About Sandra Petras
Sandra Petras Bruckner earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1983 and a Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois University in 1986. She practices law in Illinois and has built a practice centered on family law and alternative dispute resolution. Her academic path combined finance and law, a background that informs how she analyzes settlements and financial matters in family cases.
After law school, Bruckner moved into practice areas that often require both legal and interpersonal skills. She is a partner and founding lawyer at Bruckner Hernandez Legal Solutions, LLC and serves as a collaborative professional mediator. Her career blends courtroom knowledge with negotiation and neutral third-party processes. She represents clients in matters ranging from uncontested and collaborative divorce to child-related disputes and domestic violence issues.
Bruckner’s work covers several distinct roles. She represents parties in traditional family-law litigation when needed. She also acts as a mediator and participates in collaborative law teams, where clients pursue negotiation over adversarial proceedings. She has served as a guardian ad litem in appropriate cases and offers limited-scope representation for clients who require targeted legal assistance rather than full representation.
Her professional affiliations reflect those multiple roles. She holds memberships in the Illinois State Bar Association, the Kane County Bar Association, and the DeKalb County Bar Association. She is also a member of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois, and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. Those memberships keep her engaged with evolving practices in family law, mediation techniques, and standards for court-appointed representation.
Outside the office, Bruckner is involved in her local community. She serves as the youth choir director at St. Mary Catholic Church, a role that places her in regular contact with families and local organizations. That community engagement complements her practice, particularly in matters that touch on children's needs and family dynamics.
Bruckner Hernandez Legal Solutions maintains offices in St. Charles and Sycamore, where she sees clients and conducts mediations. Her practice approach favors negotiated resolutions when appropriate, and she continues to work in family law, mediation, and child-related legal matters.
Her current practice focuses on family law, mediation, and issues involving children and divorce.
