work toward the best possible solutions for her clients. But Opal also possesses one more key trait that has helped her earn the loyalty of her clients: She is em- pathetic, understanding just how chal- lenging and emotional family law matters can be for her clients. “Katie was an exceptional talent,” said Marin Leavitt founding partner of Chica- go’s Grund & Leavitt. Opal was Leavitt’s dedicated associate when she worked at the firm for more than ten years. “ In the most complex cases Katie took the labor- ing oar insofar as organization and being the most familiar lawyer working the case. There was no one more knowledge- able than her on any case she worked.”, Leavitt said. Opal’s achievements haven’t gone un- noticed. After graduating, she was named to Chicago-Kent Law School’s Bar & Gavel Society, an honor for students who dis- tinguished themselves through service to the law school, community and legal profession. During her career, Opal has been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers and a Rising Star by Illinois Super Lawyers in 2019 and 2020.
FIRM Dussias Wittenberg Koenigsberger LLP LAW SCHOOL IIT-Chicago-Kent College of Law AREA OF PRACTICE Family Law
40 Under Forty 2021 CHICAGO LAWYER & CHICAGO DAILY LAW BULLETIN
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