It’s time for another wonderful local Chicago North Shore Moms‘ Meet a Mom spotlight where we highlight moms in our community, what they are up to both professionally and personally. Today we’re highlighting an attorney mom, certified mediator, community volunteer and partner of Merel Family Law out of Highland Park, Laura Presto!
Some people find their calling — Laura found hers at 14 years old, when a high-profile Illinois custody case sparked a question she couldn’t shake: who is looking out for the child? That early conviction shaped everything that followed, from founding a Children and Family Law Society in law school and volunteering as a CASA advocate, to serving on the board of Rainbows, a nonprofit dedicated to providing grief support to children and youth. Today, Laura brings nearly 20 years of experience to her role as a partner at Merel Family Law, a Highland Park-based firm known for challenging the rigid stereotypes of traditional family law practice. She is a litigator, certified mediator, and Guardian ad Litem — and whether she is representing a parent or a child, her north star has always been the same: helping families navigate life’s hardest moments with grace, dignity, and clarity. Welcome, Laura!
Hi Laura. Give us a quick snapshot of you and your life right now.
I live in the northwest suburbs, so my day starts with getting my daughter ready and off to school and heading to Highland Park to kick off the day’s work, before coming home to practices, lessons, homework and family time. What doesn’t keep me busy?!
Tell us about your family. What does motherhood look like in your house these days?
I’ve been married to my wonderful husband for 11 years; we have one 9-year-old daughter (going on 27) and 2 rescue dogs. Motherhood is the greatest but hardest job; we are blessed with an active and involved child, so every day is about balancing work, school, and fun!
What’s something about you that might surprise people—outside of your work and mom life?
I love hockey, especially live, as I come from a hockey family and am happy to report that our daughter has inherited the same passion. As a former volleyball player, I enjoy watching NCAA women’s volleyball and look forward to the new professional league! My favorite hobbies include hiking, reading, playing chess with my daughter, traveling and live music. As a creative outlet, I write when I can find inspiration.
Funny quirk about me: I go on a sneezing fit every night at the exact same time. I also excel at always catching 11:11!
Where are your go-to spots right now?
The woods (basically any forest preserve) always feels like home to me and is a happy place. I love just about any Lettuce Entertain You restaurants (as a celiac, they have great gluten-free options!). We love a good excuse to stroll around downtown, especially along the river too!
What are you loving lately?
Loving Mel Robbins and The Let Them Theory, SmartLess podcast and Landman on TV. My husband and I are Jeopardy and history junkies so you can always find those in our queue.
Is there a quote, mantra, or mindset that grounds you when things feel chaotic?
Jokingly, something my grandfather used to say which is “don’t worry about nothing, because nothing will be fine anyway.” The ridiculousness and tongue in cheek of that makes me laugh which is often what I need during chaos.
On a more serious note, I’ve been falling to the “Let them” concept.
It’s time to get down to business! Please introduce Merel Family Law and your role with this firm.
Merel Family Law has been around since 2009. It was founded on the principle of not doing things “the way they’ve always been done.” For over 17 years, we have been challenging the stuffy, rigid large-firm stereotypes by bringing together what matters most: professionalism, authenticity, and thoughtful strategy tailored to each client. While our headquarters is downtown, I work out of our Highland Park office. We bring the expertise and resources of a large downtown firm right to your backyard.
I was honored to join the firm as a partner in March 2026. After nearly 20 years in this field, I found the values and practice approach of the firm so closely aligned with mine and my goals, which is helping families through the most difficult periods of their lives, with grace, dignity, and clarity.
You founded a Children and Family Law Society in law school and were a CASA volunteer — what drew you to family law so early, and did you know then that it would become your life’s work?
As a 14-year-old freshman in high school, there was a pretty famous custody case in Illinois, which was widely reported on the news. Even at that young age, I was deeply affected by the coverage and could not help but wonder who was looking out for the child’s best interests. Who is his advocate? Needless to say, I didn’t agree with the outcome, although I didn’t of course understand the law at the time, but I decided then and there I wanted to learn the law and use that knowledge to help families-especially the children–caught up in the system.
You wear a lot of hats — litigator, Guardian ad Litem, certified mediator. How do you decide which role best serves a client’s situation?
It truly is decided for me-by the potential client that reaches out for counsel and representation, by the potential client who reaches out for mediation services, or by the judge who appoints me as a mediator or as a GAL or Child Representative.
You’ve served on the board of Rainbows, which supports children navigating grief and loss. How does that mission connect to what you see in your day-to-day work as a family law attorney?
It is at the very heart of what I see and do each day. Whether I represent a parent or the child, I know that the child is almost always caught in the middle of this storm that they do not, and cannot, know how to navigate on their own. They have so much going on with their own emotions, let alone that they often take on some of both parents’ emotions too.
We can’t expect adults to understand how to weather this storm, so how can we expect that of our children? Rainbows’ entire mission is to equip these kids with skills and tools to do just that which hopefully the whole family can then also benefit from, but with the goal of getting these families through the process with as little negative impact as possible.
What do you want our readers to know that we have not already covered?
Overall, I would say that this is a very difficult field to be in, but because I am working with families, it is also incredibly important and rewarding. The idea of helping families and individuals get through potentially one of the most difficult periods in life helps to ease the hard days, knowing you are advocating to make a difference for years to come. And when you get home at night, that is the best you can hope for!
About Our Spotlight Partner
Chicago North Shore Moms is supported in part by Mary Gregory Gifford, a Lake Forest mom of three and owner of Gifford Law, a solo Estate Planning Firm (wills and trusts). Mary, we appreciate your support of local moms in our North Shore communities! Learn more about Mary by visiting her Meet a Mom spotlight here! Contact Mary directly here: [email protected].
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