There is no legal matter more profoundly personal than divorce. This is a fact that Sandra Rosenbloom, founder and principal of the Law Offices of Sandra M. Rosenbloom in Northfield, acknowledges daily with the hands-on approach she takes with her clients.

Rosenbloom offers potential clients a complimentary consultation to educate them from the outset about their rights and responsibilities. Connection is critical for Rosenbloom. She believes that she and the client must establish a comfortable working relationship with each other in order for her to effectively serve the client.

During the initial conference, Rosenbloom asks each client to define his or her goals. Rather than make promises to them about outcomes, she offers possibilities based on relevant law as well as her experience, educating the client about the law in the process. Rosenbloom believes that an educated client can form realistic expectations of the road ahead and the significant changes likely to occur during the process and after a divorce.

Although she is an empathetic listener, Rosenbloom remains able to adopt a professional and objective approach with her clients and their individual problems. She encourages each client to attempt to "stand in the spouse’s shoes" to better understand and anticipate the approach the spouse may take. She maintains that a positive, cordial relationship with opposing counsel helps to engender an atmosphere of respect and dignity for both her client and his or her spouse.

Rosenbloom strives to help her clients understand the law and encourages each to attempt to find solutions to problems that reflect what they truly want for themselves and for their families, now as well as in the future.

Trained as a mediator as well as a litigator, she is a Fellow and Board Member of the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois, a member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals as well as on the Editorial Board of the Collaborative Review, and a member of the Mediation Council of Illinois (MCI), where she served as a board member. Rosenbloom is currently an adjunct professor of law at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, where she teaches Alternative Dispute Resolution.

Rosenbloom is a member of several bar associations, including the American Bar Association, the Lake County Bar Association, the Association of Women Attorneys of Lake County, and the Illinois State Bar Association. Since 1992, she has limited her practice to matrimonial and family-law matters, including divorce, custody, visitation, child support, paternity, and prenuptial agreements. Before forming her own firm in January 2005, a move she says allows her to direct her time more effectively towards her clients’ needs and to concentrate on encouraging a kinder and gentler approach to resolving family issues, Rosenbloom was a partner in a boutique North Shore family-law firm.

Sandra Rosenbloom continues to participate in extensive training in the rapidly growing field of Collaborative Practice, helps organize training and informational events in the field of Collaborative Practice, and is enthusiastic about the possibilities that the collaborative process has to offer divorcing families. She believes that many clients may benefit greatly by participating in the collaborative process, as it promotes the preservation of the family and opens lines of communication during the divorce process.

If her interview with a potential client indicates that this non-adversarial approach is not appropriate, however, Rosenbloom will recommend the client pursue more traditional approaches. She believes that no matter which route appears to work best for an individual client, her goal is to help the client achieve the best possible result without "fuelling the fire".

Rosenbloom knows that with proper guidance, a good divorce is possible. Sadly, she has too often witnessed the results of a "bad divorce", usually involving children. Rosenbloom stresses that parents are never truly divorced: clients should be mindful that today’s actions and decisions will affect the future of their children and grandchildren.

Professionally, Rosenbloom finds her role in bringing closure to her clients highly rewarding. She states that most clients find the immediacy of getting through the divorce experience the most difficult part. She has seen first hand that for many people, beyond the intense personal trauma of divorce positive new opportunities and experiences await.