Retained Marlin Law to draft estate documents for my elderly parents. Subsequent to receiving…read moredocs, and paying Matlin Law in full, I contacted the firm regarding interpretation of one paragraph. Matlin Law told me that they require a $2000 retainer to discuss a simple question that would take 2 minutes to answer. I would suggest finding alternative Counsel.

Both my wife and I have used the services of Matlin Law Group for our estate matters. Recently my…read morewife wanted to make some changes to some of the provisions of her trust. We met with Johannah Hebl. During the course of a delightful conversation, my wife spoke of the sort of the changes she wanted to make. When we received a draft from Johannah, we were both impressed by how perfectly she had captured what my wife wanted. There was no need for any back-and-forth regarding subsequent modifications. This is the sort of experience you want from any professional but sometimes seems all too rare.

Brian is one of the best attorneys in Illinois Very…read moreprofessional and experienced. He won my case and I'm very satisfied with his service. Thank you so Much Brian you are the Best

Very professional with his free consultation services. He is a true fact driven, justice driven…read moreproblem solver. As an attorney, he is down to earth and easy to talk to. He doesn't fight with you, he fights for you.

Matt Fakhoury assured me that he would take all the heavy lifting from the point of contact and…read morethat's exactly what I needed for the first time in a long time. He allowed me to heal, and focus on my present while he handled the past that got me in this position. There were moments when he believed in my projected outcome as if the case was already done. Moments that I was supposed to hear it, exactly how it was said. The trajectory of my life was significantly altered in a way I never imagined. This is behind me now and ended a few hours ago with a major victory. What I do with it now is be the man Matt believed I was when he decided to stand by my side and give the other side all we got. I have a second chance! Hope, encouragement, and to have the outcome you need are what you hope you're getting from your legal counsel. But what the law firm doesn't advertise, is that you're getting a absolute savage in your corner that's looking dead in the eyes at the other side and will not be comprised for a "easy outcome" but will get you the outcome that doesn't tarnish your name permanently. The best outcome. Everyone makes mistakes. It happens. But you need to realize that you found this review for a reason. Just like I found the review that had me give him a call. I will be referring his services.

Needed legal help with first time offense in charges made by police where there were no injuries or…read moreweapons involved. They were incredibly expensive and were unable to get charges dismissed/dropped. Charges were able to be reduced from felony to misdemeanor with 18 months probation. They had a good response time, but Matt seemed bothered & annoyed by our questions. He was rude and condescending many times. Catlin was professional & nice to work with, yet neglected to notice on probation documents that the prosecutor listed a 2 year term when it was supposed to be 18 months. Had I not paid attention & noticed the discrepancy my family member would be doing an extra 6 months unnecessarily. Disappointing when you're paying top dollar & under so much stress that you can't trust them to get the paperwork correct. Overall, I didn't feel that Matt had our back & was not on our team. Didn't work out well for us

Thank you very much Mark Schondorf! Mark had the very difficult task of dealing with my case that…read moreis far from usual. I have already been divorced for several years, but moved out of state for a job teaching third grade. These circumstances made Mark's job extra complicated. Not only did he need to accommodate the fact that I live so far away, but he was left dealing with the most uncooperative ex-husband that walks the earth. To make matters worse, he was also left face to face with the worst, most unprofessional judge in the history of divorce court... Judge Trew. Mark did his very best to talk me through every step of the process involved in renegotiating my divorce agreement to accommodate the fact that I now live in another state than my children. When things in court did not go the way one would expect, he reassured me every step of the way that he would get us through the process with favorable results. When I was anxious and upset, he took the time necessary to keep me calm and explain what was going on in layman's terms. He was very patient with me and went above and beyond the call of duty to show me that he cared not only about my case but about my well-being. Mark was always professional, accommodating, informative, and proactive. He spent hours trying to negotiate with my ex who continued to be unrealistic and unreasonable. There is no doubt in my mind that Mark tried his very best on his own time to find resolution to my situation...... something he most certainly did not need to do. Mark often made time for my phone calls after hours and on weekends. He took time out of his busy schedule and time with his family and children to help me in the best way he could. Mark I can't thank you and your associate Eugene Bilmes enough for everything you've done for me. I highly recommend your services to anyone who is looking for a dedicated, hard-working divorce attorney that won't settle for anything but results. Put yourself in Marks Schondorf's hands... You will not be sorry.

