Donald Erwin Ray's Reviews

I went to two other attorneys and I got no where!! Mr ray told me the truth had great knowledge of the court system and laws. Saved me a lot of money and time.

I have used Don several times over the last 6-7 years for two children. He has handled custody, out of state visitaion, and child support matters for me. I had 3 lawyers before him. One child's father lives out of state and Don did not let this fact hinder his progress or outcome. Don is very effective with communication to the other party. He always answered my inquiries timely and always provided more than enough information. My child's father tried a couple different ways to swindle me and Don was there to give me the laws, pros and cons of my decisions, and vague past situations to help guide me to my decision. Every obstacle was met with a plan to overcome the situation, and of course, I got everything I asked for. I absolutely will never go to another lawyer for any family matter.

I have always been a fair person and believe in doing the right thing. Attorney Ray actually works for my ex-wife. It's a long story and I won't get into it...nor say if it is right or wrong.....however, the bottom line for you ladies or gentlemen in choosing a good attorney is getting your "just" support or arrearages every month.
I can speak from experience that Attorney Ray will do whatever he needs to do to make that "uncooperative" ex's life miserable until he accomplishes your common goals. I have called him every name in the book and plotted ways to take him out...just kidding....but I have to say he was just doing what she paid him to do......or his job.
Gotta be the best functioning attorney I've dealt with although he could use a class in bedside manners at times. A smart choice from the plethora of "non-responsive, lazy, do nothings" you have to choose from.

We had a very difficult case, the states of law were, IL, MS, and FL. My husband is in the service, and really had no visitation rights, and the child had been moved to IL with his ex-wife. She wanted more money, We wanted more time with his son, and even after all of her tactics, and stalling, our lawyer was able to get us what we wanted with no increase in support. He was great, and we are still using him for some other issues. You would do yourself a great favor hiring him.

I am so pleased to have found such an incredibe attorney he "gets the job done" Don Ray is like the Johnny Cochran of child support.It's hard to raise children alone but with the help of Don he made things much easier. I would highly recommend him to anyone who's looking for an attorney in this field

I spoke with Donald concerning My Child Suppot and He helped guide Me through the procedures. I was able to stand up in front of the Judge with confidence and knowledge of the procedure. The Judge ruled in My favor and I am possitive it was because of Donalds Help. Thank You again for Your assistance, it was greatly appreciated.

I had a child support issue and I took up Don's free consultation session after reading his reviews from other clients. Don's 15 minutes of consultation was the most valuable thing to me. He really went out of his way to listen and answered all my questions and offered me suggestions to try. He was very frank about his price for his service, not to scare me. I am deaf and he really took the time to listen and talk and I felt no rush or anything. I was VERY comfortable talking with him and he's so down to earth, a people person. Thanks Don. Go N.D.!

Divorce was not where I saw myself after 33+ years of marriage and at the age of 66. I didn't know of anyone that I could trust to represent me. I only knew of a divorce attorney through a very bad experience with my son 3-4 years ago.
I was referred to him by someone I trust. My daughter helped me check out his reviews which revealed a really good reputation as a child advocate attorney. I didn't know if he would represent in the same manner because my children are grown with families of their own.
Attorney Ray was respectful, listened and advised me in a way that I could understood exactly what I could expect. He gave me paperwork to review and a contract to sign and return if I wished to pursue the divorce.
After a few weeks, I returned the signed agreement with a check for his retainer and a check for filing for divorce. His fees were very reasonable and he did not add a lot of extra time and expense to my case.My husband and I were able to come to agreement on many of our marital assets. The hang-up was with the financial settlement. Attorney Ray told me exactly what my rights were and the rights of my husband. After several months of negotiations, an agreement was reached. It was not an easytime for me. Atty Ray kept me informed of each step and we communicated most everything through e-mails and a few phone calls . He most always responded to my questions within 48 hours, many times I had a response within a few hours.. My experience was excellent. I didn't get everything I would like to have, but it was a very fair settlement. Attorney Ray represented me professionally and well.
I would not hesitate recomending him to anyone. I have already referred a young woman with a young child to him. She feels that he will represent her well.

