Laura N. Ashmore
DAVIS FRIEDMAN
MANAGING PARTNER

Laura Ashmore is the managing partner of the family law firm Davis Friedman LLP. The firm is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2021 and Laura is the firm’s first woman to serve in the role of managing partner. She has embraced this leadership position and works with an exceptional group of attorneys to keep the firm on the forefront of the domestic relations practice.

Laura has dedicated her career to the field of domestic relations law, with deep expertise in complex family law matters involving children, high-net-worth individuals and their spouses, and prenuptial and postnuptial agreements. Laura views family law as one of the most fundamental yet intricate practice areas due to its complicated and far-reaching psychological and legal issues, and she implements innovative strategies that lead to better outcomes for her clients so that they have the financial and emotional security to navigate the next phase of their lives.

She received her law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1994, and was admitted to the Illinois bar and to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois that same year. Her diverse professional background affords her clients a tactical advantage in and out of the courtroom. Her experience and training include a B.F.A. from the Theatre School at DePaul University, and clerkships in the Night Narcotics Unit of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and the Murder Task Force Unit of the Cook County Public Defender’s Office. She also practiced criminal defense, immigration, and family law in private practice prior to joining Davis Friedman. The varied expertise she accrued serves the firm’s clients well, enabling her to devise creative solutions to resolve challenging cases, employing negotiation, mediation or litigation as necessary.

Laura is part of an elite group of leaders in family law, and her legal peers have consistently honored her for her work in family law. She served as president of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, making her Davis Friedman’s sixth partner to serve in this position since the organization was founded in 1962. She has earned Thomson Reuters’ prestigious Super Lawyer rating each year since 2014, has been repeatedly named a Leading Lawyer, and as a top 100 leading women consumer lawyer in Illinois by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.

Laura recognizes the importance of pro bono work, and the critical importance of effective and knowledgeable representation. She often volunteers to present continuing legal education programs for Chicago Volunteer Legal Services for their volunteers and staff, and she makes herself available to assist CVLS staff and volunteers navigate complex family law cases. Laura works to mentor and promote junior family law attorneys, and she celebrates the accomplishments of strong women in all professions.