An honest review by a recent client, not a friend or acquaintance posing as one! Let me be clear,…read moreSTAY AWAY FROM THIS FIRM! I have never been represented by such an incompetent lawyer as with Mr. Schondorf. This attorney brings a big fat zero to the table. You will most likely lose your case and waste your hard earned dollars in the process. You will also find yourself doing most of the litigating because Mr. Schondorf really struggles to articulate any type of defense while in the Court Room. He demonstrated little to no skill-set when working on my case. I take no pleasure in writing a negative review, but with my experience I feel that others absohave the right to know when services rendered are so bad that they are simply unacceptable. I wish more people did this, and this is one thing that Social Media and reviews are actually good for. I will not judge Mr. Schondorf, and instead try to provide some details around his professional abilities, or there the lack of. Let us start with the most basic items, Mr. Schondorf has terrible organization skills, he is likely to request information from you that you have previously provided him with on a multitude of occasions, this will not only drive up cost but also play on your frustration levels. His overall Legal skills are subpar, I personally found myself challenging Mr. Schondorf on Legal Statutes to the point where I had to directly point him to it. You are likely to find yourself arguing with your own attorney because his lack of skill and performance will be very frustrating to you. You will find yourself investing a lot of time in keeping a close watch on this attorney as a result of his lack of skill-set, knowledge, accuracy, and overall ability. You will also find that his communication is not timely, and his work often contains errors. Be prepared to spend hours looking over his paperwork, and countless emails, all of which is costing you money. The details of your case are likely to be forgotten, so you'll find yourself having to remind him of them. If you decide to go ahead and proceed with hiring him as a representing attorney, be prepared for a long haul! The one thing that this attorney is good at is prolonging even the simplest matters. He is likely to hide behind "this is the process", so be ready for it. Once the case has gone for some time, he will likely try and advise you on settling. This is especially true when the dollars start to run out! This attorney performed so inadequately that it was necessary for me to file a complaint with the ARDC. In addition, I am now forced to consider Legal Malpractice charges against him as I feel I was totally misrepresented. Honestly there are probably a thousand other lawyers that would yield a much better result for you. Good luck! In addition, do not be fooled by Mr. Schondorf's desperate attempt to save his reputation by posting the below rebuttal. Feel free to read other reviews across the World Wide Web about him and you'll quickly realize that other (real) clients have posted reviews with similar issues. Ask yourself this question, how good of an attorney can Mr. Schondorf be when dealing with a case of no marriage, no shared assets, and only a child custody took him over 2 years and over $25k later with no wins. In my humble opinion, Mr. Schondorf should probably just go back to dealing with cases involving Traffic Court. You can take take your chances with him, but I highly recommend against it. Get a more knowledgeable and competent attorney that will help yield a more successful outcome. By the way, the ARDC is still looking into whether or not there's a case of misconduct with this attorney, so clearly the below response is a lie. Nevertheless, I am in the process of filing a malpractice suit against him.

If I could give 0 stars, I would…read more I hired Kyle Colson in 2025 to represent me, and from my very first court appearance I questioned whether he was prepared to handle my case. Watching him stand before the judge was painful. He appeared completely unprepared and struggled to effectively advocate on my behalf. I ultimately followed his advice and entered a guilty plea, and I was specifically told he would represent me again at my supervision completion hearing. Fast forward one year. I arrived at court, waited over an hour, and never saw Kyle. I called Donahue & Kililis to confirm I had representation that day. After giving the receptionist my name, I was told that Evan would be representing me. That actually gave me some relief because my previous experience with Kyle had left little confidence. Instead, Kyle eventually walked into the courtroom. After another 45-minute wait, he called me before the judge without speaking to me beforehand. Standing in front of the judge was the first time he asked whether I had completed all of my supervision requirements. The judge immediately stopped the conversation and recalled the case because those discussions should have happened privately before we were called. It was embarrassing and completely avoidable. I sat back down expecting Kyle to discuss my case with me. He never did. After waiting again, the judge called me back up and informed me that the firm was no longer representing me. I was shocked. Kyle had literally just stood next to me moments earlier as if he was my attorney. After court, Kyle wouldn't even acknowledge me. I had to call the office and ask someone to have him come outside and speak with me. I waited another 25 minutes. When he finally came out, instead of explaining what had happened, he asked me, "What happened?" I told him I was trying to figure out the exact same thing. He then said, "Technically we don't represent you after 30 days of sentencing." My question was simple: If you weren't representing me, why did you call me before the judge? He never answered it. Instead, he told me, "I can see you're getting aggravated, and I'm not going to deal with that." He repeatedly changed the subject to the fact that I hadn't completed everything instead of answering why I had been led to believe I had representation that day. When I became frustrated after getting no answers, I did say a few not nice words to him and his final comment to me was, "Look in the mirror." That is the level of professionalism I received. To make matters worse, I was told one of the firm's owners, Evan, would be calling me to discuss what happened. That call never came. My biggest issue isn't even the legal outcome. It's the complete lack of communication, accountability, and professionalism. I left court embarrassed, confused, and without representation after every indication suggested otherwise. If you're considering hiring this firm, I strongly encourage you to ask very clear questions about exactly when their representation begins and ends, who will actually appear in court with you, and what communication you can realistically expect. My experience left me with far more questions than answers.

Evan was professional in resolving my son's case in a timely manner…read more Would recommend their law firm highly.

