Attorneys & Staff

• J. Richard Kulerski Esq.
• Kari L. Cornelison Esq.
• Krystyna Koryzna - Paralegal

J. Richard Kulerski, Esq.

Mr. Kulerski is a divorce trial lawyer with over 40 years of courtroom experience. He is a staunch advocate of the newer non-court settlement techniques which save divorcing spouses both money and time.

• Published author of 2004 book on divorce negotiation strategies.



• "Advanced Practitioner" mediator rating (highest level achievable in United States) - Family Section - Association of Conflict Resolution (ACR).



• Court certified mediator



• Recognized by the Institute for Certified Divorce Planners (ICDP) Family Law Attorney National Referral List - 2001



• Published author of articles on collaborative divorce law and mediation.



• Member - International Academy of Collaborative Professionals (member, 2002)



• Fellow - Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois (2003)



• Peer Recommended Professional Divorce Magazine - 2000



• Listed in The National Registry of Who's Who - 2001, Registered at The Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.



• Board Member - Mediation Council of Illinois (2000-2001)

Background, Education and Training:

• Born Chicago, Illinois January 10, 1940;



• Juris Doctor - DePaul University Law School 1963;



• Undergrad at Benedictine College (Kansas) and Loyola University (Chicago);



• Admission to Illinois Bar 1963;



• Admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois 1963;



• Duly admitted and qualified as an Attorney and Counselor of the Supreme Court of the United States of America, Washington, DC August 26, 1971;



• Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Program of Instruction for Lawyers. Advanced Mediation Training (Robert Mnookin, Gary Friedman, Jack Himmelstein, instructors) - 2000;



• Illinois State Bar Association Fred Lane Trial Technique Institute 1996-1997;



• Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Program of Instruction for Lawyers, Program on Negotiation (Roger Fisher, instructor - 1999);



• George Williams College of Aurora University School of Social Work - Conflict Resolution and Divorce Mediation Institute - 1999 (additional training in divorce mediation and screening for impairments) - 1999;



• Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California - Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution - Advanced Family Mediation Skills - 2000.
  • (Pepperdine ranked # 2 in Dispute Resolution by US News & World Report, January 2002.)



• Collaborative Law Training, Collaborative Law Institute, Bloomington, Minnesota. (Stuart Webb, instructor, 2002).



• Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California - Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution - Collaborative Law Training, 2002.



• 30 hour mediation externship done in the Kane County, Illinois divorce court along with 10 hours of extern group roundtable discussion. Externship sponsored through the George Williams College of Aurora University School of Social Work - Conflict Resolution and Divorce Mediation Institute - 1999 - 2000;



• Harvard Law School, Cambridge, Massachusetts, Program of Instruction for Lawyers, Advanced Negotiation Training (Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, instructors) - 2001;



• DuPage County Bar Association Matrimonial Trial Advocacy Workshop 2000.



• Illinois State Bar Association L.A.P. trained volunteer - 1999;



• JDS Mediation Training Institute, Chicago, Illinois 1998;

Memberships:

• Advanced Practitioner Member - Family Section - Association for Conflict Resolution (ACR) - a merged, national organization of the Academy of Family Mediators (AFM); Conflict Resolution Education Network (CREnet) and the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR)



• Fellow - Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois



• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals



• The Mediation Council of Illinois - Member Board of Directors (2000-2001)



• Family Law Section of the Illinois State Bar



• Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the Illinois State Bar



• DuPage County Bar Association Family Law and Practice Committee



• Panel member - DuPage County Lawyer Referral Service



• Attorney Member - American Responsible Divorce Network

Former Member:

• Chicago Bar Association Matrimonial Law Committee



• American Bar Association Section of Family Law



• American Bar Association Section on Alternative Dispute Resolution



• DuPage County Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee



• Association of Attorney-Mediators



• Southwest Bar Association Family Law Committee



• Domestic Relations Panel of the Lawyer Referral Service of the Chicago Bar Association.



• Domestic Relations Panel of the Lawyer Referral Service of the Chicago Bar Association.



• Will County, IL. Bar Association - Family Law Committee



• Former appointee (of the Chicago Bar Relations Subcommittee of the Domestic Relations Advisory Committee) to serve as Attorney for the Child or Guardian Ad Litem in custody and visitation matters in the Domestic Relations Division of Circuit Court of Cook County, IL.

Ms. Cornelison is a court certified mediator; collaborative lawyer; and divorce trial lawyer with over 13 years of courtroom experience.

Background and Education:
Born in Chicago, Illinois May 27, 1971
Juris Doctor-John Marshall Law School 1996
Undergrad at Michigan State University
Admitted to Illinois Bar 1996
Admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois 1996
Admitted to Florida Bar 1997
Collaborative Law Training, 2007
Certified Mediator ;Advanced Mediation Training with Zena Zumeta 2007

Former and Current Memberships:
Fellow - Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois
Illinois State Bar Association
Chicago Bar Association
Florida Bar Association

Ms. Cornelison is the mother of two children and resides in Chicago with her husband and family.

Ms. Koryzna is a paralegal who supports our staff attorneys. She assists them with telephone work and interfaces with our clients on a daily basis and helps them gather and present pertinent financial information for court required discovery requests and compliance.

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