Coffee, Richard

Richard J. Coffee, II
Team Leader
Office: Belleville, Illinois

Read Mr. Coffee's client reviews.

With more than 30 years of experience in various areas of law, including business formation, real estate, insurance, education, juvenile court, probate and family law, Richard Coffee is now devoted exclusively to family law and domestic relations litigation.

Mr. Coffee has extensive domestic litigation trial experience representing clients on all aspects of domestic litigation, including the representation of clients who are current or retired military personnel with issues under the Soldiers and Sailors Civil Relief Act and the Uniformed Services Former Spouses' Protection Act, clients involved in state court jurisdictional disputes due to the relocation of one or both parties from or to Illinois, and clients with government or private pension benefit valuation and division issues.

As former Chief Counsel for the Illinois State Board of Education and former counsel to several Illinois public Universities, Mr. Coffee's experience with federal and Illinois educational records laws, Illinois school residency provisions, and the educational rights of disabled students has been of service to clients in custody, relocation, and educational expense cases.

"The domestic litigation process can be a journey through a maze of rules and requirements which can be illogical or contradictory, even by legal standards," Mr. Coffee said. "A knowledgeable and experienced advocate to navigate the family court system is essential to understanding the issue, rights, and options in a family law matter."

Licenses

Mr. Coffee is authorized to practice law in the states of Illinois and Missouri, and is admitted to practice law in the U.S. District Courts for Northern, Central and Southern Illinois.

Education

Mr. Coffee graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and received his Juris Doctor from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Experience

Prior to joining Cordell & Cordell, his practice of law included experience in many of the financial and property issues facing domestic litigation clients, such as rights in bankruptcy and foreclosure, small business organization and valuation, pre-marital agreements, and real estate and trusts.

Other Qualifications

Mr. Coffee has presented at legal education programs and has authored articles on domestic litigation issues for DadsDivorce.com.

Read Mr. Coffee's divorce articles.

He is a former chair of the Illinois State Bar Association Education Law Section Counsel and is listed in Who's Who of Emerging Leaders in America, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Editions;  Who's Who in the World, 17th Edition;  Who's Who in American Law, 5th, 10th, 13th Editions;  Who's Who in America, 53rd, 54th, 55th, 56th, 57th, 58th Editions.

Associations

Mr. Coffee is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Monroe County Bar Association, where he served as President from 2000 to 2001.

end faq

Read Mr. Coffee's divorce articles.