I worked with Attorney Ray for over 2 years and my experience was that every time he came to court he was unprepared and would ask me to brief him. 1 time did not show up for a court date and I always had to call or e-mail to find out the next court date. He would not return calls or e-mails. Even sent me an appology asking for a 2nd chance to do better. I gave him the chance and still no better. Did I mention after 2 years of no progress he wanted to remove himself from the case. Not professional at all. Forced me to hire a new attorney and my child support issues were taken care of in less than 6 months.

I cant say enough good things about Don Ray! I have been dealing with him over 5 years, and he has always stood by my daughter and I. Don is very knowledgeable and aggresive in the courtroom, and he has the respect of his peers and judges alike. I consider myself very fortunate to have Don represent me, and I will continue to recommend him to anyone in need in the future. He lets you know up front what to expect, and will battle for you as if his reputation depended on it. I will be forever greatful to him!

I have been involved with the legal system for about 3 years. I also have had many attorneys like most, but overtime you get to know how attorneys are... I did my homework when I picked Donald Ray. I didn't want another attorney telling me what I wanted to hear, I just wanted an attorney that fought for me and could understand my needs as a father. I put my trust into Donald and he kept me calm through-out my process. I would use him again and will again. I recommend him to anyone I know. He actually was recommended to me by someone deep into the court system, someone that i trusted. Very professional and actually gets back to you when you call. If you have an issue over the weekend, he will respond rather quickly to email, try to find that in another attorney.

I had an extremly difficult case in Rockford, Il. I actually had dismissed two other attorneys on my case before finding Attorney Ray. All our communications had to be handled through phone and e-mail since I am in the state of Georgia. Attorney Ray was extremely professional throughout my case even though I know sometimes my frustrations with the system were coming through. He gave honest and straight forward advice and he fought for my best interest. Attorney Ray also went over and beyond what I orginally hired him to handle for me and knowing finances were in question he never once let that distract from finishing what needed to be completed. As for family law cases, there is none better than Attorney Ray. No matter the size or in-depth your case may be, you are best served with Attorney Ray on your side.

Donald Ray has been my lawyer for the past three months, and we have not gotten anywhere! I rarely recieved any information from him after court dates unless I contacted him myself. When I did contact him, he was rude and very matter of fact. He acted as if I were beneath him, and as if he was giving me some kind of deal. He acted like I was a complete inconvienience. He blew up at me on the phone, telling me that I "shouldn't have hooked up with my daughter's father in the first place. Then you wouldn't be in this situation to begin with!" Very unprofessional all the way around. I rarely contacted him, and I never wanted anything but what the law requires my ex to pay, Donald Ray acted as if this was obsurd the last time I spoke with him. The bottom line is that I trusted that he'd get the job done, he did not, and he was demeening in the process. I am currently looking to hire someone new...hopefully I will have bettter luck! THIS GUY IS COMPLETELY UNPROFRESSIONAL AND HOT HEADED! I was warned of this unfourtunately AFTER I had hired him. HE SHOULD BE REPORTED FOR POOR CONDUCT! DO NOT HIRE DONALD RAY! HE IS A WASTE OF TIME! In his defense, he did give me my money back without hesitation. WOW! THANKS! Now what can you do about all my time you've wasted Mr. Ray? Oh, that's right, not a thing.

In my opinion, my case was difficult. I have a huge fear when it comes to anything legal. Attorney Ray was patient when the case became a challenge, mistakes were made on my part, and my ex-husband didn't want to cooperate. I am happy with the results of my case and I would recommend Attorney Ray to handle your case. I can't tell you how comforting it was to have him talk to me during the case to keep me calm in front of the judge.

My husband and I started working with Attorney Ray a couple of months ago. We chose him becuase he was one of the only attorney's who returned my phone call and gave me a phone consulation. He also had a very informative website.
My husband and I live in Wisconsin but our child support case is in Illinios so it was important for us to get someone who would work with us over the phone, by e-mail and allow us to mail documents to him.