Highly recommend! We…read moreworked with Chance Badertscher as our real estate attorney on a recent sale. He was: 1. Super competent. 2. Very responsive. 3. Easy to work with. 4. Always prepared. 5. Made everything EASY! I've worked on both sides of several real estate transactions with several different real estate attorneys over the years and can easily say Chance at Lavelle Law was one of the best I've worked with. I'd recommend him highly to anyone.

I tried to use them back around 2018. The attorney assigned my account was inexperienced, a very…read morepoor communicator, and she had a bit of an attitude. Although I got nothing out of our interaction, I did get a $4000ish bill. I did not pay it. I suggest you avoid this firm. I kind of agree with other reviews: They're overpriced for a small firm, and they're not particularly effective. I think they think that their mission is simply to bill and make money rather than helping folks resolve their problems.

To be completely transparent, I believe our court systems are full of frivolous lawsuits. I…read morepersonally never would want to be part of any of it. Unfortunately last year, the CEO of the company I was working for decided that it would be a fantastic idea to bring his enormous dog "Tank" into the office. I'm not against dogs in the workplace but the dog should be well behave... at least a little. while I was grabbing my lunch from the fridge Tank decided that my lunch was his and snatched my lunch from my hand. I did not know that retrieval of my lunch was going to set him off and boom he bit me on the face. He ripped my lip and cheek. Long story short the company legal said I should have contacted the CEO to get my lunch back and it was my fault because I provoked Tank. They decided that they weren't going to cover the reconstruction surgery that was required to make my face back in working order. I was referred to Mike Orzoff from a friend who said the guy was legit. Not only did Mike Orzoff get me the money for the surgery but also got a bit extra to make sure I could pay my bills while in recovery. I am truly grateful to Mike for getting me through the entire process. If you need legal assistance I suggest going through Orzoff Law.

Being injured at work is a horrible experience. Hope no one else has to go thru it. Happened to me…read moreand it the most scary experience of my life. My injuries required surgery and extensive rehab. I received a referral for the founder (father) of this firm but my case went to one of the sons. The father (Stewart) has good recommendations here. The son, not so much. I truly regret not doing better research. My case was not represented as aggressively as it should have been. The insurance company dictated everything, including cutting off my physical therapy early. My lawyer told me in advance not to worry if this happened because he could fight it. When it happened, he did NOTHING to fight for me. My physical therapist did more to fight for me to get the doctor-prescribed therapy for me than my lawyer did. Two separate lawyers reviewed (without knowing settlement) and confirmed it should have been higher. I felt like my lawyer was more interested in settling than aggressively fighting for me. If you're injured, learn from me and do your research before hiring a lawyer.

While an event requiring an attorney is stressful enough, add to that the grueling task of picking…read morean attorney that actually cares more about their client than their bill rate is next to near impossible. Unfortunately, life is what it is, and I found myself in a dangerous situation with a neighbor whom I had to obtain an emergency order of protection against. I met with attorney after attorney to discuss my case and all but one seemed more focused on telling me/bragging how great they were, who they knew, and how my case was so simple and would be settled quickly. Thankfully, I knew better than to believe any of what I was being told and more importantly, discovered Michael Strauss. While he too believed my case was not exactly complicated, he recognized that the situation could change in a heartbeat and instead of making me promises he would never be able to keep just to sign me on as a client, he discussed best and worst case scenarios from the start so I could adjust my expectations. And as he predicted, my case grew more complicated and eventually put my own personal safety in jeopardy. Instead of focusing on billing me for every minute that he was working my case, he paused all of this to ensure I was safe. He took on aspects that an attorney would normally not and if they did, they would charge substantially more. Not only did Mr. Strauss not charge me anything extra, when there was a time that I had nothing left in me physically, mentally, and emotionally and decided to not pursue the legal matter any further, Mr. Strauss indicated that while that was my decision, he would not stop fighting on my behalf! What attorney continues to work a case even if the client has nothing left in them to fight???? When I could not fight anymore, Mr. Strauss stepped in and fought for me. I have never met an attorney or know of one that was so passionate about their clients and really made them the priority not the retainer or additional potential billing. He was a Godsend. He is the very type of attorney I believe the job was initially created for - someone who gets into law not for the fame nor money but to actually help those who have nowhere else to turn. I cannot recommend Michael Strauss enough. He was not only my attorney, but he also in a truly unforeseen way became my guardian angel. Because of him, his dedication, and ethics, I am now safe, and it did not financially drain me. While this world does not need more attorneys, they need attorneys like Michael Strauss.

You and Gary gave my child the life he truly deserves, bless both of you. Even though it's now been…read more15 years, words cannot express my gratitude. The child's mother to this day is caught up in endless court cases in another state with multiple parents, and never once did you hound me for money even when I owed it. I know you are selective about who you take on as clients, but you may have saved my child's life. Your work showed the courts the truth and protected him from drunk stepparents, and a neglectful mother. Know you have made a difference in someone's lives in ways you will never understand.