Judge Grace Guerra Dickler graduated from Northwestern University School of Law in 1978. She worked for the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation, was in private practice and worked as a supervising attorney with Travelers and Immigrants Aid. Judge Dickler’s 38 year judicial career started in 1982 when she became an Administrative Law judge for the Illinois Human Rights Commission. In 1986, she became a Federal Immigration Judge, and in 1988 she was appointed as an associate judge in Cook County. In 1991, she was assigned to the Domestic Relations Division, and in 1999 she was assigned to initiate the Domestic Relations Calendar in the Second Municipal District located in Skokie, Illinois. In 2006, Judge Dickler was elected as a circuit court judge in the 12th Judicial Sub-circuit and was retained county-wide in 2012 and 2018. 

In January, 2010, Chief Judge Timothy C. Evans appointed Judge Dickler to be the first presiding judge of the newly formed Domestic Violence Division, and in 2011 she was appointed the presiding judge of the Domestic Relations Division. 

Judge Dickler is the President of the Jewish Judges Association.  She was appointed by the Supreme Court to the Illinois Judicial Conference formulated to strategize for the future of the Judicial Branch.  She has served on the Board of the Illinois Judge’s Association and was co-editor of the Association’s newsletter, The Gavel, for many years. She is also co-Chair of the Language Access Committee of the Access to Justice Commission of the Illinois Supreme Court.  She has served on the Illinois Bar Association’s Family Law Section Council for many years.   She has been the recipient of numerous awards including the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Samuel S. Berger Award, the Illinois Judges Association Presidential Service Award, the Henry Horner Good Government Award, the City of Chicago Commission on Human Relations Sage Award, the Northwest Suburban Bar Association Public Service Award, the North Suburban Bar Association Judge of the Year Award, the Jewish Judge’s Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the Between Friends Friend of the Year Award, the Collaborative Law Institute’s first award for work in alternate dispute resolution, the North Suburban Bar Association’s Sanford Blustin award for significant contributions to the legal community, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s El Humanitario Award, the Honorary Fellow of the Illinois Bar Foundation award, Certificate of Appreciation for service to the legal profession and community by the Decalogue Society of Lawyers, the President’s Award of the Advocate Society, the Mary Heftel Hooton Award from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois, the Excellence in Law award from the Amigos of Chicago organization, the CVLS Court of Honor Award, the Michael S. Cohen Award for continuing commitment and contribution to the professional education of matrimonial lawyers, the Chicago Appleseed Fund Pillar of Justice Award, the West Suburban Bar Association Judge of the Year Award, the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois’  Distinguished Judicial Service Award, the Rainbows for All Children Community Impact Award and the ISBA Board of Governor’s Award.

Judge Dickler is married with two adult children one is an attorney and the other a Cook County Circuit Court Judge.