About Jeltes Law

Law Offices of J. Jeltes, Ltd. is a team of experienced and compassionate advocates handling legal matters in some of life’s most challenging family transitions, including divorce, adoption, and losing a loved one.  Founded in 2009, and with over 15 years of combined experience, the attorneys and staff at Law Offices of J. Jeltes work together to provide skilled, efficient, and affordable legal representation to individuals and families.  Restructuring a family or making a huge life change is a vulnerable time for most.  We know this reality and endeavor to remain extremely thoughtful and effective in helping you achieve your goals.

Our legal professionals are driven, attentive, and dedicated to achieving the best result possible.  Every situation is unique and before hiring our firm, our attorneys will provide you with a comprehensive one-on-one consultation to discuss your legal concerns and goals. A strategic plan of action is crucial to the best long-term results. A successful relationship between client and attorney necessitates trust and patience, so frequent and ongoing communication is an integral tenet of our practice.

Law Offices of J. Jeltes Ltd. handles matters in the following areas:

  • Divorce and Legal Separation
  • Premarital Agreements
  • Parentage
  • Child Support, Parental Responsibility and Parenting Time
  • Maintenance (Alimony)
  • Property Division and Distribution
  • Orders of Protection
  • Adoption
  • Guardianship of Minors
  • Guardianship of Disabled Adults
  • Decedent Estate Administration (Probate)
  • Contested Wills and Admission of Wills to Probate
  • Estate litigation
  • Estate Planning

About Jenny R. Jeltes

Law Offices of J. Jeltes, Ltd.
53 W Jackson
Suite 305
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 758-1358
j.jeltes@jelteslaw.com
www.jelteslaw.com

Jenny R. Jeltes

Rated by Super Lawyers

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Jenny R. Jeltes is the founder and managing partner of the Law Offices of J. Jeltes, ltd. Jenny brings integrity and honesty to a profession that is rife with conflict. She has been practicing law since 2007.

In 2015 and 2016, Jenny was recognized as one of Chicago’s Top 10 Attorneys in Client Satisfaction by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys. She also maintains a stellar reputation among colleagues, judges, and other professionals in the field. In 2018, she was named an “Emerging Lawyer” by Leading Lawyers, a reputable peer-selection process for identifying the best lawyers.

Assertiveness is crucial to effective representation and Jenny zealously advocates for her clients with their best interests in mind – even if it means telling them something that they don’t want to hear. She mindfully helps her clients move their lives forward through what can be a very stressful and emotionally draining time.

Jenny understands the pain and turmoil that a divorce can cause. As a child of divorce, she has experienced each parent going through multiple divorces. Her personal experience is exactly what makes her a compassionate and driven attorney. She empathizes with her clients in understanding how divorce affects entire families. Going through a divorce is much more than a legal process – It’s an emotional, life-changing process. Jenny understands this complexity and treats her clients with compassion and detailed attention.

As a native of Michigan, Jenny attended the University of Michigan for her undergraduate degree and received her law degree from Wayne State University Law School in Detroit, Michigan.

Along with maintaining a busy law practice, Jenny has actively handled pro bono cases through Chicago Volunteer Legal Services since 2010, helping families and individuals with guardianships and adoptions.  She also mentors new solo attorneys who are building their own practices through the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Justice Entrepreneur Project, where she also serves on the Advisory Board.

Jenny is an active member of the Chicago Bar Association, which produces a musical (yes, a musical!) every December featuring a cast of lawyers from the Chicagoland area. For the last eight years, she has had the pleasure performing on stage while making lifelong friendships and connections. Learn more here: www.barshow.org. Jewelry making and comedy balance out her demanding schedule.  When she is not practicing law or doing the above things, she enjoys traveling.