Our hearing involved several visits to court and I was worried that we would have to pay additional money but that was not the case. Attorney Ray also gave us some good advice and areas to pursue related to child support issues.

Attorney Ray was always very honest with us (whether it was good or bad) and I think the money we spent was well worth the service. We have tried to navigate the system alone and it has always been much more costly and frustrating.

I would certainly hire Attorney Ray in the future.

I USE MR RAY FOR A CHILD SUPPORT CASE AND THIS GUY REFUSE TO RETURN MY EMAILS AND CALLS. I PAID HIM UP FRONT AND I FEEL BAD FOR MYSELF FOR PAYING HIM. HE MADE THREE CALLS TOTAL, DIDNT FILE NO RESPONDS OR ANYTHING I NEED AT ALL. I BEEN DEALING WITH HIM FOR THE PAST 7 MONTHS AND HAVENT GOTTEN ANYWHERE YET.

Mr. Ray is very professional and does an outstanding job. He cares about your case and handles it very well 100%.

Mr. Ray did a great job for us. After our previous lawyer..(Who charged us up a wall and didn't get everything taken care off) He was a God send. It was great how he kept in touch with us and actually got things taken care of right away. It's hard to find a lawyer that will put you first and not milk you for the money. He has saved us alot fo tears:)

Attorney Ray is a very aggressive attorney. If what you need has'nt been done by other attorneys, He's the man...he represented me in a child support case. He was very aggressive and i got my money...He also got me the attorney fee's paid back..I would recommend him to anyone in a similar situation his aggressivness gets the job done...if it werent for him i would have never seen a dime back...

I have a rather unique problem and I had know idea how to get answers to my questions.
I was on line searching and by chance I found Mr. Ray. I sent him a message and wasted no time replying to me. I told me that yes my case was unique and he would find the answers that I needed.
He did just that, in a very short amount of time he researched and found answers for me and emailed them back.
Most people including me at times, see Attorneys as not very nice people, yes jerks if you will. Mr. Ray has helped me see that all Attorneys are not created equal because some never lose their heart and he is a great person.

Mr. Ray represented me in an usual & very complicated child support case. He pursued the case tirelessly when I thought I had no chance at all of prevailing. (We were successful thanks to his considerable efforts.) He is forthright & VERY knowledgeable.

As other reviewers have noted, he will keep his client informed at all times & he really made an effort with me to detail various potential outcomes. This made a big difference to me - I had no surprises since he gave me such a good idea of what to expect.

Again I recommend Mr. Ray without hesitation particularly in matters concerning family law & child support.

I contacted Donald Ray on behalf of my husband who is a good and devoted father to his daughter and needed advice on child support issues as the non custodial parent.

He was very informative and extremely knowledgeable about Illinois law and what to expect and what not to expect. Also, his prompt responses to follow up questions weresuperb.

He is very honest and upfront about the issues that you will face and doesn't sugar coat anything which is appreciated.

He is highly recommended to anyone who wants an attorney who is responsive, honest, and extremely knowledgeable.

From the initial consultation, we know that we will retain him when that time comes.

I had a consultation with Donald Ray and he was very knowledgeable and experienced in the information that he was able to provide to me. He was also very open to questions and answered them at full capacity.

I know a lot more about the issues that I presented to him and I feel much more confident in what steps I need to take next.

