Based on 7 reviews
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Posted by a Child Support client, Flag
Gary is representing me in court about 3 1/2 hrs today and I know i am in good hands. Because he is REALLY GOOD AT WHAT HE DOES!!! I've learned with Lawyers it's best to leave them alone and let them work. Don't harangue them with the details or try to critique the strategy. Pick the right one, pay them on time, and leave them alone and let them work. For family law in Illinois there is no better choice than Gary Schlesinger. He truly is a bridge, and if you don't know what that means then you have not done your homework very well.
Posted by Tim, a Child Custody client, Flag
I am baffled by the negative reviews on this site. From day one, Gary has been nothing but helpful and understanding of my child custody case, and helped me get sole custody of my son. He knew it was what was best for him, and because he took my case my child is happy and every one of his needs is fullfilled.
He has been more than accommodating and patient with his fees, and as a result of his help, my child, who is now in first grade, was just tested in the top 1 percent in the country among his first grade peers in reading and math.
If I have to pay this man until I am 70 it will be worth every penny, because he did something the court-appointed attorney couldn't do....he put the needs of my child first. I can't guarantee he will win every case he takes, but as far as Lake County family attorneys go, I am convinced there is no one better.
He is fair but agressive in court, and if it wasn't for the fact he helps so many people, I'd wish he were a family judge. If you are a good person, male or female, who is there for your kid or kids, this is someone I would highly recommend. I felt like I finally got peace of mind back thanks to him.
Posted by a Divorce client, Flag
I worked with Gary a number of years ago and have never forgotten the excellent representation he gave me. I am puzzled by the negative reviews I read, as he communicated every aspect of my case and it's status along the way. I felt confident and supported during the entire legal process. Gary even allowed me to pay his bill in payments after the divorce was finalized, never once demanding full payment from me. I have and will continue to recommend him to anyone.
Posted by a Child Custody client, Flag
When we first hired Mr. Schlesinger, he was extremely responsive and confident he would help us fight an ugly battle whereas the ex was putting my daughter in the middle, causing great stress and pain in my child's eyes. As the case moved along though, we heard less and less from Gary until he one day assigned a Jr. attorney to our case. And then back to Gary, he was no where to be found, didn't fill me in on what was going on and there were court dates he didn't bother sending me letters to inform me I had to attend. I felt he wasn't very organized and perhaps this was his way of billing more hours, but we spent the better half of every hour we met, giving him a recap of the case.
I don't feel that he represented me as he had stated in our initial meetings and feel as though I wasted a lot of time and money with him. Now I have to go back to court, new attorney and fight for 50/50 custody of my child.
Posted by a Divorce client, Flag
After my initial cosultation I believed that the group would handle my case well. I'd read positive reviews and the listing of them as a top 100 super lawyer. However I was very disappointed in the work they did for me.
As the other negative review on here stated, they do not communicate with you in a timely manner. Multiple times I had to resend an email or call back again to get any info on my case.
The majority of the contact that I did have with them was via snail mail of copies of continuances. That is to say they kept putting off any progress in the divorce.
I had never had a lawyer before, so this was my first forray into it. It seemed to me that once they had my retainer, all they did was drag it out so they could keep billing me. They did not guide me through the process in any way, and I never had an understanding of what was going on. They did not seem to care about me or my situation and never really told me what was going on or what I should be doing.
In the end, my ex wife got everything she wanted and they did not follow through on the directives that I wanted. In the end I just signed off so that the divorce would be finalized. I do plan on going back with a different lawyer to change the joint parenting agreement since they bombed it so badly.
For me, I just wanted an attorney who kept me up to date, ADVISE me what I should be doing, and keep the settlement fair. They did none of these things. If I posted the joint parenting agreement they put to me to sign, you would not believe your eyes.
What could I have done differently? I could have called or emailed more often, however after no responses you tend to lose the drive to call them again since you've not heard from them. Maybe I could have been more involved or driven the process more, but I trusted them to take care of it for me too much. By the time I realized how bad it was, I owed them thousands of dollars and did not have the resources to go out and put down another retainer with a different lawyer. It seems that a lot of lawyers recommend them since they represented other lawyers, but for an average joe like me-I honestly feel that if I went in and represented myself it would have been about the same. Maybe they should stick to working for other lawyers.
