Ricardo Lugo is passionate about practicing law and committed to matrimonial and family law making a difference in the lives of families and children. Mr. Lugo was awarded his Juris Doctorate from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1991 and subsequently received his Divorce Mediator Certification from Northwestern Law School. He is especially trained and skilled in working with children exposed to violence as well as strategic planning in working with impaired and high conflict families. He was licensed to practice law by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1991 and the Illinois Supreme Court in 2001. Mr. Lugo volunteered as a professor for the University of Chicago Law School’s 3L trial advocacy class to train future lawyers. He lectured on cross-examination techniques. Mr. Lugo also was the keynote speaker at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to provide motivational and inspirational advice to airmen. As a former Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney, he represented minors in juvenile neglect and abuse cases. As a civil attorney, he represented clients from every economic stratum. As a criminal litigator, he successfully fought to keep fathers from serving jail time in child support arrearage cases and has won numerous jury trials in both juvenile and adult court. As a former Deputy General Counsel, Chief Investigator and Chief Deputy Clerk of the Cook County Clerk of Court, he managed and supervised over 50 employees, consisting of investigators that were Chicago Police Officers and Illinois State Police Officers. Moreover, his passion for the law is born out of many years in the courtroom and interacting with attorneys, victims, civil clients, law enforcement and those committed to justice on a professional and personal level. Mr. Lugo has a personal passion for assisting young people to achieve their goals and it stems from his own personal experiences. He is a Chicago native who grew up in a family of twelve children and was raised in the Cabrini-Green housing projects and, thereafter, moved to the Humboldt Park area. Poverty, drugs, and gangs were rampant during his upbringing. Despite the hardships, his parents instilled a strong work ethic and the value of receiving an education. Proud of his Hispanic heritage and proficient in Spanish, Mr. Lugo’s commitment to diversity and inclusion was fostered very early. As a third year law student, he was on the University of Wisconsin Law School Minority Admissions Committee, where his efforts resulted in the largest incoming group of first year Hispanic law school students (class of ’93). Mr. Lugo’s commitment to Chicago’s families is evidenced by his participation in various non-profit boards that provide assistance to inner-city juveniles. As a divorced father of a 12-year old, Mr. Lugo enjoys sharing his hobbies of boxing, basketball and debate training with his son Jake. He is dedicated to diversity and inclusion in all aspects of education, business and society. He is a Board Member of the Spanish Action Committee of Chicago, sits on the Attorney Panel of the Hispanic National Bar Association and is a member of the Puerto Rican Bar Association.

Mr. Lugo is engaged to TV personality Star Jones. They revealed the news while attending the Angel Ball in NYC on October 23. “We’re engaged,” Jones announced at the event. She added, laughing: “Not talking about it.” The former View co-host went public with Lugo at the 8th Annual Children’s Museum of the East End Family Affair in Bridgehampton, New York. “He’s wonderful. I’m happy and that’s all anybody outside of my family needs to know.”

Memorable case victories:

Mr. Lugo represented a minor child as a Guardian ad Litem appointed by the court in a highly contentious custody case. Though the child’s father had just been released from prison after serving a three-year sentence, he was a loving dad and the relationship with his child was at risk. The mother attempted to block the dad from having any relationship with his child. Through Mr. Lugo’s skillful and persistent legal work focused on the best interest of the child, the Judge ultimately granted the dad substantial parenting time and joint decision-making responsibilities for the child, as recommended by Mr. Lugo. The dad’s relationship with his 3-year-old son was saved.A father’s worst nightmare occurred when he was falsely accused of sexual abuse of his young daughter. He was criminally charged and incarcerated in the County jail. Through Mr. Lugo’s tireless legal advocacy, the Judge dismissed the criminal case against this innocent father. He walked out of the County jail with his liberty. Mr. Lugo represented a minor child accused of felony possession of drugs. Drugs were found in the back seat of a car in which Lugo’s client was riding, after the police pulled the car over for a minor traffic violation. Despite the drugs having been found a few inches from where the child had been sitting in the car, Mr. Lugo’s passionate defense of his client convinced the Judge to dismiss all charges against the innocent child.