Divorce & Family Law |
Personal Injury |
Business Law |
Real Estate Law |
Wills, Trusts & Probate |
General Civil Litigation |
Elder Law |
Ilana M Forbes

Ilana is a mediator and family law attorney. She graduated from Duke University in 2002 with a B.A. in Public Policy and Psychology. She obtained her J.D. and Certificate in Family Law from DePaul University College of Law in 2006. After graduation she worked as an associate in a complex commercial litigation firm for 3 years before moving to a non-profit association to work as a legislative analyst and legal outreach coordinator.
In 2016, she completed a Mediation Skills Training course through Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies and Divorce Mediation Training course through Northwestern’s School of Professional Studies in 2017. In addition to conducting private mediations, Ilana serves as a volunteer mediator for the small claims division in Lake County and McHenry County, is a certified arbitrator for Lake County, and is on the certified divorce mediator list in Lake, Cook, and McHenry County. Ilana is also a member of the Association of Attorney-Mediators, the Association for Conflict Resolution, the Lake County Bar Association, and the McHenry County Bar Association.
Ilana is very active in the Barrington community, serving on the Parent Advisory Board of Little Angels Preschool, and the Executive Board of the North Barrington Elementary School PTO. Ilana lives in North Barrington with her husband and three daughters and is eager to help local families navigate the complicated world of family law.
Areas of Practice
Education
- Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, Chicago, IL, 2017
- Divorce Mediation Certificate in Divorce Mediation
- Northwestern University School of Professional Studies, Chicago, IL, 2016
- Mediation Training Certificate in Mediation
- DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, IL, J.D., 2006
- Duke University, Durham, NC, 2002
Past Employment Positions
- Forbes Dispute Resolution, LLC, Manager/Owner/Operator, 2016 - Present
- American Veterinary Medical Association, State Policy Analyst/ Legislative Analyst, 2008 -2011
- Torshen, Slobig, & Axel, Ltd., Associate Attorney, 2006 - 2008