The 2027 Lawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers

Contentious divorce (and when is it not?). Custody battles over the thorniest questions about a child's best interests, including visitation and relocation. High-net-worth separations that hinge on business valuations – and are often dogged by press scrutiny. Adoptions that secure parental rights for LGBTQ+ families when the law alone won't. 

These are the lawyers families turn to when everything is on the line: The 2027 Lawdragon 500 Leading Family Lawyers. 

With a focus on a personalized, high-touch approach to client work, Nina Shayan Depatie handles divorce, prenups and custody matters, including same-sex divorces and fathers' rights cases. "Advocates for new beginnings" is the motto of Shayan Family Law, the Century City firm she launched in 2023 after serving as a partner at Land Legal Group. Before becoming a lawyer, the native Angeleno worked in the District Attorney's Major Crimes Unit and volunteered at Domestic Abuse Self Help offices in courthouses around the county.

Handling high-stakes – and often high-profile – contentious divorce litigation in Chicago, James Rubens draws on his early career as a felony defense attorney on the Cook County Public Defender's Homicide Task Force. He is adept at untangling marital estates and valuing business, and he also guides clients through collaborative divorce. With a practice spanning nearly 50 years, the former managing partner of Davis Friedman made his mark on the culture of the firm by launching its associate mentorship program. He has long been involved in Chicago civic and Jewish organizations, as well. 

Mysti Dennis leads with empathy and precision in her family law practice, with a focus on divorce, custody, child support and visitation rights. She is a co-founder of Smith Wilson & Dennis, a family law firm in Houston with an all-Black, all-female partnership. Early in her legal career, she spent more than seven years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Texas AG's Child Support Division. She is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

Our selection of honorees for this guide come from nominations, research and peer review. Attorneys denoted with an asterisk are members of our esteemed Hall of Fame.