Sampling of Representative Matters

Adoption and Guardianship

  • Successfully represented a maternal grandmother in adopting her grandson
  • Completed a step-parent adoption for step-father and his two minor children
  • Represented a ward with special needs in a contested guardianship proceeding, preserving important rights and autonomy in a limited guardianship setting
  • Represented a minor’s estate for over 6 years until age of majority, preserving important assets for child’s college education

Divorce and Allocation of Parenting Time and Parental Responsibilities 

  • Negotiated a 50/50 shared parenting time schedule for father in a hotly contested divorce proceeding
  • Obtained majority of parenting time and primary allocation of decision-making for wife in divorce proceeding
  • Represented father in a contested international allocation case; obtaining award of primary parental responsibility and majority of parenting time

Child Support and Enforcement

  • Obtained $15,000 child support judgment, plus attorney’s fees, in a post-decree enforcement matter
  • Successfully negotiated a downward deviation of statutory child support in an interstate child support case

Premarital and Post-nuptial Agreements

  • Successfully negotiated a complex post-nuptial agreement for a wealthy business owner
  • Represented wife in negotiating a favorable maintenance structure in premarital agreement

Decedent Estates

  • Successfully represented an heir against the Estate representative regarding improper accounting and use of estate assets
  • Represented Estate Administrator in a disputed proceeding regarding admission of a copy of a Will and obtained result in favor of client

About Kelly Thames Bennett

Kelly Thames Bennett
Law Offices of J. Jeltes, Ltd.
53 W Jackson
Suite 305
Chicago, IL 60604
(312) 758-1358
k.bennett@jelteslaw.com
www.jelteslaw.com

Kelly Thames Bennett

Rated by Super Lawyers

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Kelly Thames Bennett, Attorney & Partner, joined the Law Offices of J. Jeltes, Ltd. in 2016. Kelly has worked in complex family law matters including parentage, divorce, domestic violence, and minor guardianship in Cook County, Will County, DuPage County and Lake County. She is the Secretary for the Standing Committee on Women and the Law of the Illinois State Bar Association and she has taught a continuing legal education seminar in Family Law Litigation Strategy for the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul University College of Law. While at DePaul, Kelly was a student attorney for the DePaul Family Law Clinic, representing victims of domestic violence, and underprivileged divorce clients. Kelly received the CALI award for Excellence for her work in the DePaul Family Law Clinic. She also received a grant from Schiller, DuCanto, and Fleck Family Law Center at DePaul to intern at the Chicago Legal Clinic in family law matters.

Ms. Thames Bennett volunteers pro bono legal service through Chicago Volunteer Legal Services. Through CVLS Kelly acts as a guardian ad litem in minor and adult guardianship cases, and as a child representative in domestic relations cases.

In her free time, Kelly enjoys staying active and participating in Chicago’s running events, practicing yoga, doing arts and crafts like macramé and painting, and honing her talent for growing plants. Kelly was born and raised in Texas, lived in New York, and currently lives in the city of Chicago with her husband, Ken.

Sampling of Representative Matters:

Maintenance and Child Support

  • Successfully represented a wife seeking maintenance from her husband in a divorce.
  • Recouped $18,000 for custodial mother from father’s pension to pay back-child support and healthcare expenses.

Contempt Proceedings

  • Successfully represented non-custodial father in contempt proceedings for child support, resulting in a credit for the $10,000 in overcharged support by Healthcare and Family Services.
  • Successfully represented custodial mother in contempt proceedings against the father for failure to pay child support, resulting in father being arrested and brought to court. Father subsequently paid thousands of dollars in back-support.

Parenting Time and Parenting Responsibilities

  • Successfully petitioned court on several occasions for a parent to be able to move with the minor child out-of-state.
  • Successfully petitioned the court for an active duty military father in another state to have parenting time with his special needs son.

Negotiated Settlements

  • Successfully negotiated settlement on several hotly contested cases, including property division in a divorce, parenting time violations, allocation of parental responsibilities, payment of expenses for the children, payment of college expenses for the children.

Orders of Protection

  • Successfully obtained plenary orders of protection, ranging from 6 months to 2 years, for both men and women that were being stalked, abused and/or harassed by their former spouse or romantic partner.