About this episode

Jonathan Merel discusses managing a family law firm focused on high-conflict divorce and the interplay of legal strategy and emotional support.

Jonathan Merel runs a mid-sized family law firm built around high-conflict divorce. In this episode, he talks about the kinds of cases his firm takes on, how he sets strategy across a team of lawyers, and what shifted when he moved from full-time litigator to running the business. He also reflects on the emotional weight of family law, why it draws certain practitioners and burns out others, and how he separates emotion from legal judgment. We also hear from Kristina Lindsay, the firm's in-house divorce coach. With a background in domestic violence advocacy, she helps clients navigate trauma, safety, and conflict, operating under the firm's attorney-client privilege. Together, they show how legal strategy and emotional support can work side by side and shape the outcome of a case. Jonathan is a graduate of Chicago-Kent College of Law. This episode is hosted by Kyle McEntee. Mentioned in this episode: Learn more about Juno and private student loans Access LawHub today! Learn more about Juno and private student loans Learn more about Haynes Boone LLP

People in this episode

Host: Kyle McEntee

Guests: Jonathan Merel, Kristina Lindsay

Topics covered

• family law
• high-conflict divorce
• legal strategy
• emotional support
• law firm management

Keywords

• high-conflict divorce
• family law
• legal strategy
• emotional support
• law firm management
• domestic violence advocacy
• litigation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chicago-Kent College of Law, LawHub, Juno, Haynes Boone LLP

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