Senior Associate Attorney
About Me
Attorney Bar Number: 6335890
Jeffrey B. Friedman focuses his practice on family law and general litigation. Jeff specializes in international divorce and child custody, interstate jurisdictional issues, and the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. Jeff has represented clients in complex probate and trust litigation as well as international child-custody cases involving Japan, Switzerland, India, Mexico, and Iraq among others. Jeff also has an active Illinois appellate practice and is authorized to appear in the US Northern and Central District of Illinois federal court. Jeffrey earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2020 and holds licenses with the Illinois Bar Association and Champaign County Bar Association. Jeffrey previously clerked for Judges Randall Rosenbaum and Anna Benjamin at the 6th Circuit Family Court and gained experience interning at the Child Support Enforcement Unit of the Champaign States Attorney’s Office.
In his previous life Jeffrey had a career as an educator, university administrator, and grant writer. Jeff taught high school Social Studies in Boston and New York, English in Japan for nearly six years, and lectured on American Studies and International Education Policy on the undergraduate and graduate levels at the University of Illinois and New York University. While working at the University of Illinois Jeff managed operations at the Center for African Studies (CAS) and Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies (CEAPS) and directed international teacher exchange and professional development programs on behalf of the U.S. Dept. of State Fulbright Program.
Education & Experience
- University of Illinois College of Law, Champaign, IL; JD, Cum Laude Ave – 2020
- New York University, New York, NY; PhD in International Education – 2013
- Columbia University, New York, NY; MA in American Studies – 2003
- Brandies University, Waltham, MA; BA in American Studies & Psychology w/Minor in Education, Cum Laude – 2000
- CALI Award for Excellence – Family Law Practice Class
- Permanent N.Y. Teaching Certification- Secondary School Social Studies 7 – 12
- Psi Chi National Psychology Honor Society
Areas of Practice
LITIGATION
FAMILY LAW
Publications
Home and Away: The stateless child of the post-Monasky landscape, Illinois Bar Journal: Vol 113, October 2025
English Education in the Era of Meiji Japan, World Englishes: Vol 35, Issue 1, March 2015