Thanks Don

My husband and I contacted Mr. Ray one year ago. Upon reviewing several attorney profiles and credentials late one night, I stumbled across Mr. Ray's child support website. Although my case concerned my ex-husband attempting to change a child support order and Donald Ray's area of practice is primarily child support, I contacted Mr. Ray. From Mr. Ray's court experience and people experience, he told me from the start how to handle my ex-husband and his attorney. Donald knows the law, and not soley child support...he identifies one' needs quickly and desrcibes the processes your about to go through. I am a talker, but this man is blunt and will not allow someone to waste their time/money on issues (typically of the heart) that are not valid in the courts eyes. HOWEVER, IF YOU FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT SOMETHING, HE WILL FIGHT FOR YOU... He doesn't like to lose a battle, and is agressive when he knows it is going to work. I am a talker and could write all day about my experience with this attorney. I have had a female jewish attorney who overbills, a brilliant attorney who will charge your weekly paycheck for a phone call, and have spoken to many women and men regarding their legal experiences, and I truly believe God guided me to Mr. Ray. From the first communication ( a phone call) until my last email, the following are all the reasons my family feels Mr. Ray is an asset to the legal community in helping people who truly need guidance:
1. He is an honest man; whether you agree or not, he will provide you with his truth about the legal system and where you stand
2. He is fiesty and agressive when he needs to be.
3. Won't over bill; I am a talker and I am well aware and thankful for those times he acted as a psychologist and let me vent for minutes when he only had seconds to talk.
4. He listens, but is firm with your options.
5. He is not flashy in his dress or language....very down to earth. He doesn't posses the attitude that he cannot learn from other people.
6. Knowledgeable about child support, child custody, and other family laws, and if he is unsure, he is humble enough to let you know that and find the answer.
7. Communicates effeciently and effectively. I never felt I was going to court unprepared.
8. This one is for me...unquestionably I knew he believed in me and what I said my son needed. This was the most important to me. If you can convince someone to believe in you, they will fight for you. Although in my case, my ex-husband negotiated in the end and I caved a little to get an agreement, I know if we would have went to trial (although he appeared in court several times) Mr. Ray would have shined in court on behalf of my son and the rest of our family. He is just a good man, and I don't think that can be said of many in his profession anymore.

I ran across a link to Mr. Ray's site while trying to locate the site to find out the exact amount of how much I owed in back child support and to find out why I had to wait so long to get my modification reviewed. He told me like it is, just like his site said. He was VERY quick in returning my correspondences, even though he has more than enough to keep him busy in the course of a regular day or week. He is a man of his word. If there is anyone at all, father or mother, that needs frill-free, straight-up advice on how to get the information you need in relation to your situation, whether you're in Illinois or not, you'd do yourself a great disservice if you didn't at least check him out.

I appreciate the communication. And I also can appreciate that he is straight foward with details. And keeping me informed as to what could happen or what is to be expected. He is very detailed and professional, he comes highly recommended.

I would recommend Don E. Ray for any legal council. He is a knowledgeable and trustworthy Lawyer. He kept me informed of the process of my cases, I have known him for over 3yrs and he has represented me in my divorce and child support cases. Currently he is handling my child support case. I have referred him to family and friends because if you want excellent and responsive services he is more than capable of meeting your needs

I emailed him asking for information to help me with my child support case and he was very responsive in a timely manner. I was very pleased with the information he provided.

If you are looking for a lawyer that is a confident, savy, agressive, and honest - yes honest. Donald Ray is the lawyer for you.
I hired Donald Ray many years ago for the reason that my cousin didn't - his agressiveness. I needed a lawyer that could be savy enough to expose the defendents magic tricks and bring to light the truth of the matters. I needed a lawyer that was confident enough to take on such a task and agressive enough to get what was needed when all was exposed. I also needed a lawyer that would be honest enough to tell me what I couldn't go after so I wouldn't be wasting my time or money. DONALD RAY IS ALL OF THESE THINGS AND MORE!
I had to use him again just recently and all those qualities are still there after all these years - the spark was never lost through out these years. And with both of my situations, I had been living hours away. During all the preperation he had kept me well informed and kept in constant contact with me.
I say Donald Ray is all this and more with the more being that he makes you feel at ease and the confidence he exudes spills over to you the second he shakes your hand.
Because of Donald Ray, our loving family has been intact since the beginning from the time my child was a toddler to now as a teenager.
I can't say enough good things about him.
In closing, If you are looking for a good chld custody or child support lawyer, I HIGHLY recomend Donald Ray with out a doubt!
Tracy