Our Practice
HOPE F. MERCADO Attorney at Law
- Hope Fatima Mercado has been practicing law in Illinois for over 20 years where she has successfully tried over 20 trials in Cook, DuPage, Will, Lake, and the surrounding counties in Northern Illinois. Hope has handled cases primarily in civil matters including family law, contracts, real estate litigation, personal injury, and immigration. Hope began her legal career in Chicago where she worked as a Senior Associate at a mid-size law firm representing clients in personal injury and domestic relations matters. For over a decade as a sole practitioner, Hope has represented hundreds of clients on matters spanning the entire range of family law issues providing the same level of attention to every case. Hope also represents healthcare workers in immigration and contract disputes. As a litigator, Hope does not shy away from taking on challenging cases against real estate developers and big insurance companies zealously representing homeowners and consumers. Through her tenacity and years of collaborative legal experience, as well as utilizing the expertise of forensic experts in the areas of taxes, accounting, business valuation, and estate planning, she effectively assists clients in navigating complex issues involved in civil and family matters including mediation, arbitration, settlement conferences, and case management.
- In 2014, one of Hope’s complex family/contract cases helped the U.S. Attorney’s office secure several indictments and criminal convictions in one of the biggest Medicare fraud cases in Illinois. Hope is licensed in Illinois and admitted in the Northern District of Illinois and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Member of the ISBA Assembly, Diversity Leadership Council, International Immigration Council, Member of the Family Law Section of the ISBA, and board member of the Filipino American Lawyers Association. Hope has been vital in organizing and promoting numerous continuing legal education seminars through the ISBA including the annual Minority Bar continuing legal education conference.
- In addition to handling numerous civil cases, Hope also represents clients in consumer bankruptcy and family-based immigration matters. She helps immigrants obtain their permanent residency status and naturalization in the United States, and advocates for family reunification through the process of legal immigration. Beyond the law, Hope served on the board of a local parochial school, volunteers at food pantries, active in church fundraising events, and teaches religious education to elementary children. Hope and her husband are active community members living in Downers Grove, Illinois.
- Hope is licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Washington States. Hope practices in State and Federal Courts in Northern Illinois, and she is admitted to appear and argue cases before the United States Supreme Court. Hope is a graduate of Loyola Marymount University and obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in philosophy at Loyola Marymount University and Juris Doctor Degree at Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. Hope’s determination in her professional and personal life stemmed from being the 7th of 10 children from a large family who immigrated from the Philippines. Hope grew up in the west suburb of Los Angeles, CA, and the first in her family to finish college in the United States and the first to become an attorney.
