With a distinguished background as a Cook County Assistant Public Defender including two years as an appellate attorney, five years as a criminal defense attorney specializing in felony cases, and an appointment as a trial attorney on the elite Murder Task Force, Jim Rubens joined Davis Friedman with a notably robust skill in litigation and critical court cases. Practicing family law exclusively for the past 23 years, Rubens presently finds many parallels in his former job in the criminal courts and his role at Davis Friedman (where he currently serves as managing partner), particularly in bringing legal aid to people with important problems in the midst of difficult circumstances.

Rubens views divorce cases as no less critical or significant than criminal cases, especially given the impact on his clients and their children’s lives. "Custody is among the most important legal proceedings there is," he says. "It affects and involves your children for the rest of their lives. When they become adults, what happened when they were children during a custody case affects them immensely. Having a close relationship with a client from the start to ensure a beneficial outcome is therefore crucial—for the parent’s need as well as the effect on the family."

Along with his client work, Rubens lectures and teaches marital law and litigation skills to other lawyers (to "help raise the general level and ability of the profession," he says) and has participated in a number of charitable and civic Boards and activities as well as working on political campaigns.

Admitted: 1979, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois

Law School: DePaul University, J.D., 1979

College: Kenyon College; University of Illinois, B.A., 1976

Member:
Chicago (Member, Matrimonial Law Committee) and Illinois State (Co-Editor, ISBA Family Law Section Newsletter, 1994) Bar Associations; Chicago Council of Lawyers (Chairman, State Judicial Evaluation Committee, 1989-1994; Treasurer; Member, Board of Governors, 1989-1993).

Biography:
Lecturer: "Key Witnesses in Child Custody Proceedings," Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education ("IICLE"); "Getting the Financial Edge:  'Know How' That Makes the Winning Difference for Your Domestic Relations Litigation," Chicago Bar Association; "Child Custody Trial:  What You Need to Know – Trial Tactics and Discovery Tools," Chicago Bar Association; "Drafting Marital Settlement Agreements," IICLE; "Child Custody and Visitation in Illinois," National Business Institute; "Family Law: Custody and Placement Issues," Lorman Business Institute; "How to Win Your Case With Discovery," Illinois State Bar Association; "American Psychological Association Custody Guidelines:  How to Use Them to Your Advantage," American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers; "Drafting and Negotiating Premarital and Postnuptial Agreements," DePaul University College of Law.

Author: "Guardian-Ad-Litem and Attorneys for the Child, and Child's Representatives," Child Custody Litigation Handbook and subsequent updates, Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education, 1992, 1998, 2000, 2004, 2006.

Lecturer: American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers; Illinois State Bar Association; Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education; Lorman Business Institute, Chicago Bar Association.

Listed in: Best Lawyers in America (2010). Leading Lawyers of Illinois; Super Lawyers.

Named by Chicago Lawyer Magazine as one of the Top Lawyers in Illinois in 2007.

Guest Lecturer, DePaul University College of Law School.

Appeared on the Today Show television program, June 14, 1990.

Interviewed in the New York Times, May 11, 1990.

Member: Board of Directors, American Jewish Committee, 2004, 2005; Board of Directors, Young Men's Jewish Council, 1982.