About Benedict Schwarz
Benedict Schwarz II studied social psychology at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, earning a B.S. in 1965. He went on to receive his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School in 1971. Those academic foundations shaped an early interest in family relationships and the legal structures that govern them.
Schwarz built a career that spans courtrooms, mediation rooms and bar leadership. He has been active in Illinois legal circles for decades. In 1991 he began serving as a commissioner for the Lawyer Registration and Disciplinary Commission of the Supreme Court of Illinois, a post he held through 2010. During that period he served as Chairperson of the Commission from 2001 until 2010. Since 2011 he has been a member of the Commission’s Review Board.
His practice centers on family law and alternative dispute resolution. He earned a Divorce Mediator certification from the Divorce Mediation Institute and has served as a court-approved mediator for Kane and McHenry County Courts. That blend of litigation and mediation experience has shaped how he approaches custody, support and divorce matters.
Professional associations have been a constant thread in his work. He has been a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 1978 and has held leadership posts there, including vice president and service on committees dealing with legislation, alternative dispute resolution and continuing legal education. He has been listed by Super Lawyers since 2006. Locally he has long-standing ties to Kane, McHenry and DuPage County bar associations, and he has chaired family law committees and legislative efforts at the county level.
Schwarz has also taken on roles that intersect law and public policy. He chaired the Child Custody Evaluation Task Force in Kane County and served on domestic violence and batterer task forces for the county state’s attorney’s office. He acted as Special Project Chair for drafting revisions to the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act. Those projects required balancing legal detail with practical outcomes for families.
Outside the courtroom he has served on nonprofit and civic boards. He has been on the board of Freedom Farm since 1998 and joined the board of The Conservation Foundation in 2014. He previously served on the boards of the Open Door Clinic and the Lawyers Assistance Program of Illinois. These roles reflect a long-term engagement with community institutions beyond his law practice.
He practices from the Law Offices of Benedict Schwarz, II, PC, including an office in St. Charles. He currently focuses his practice on family law, mediation and divorce-related matters.