Lawyer’s Comment:
it would be helpful to know who this is so i can address the specific case. we do not drag out cases. sometimes that happens if the other side does not cooperate or if our client is unreasonable in his requests. without knowing whose case this is, i cannot answer that any better.
i tell people at the initial interview that phone contact is difficult. emails get answered within 24 hours.
every client gets guided through the process in several ways. one is explaining it at the initial interview. another is sending the client a copy of every paper we generate or receive. a third is by answering questions in person or by email. sometimes by phone. but, phone contact is difficult for us. we are in court or with people most days. i answer emails in the evening or weekends. i am doing this one at 810 pm on a weds.
maybe the directives this client wanted were unreasonable. maybe the judge awarded items that the wife wanted and not this client. again, until i know who this is and review the file, i cannot answer any differently or better.
i find it difficult to believe that anyone would just sign off to get it done if he or she is so unhappy with the paper. why sign it? just refuse, have a trial, let the judge decide. maybe the paper was not that bad. maybe it was what the judge recommended in a pre trial conference.
if the client does not communicate with us by email or leave phone messages, we do not know that there is a problem. this client gave up communicating. if the case would have turned out the same with his representing himself, maybe the result is correct.
he wanted fair. all clients do. but one side's definition of fair is usually different from the other side's. fair to one side may be unreasonable to the other.
i would like to meet with this person to discuss what the problem is. i assume that a client who owed thousands and refused to pay is someone i would talk with. were the thousands paid? if so, then there was money for another lawyer
not all lawyers are a good fit for all clients. about ten percent of the divorce clients switch lawyers somewhere in the process. we get some. we lose some. all of us who do this work do.
tell me, in a private email who you are. i will get the file. we can discuss it. but to blast me anonymously is not appropriate.
please go to our web site to view the testimonials there.
Posted 12 months ago. Flag
Posted by Lin, a Divorce client, Flag
Allthough I am an attorney, in Gary's case I was his client. He represented me in my divorce proceeding. He had the reputation then, and still does, of being one of the very top attorneys in his field in Lake County, Illinois. He lived up to that reputation in every way in his representation of me. Gary really knows his stuff, and he knows how to employ his skills effectly to win for his clients. I highly recommend him
Posted by a Child Custody client, Flag
It took months for their group to respond to me via email or phone, it took several months for them to start working on my petitions, and when they did, it was poorly written. I did not feel supported at all. Poor communication (if any), and felt like I could not trust them to do what was best for me and my case. I had to "fire" them after initial petitions were filed due to their apathetic attitudes.
Lawyer’s Comment:
it would be helpful to know who this is. if it was one to three years ago, why wait until now to do this poor review? why is "fire" in quotes? perhaps the failure to communicate was on the part of the client? had he or she spoken with me or mike strauss, we could have attempted to fix it. if the petitions were poorly written, why did the client sign them so they could be filed? if they were filed, then the client approved of them and did sign them.perhaps the delay in starting work on the petitions was due to the delay in the client making the initial payment. again, without knowing who this is, we cannot attempt to fix it, then or now.
Posted about 1 year ago. Flag
Lawyer’s Comment:
it would be nice to know who this is so i could respond.
there are no junior attorneys. there are me and my partner mike strauss. the fee letter makes clear that the client is hiring both of us. this is no surprise to anyone who reads the fee letter. it is in the first paragraph.
every client gets a copy of every court paper, including the orders and notices that set new dates. frequently there are not separate letters sent about this. read the notice and orders and you know the dates, times, court rooms.
i cannot address the part about the recap of the case other than to say that in client meetings, it is necessary for the client and the lawyer to bring the other participant current. if that is recapping, then i acknowledge it. if recapping is something else, i cannot respond as i do not know who this is.
please understand that representation is not a guarantee of results. it is zealously pursuing the goal of the client within the bounds of law and ethics and rules of evidence. not all clients achieve all their goals. there is an opposing side that is doing the same thing at the same time before the same judge. sometimes, the judge agrees with the other side. that does not mean the representation was poor. it means that the other side had a better case.
custody is based on the best interest on the child. if this is a new divorce, then that is often easier to get equal parenting time than attempting to modify or change custody after the divorce.
i am certain that in the initial meeting i told this client, and all clients, that we are selling zealous legal representation. we cannot and do not guarantee nor predict results.
perhaps the goal of this client to achieve equal parenting time is not in the best interest of the child. again, without knowing who this is, i cannot explain any further.
i do acknowledge that sometimes clients wish to change lawyers for a variety of reasons and sometimes lawyers wish to withdraw from a case for a variety of reasons.
Posted 10 months ago. Flag