Attorney Profiles

Kathryn Ciesla has a broad depth of experience in litigation, corporate law, matrimonial law, licensing, and estate planning and administration.  Her clients include business executives at Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurs and companies from a variety of industries.  Kathryn’s clients have common goals – to protect their interests, assets and families.

Kathryn’s career began at a general practice firm in Evanston, where she was thrown into the trenches, and focusing her work on litigation, divorce, custody, and other family related matters.

Matrimonial Law & Civil Litigation

She then moved to the largest law firm in the nation focusing exclusively on matrimonial law.  Kathryn handled cases for clients with multi-million dollar holdings.  Work on these cases required sophisticated financial expertise in matters of business valuation, personal tax consequences, discovery of assets, property settlement, support and trust and estate planning, as well as a deep knowledge base in business operations.

Immediately prior to joining Ciesla & Ciesla, Kathryn served as General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer for a regionally accredited college with campuses in Chicago and the surrounding metropolitan area.  While ‘in-house,’ Kathryn focused her practice on corporate issues – concentrating heavily on business operations and finance.

Kathryn is able to combine her business background and her litigation skills to effectively represent businesses and executives in matters elating to business operations, litigation and family law.

Liquor Licensing

In addition to her work at Ciesla & Ciesla, in April, 2009, Kathryn was elected to the Village Board of Northbrook, where she currently serves as a Trustee. She is Chair of the Communication and Legislation Committee and is a member of the Administration/Finance and Quality of Life Committees.  In 2011 she was appointed by the Village President to serve as a member of the Ad-Hoc Economic Development Committee.

Kathryn combines her practice history, along with the knowledge gained from her work in municipal government to assist clients in the food and beverage industry. She routinely works with clients to open and acquire restaurants, night clubs, bars, liquor stores and other similar establishments. She also defends liquor violations before municipalities and the Illinois Liquor Control Commission.

Kathryn currently lives in Northbrook with her husband and two children.