Meet Our Team
Saundra L. Rice, Principal
Saundra has over 25 years of experience in family law, with representation of her clients in extensive litigations to mediations and collaborative law matters. Saundra’s experience is in complex financial marital estates, business valuations, including real estate, publicly and privately held corporate and partnership interests, and high conflict custody disputes. Saundra is passionate about Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to resolve divorces, and is committed to helping clients achieve their goals through these processes when in her clients’ best interests. Saundra is creative and enjoys problem-solving difficult and complicated matters, whether they are financial or custodial.
Saundra received her law degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in 1996 and her undergraduate degree from Union College in 1993. While at Union College, Saundra graduated magna cum laude and was elected to the national Phi Beta Kappa honor society. She began practicing law at McDermott Will & Emery in 1996. Saundra was named a partner at McDermott Will & Emery in 2001, where she practiced in the area of domestic relations and family law until she joined Griffin McCarthy & Rice LLP in January 2009, now known as GMR Family Law LLP.
Saundra earned international Band 1 (Tier 1) recognition by Chambers & Partners in the practice area of Family/Matrimonial: High Net Worth in Illinois. She also has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer in the area of Family Law by Thomson Reuters and the publishers of Chicago Magazine each year since 2005. Saundra was notably recognized as one of the top 50 women in law by the 2011 Illinois edition of Super Lawyers. She was also named to the Leading Lawyers Network in the category of Family Law. Saundra is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and served on the Board of Managers of the Illinois Chapter of the Academy. Saundra also served on the Advisory Board of the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck Family Law Center at DePaul University College of Law.
Saundra served as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law, creating and teaching a course entitled Structured Transitions- Matrimonial Law. Saundra also co-authored a chapter on Dissipation of Marital Assets in Tax and Financial Planning Strategies in Divorce. She has presented to the Chicago Bar Association, Young Lawyer’s Matrimonial Law Section in the area of grandparent visitation, has lectured at the Family Law Institute of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and at the Business Valuation, Financial and Tax Issues Affecting Divorce Seminar. Saundra is a trained mediator and is a qualified practitioner of Collaborative Law.
Education
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, JD, 1996
Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology
Union College, BA, Political Science and Psychology, magna cum laude, 1993
Phi Beta Kappa