Jody L. Usow

Leaving a review for a law firm that helped secure and solidify the future for me and my children is a passionate process for me. When you are going through the most difficult time in your life, it’s overwhelming to have to make decisions relating to your separation or divorce. It’s intimidating to... have child custody paperwork and meetings that impact your children in the present and future world in which they must adjust. It goes without saying that it is vital to attain counsel you can trust. Jody Usow is a dynamic lawyer with a wealth of knowledge vital for operating in the world of divorce and child custody in Wisconsin. I learned fast that Jody has an organic process that alleviates the intimidating process of divorce. My initial consultation with Jody took place at a time where I was emotionally unstable and intimated by fast approaching court appearances and deadlines. Jody does not spend time with the minutia that exists between parties, but on a staunch conviction that the facts and realities of your current situation will be the foundation of your approach for the entirety of the process. I found this approach to be effective in the divorce process itself, and for me personally. One of the most exceptional traits that Jody has in her arsenal is the ability to find the things in your life that you thought futile or irrelevant, and maximizing their significance as they apply to the terms of the divorce. This unique skill set is a testament to years of experience litigating in the state of Wisconsin and working closely with families to meet their needs. Jody communicates effectively with you - explaining your options. Jody communicates promptly and respectably with your spouses attorney, something I appreciate to this day as it has a lasting effect on the relationship between parties. I found Jody to pe particularly pleasant to deal with in the areas of property division, maintenance and child placement. Jody uses an eclectic blend of skills that made for a particularly effective representation of a father that spent most of his time caring for kids. The relationships that Jody has developed in her years of practicing family law proved critical in the process involving our children. A guardian ad litem was made part of the process and we were able to effectively communicate with her and make known the challenges surrounding our situation. It was evident to that Jody was exceptionally respectful and sensitive when it came to this, and once she felt like the GAL would help to investigate and represent the best interest of the children, that is what we did. The world is evolving at an incredible rate and views on divorce are always changing. The word ‘divorce’ has such an unpleasant vibration, and the stigma around it is real. But for me, I will always remember that in the most trying time of my life, I had a lawyer that genuinely focused on my divorce and made me and my family a priority. I was more than thrilled with the placement of the children. In the end I found the alimony agreement reached to be reasonable and effective for all parties, and the property division was fair and efficient. One year after my divorce is when I am really able to see the range of effectiveness Jody Usow has had on the lives of both me and my children. Every single aspect of the divorce has proven to have been navigated in a responsible way that put everyone in a position to be as happy and successful as possible. There are indisputable challenges for both spouses when the process of divorce takes place, and I could not be more passionate about recommending Jody Usow to anyone in the Greater Milwaukee Area that is proceeding with the process. Jody operates with a particular level of civility and advocacy that allows for a safe and responsible process.

Jody was my divorce attorney and helped me through this difficult process at every step. It is thanks to her guidance that my ex was not able to take advantage of me financially. She and her paralegal Nick were always available and responsive when I needed them. I had no clue what to expect in regard...s to this process, as I had never been through it before. For someone who was not familiar with court proceedings and legal verbage, I found a lot of it to be VERY difficult to understand and rather intimidating. Jody was so patient and understanding with me, explaining every step of the way. I highly recommend Jody and her team!

As a business professional, I have required legal services for countless situations over my lifetime. Mostly for normal business dealings, though a few were more adversarial in nature. In either case, selecting the best attorney for the situation is obviously important. When our family was face...d with a situation involving a family member being falsely accused, I found myself out of my element as family law was an area I had never needed to explore. I did know however, not having the best attorney in this particular case would mean a devastating outcome and a tarnished record that would haunt us for a very long time. My vast and extensive research brought our family to Usow Law and thank goodness it did. Simply put, Jody Usow is an extraordinary attorney in every way. From the beginning, she was great at managing the expectations, the process and our family. Even though our emotions and frustrations would sometimes run wild due to the unjust accusations, Jody always managed to recenter us and focus on the law and her plan to succeed. Jody's experience and overall strategy in dealing with the opposition was brilliant. I was very impressed with her proactive tactics that set the stage for a favorable outcome. Watching Jody in the courtroom was a sight to behold. Measured and mild-mannered up until the petitioner's testimony became clearly disingenuous, and the lion was unleashed. In this day and age when we have so little accountability, it was thrilling to watch a dishonest person eviscerated on the witness stand during cross-examination due to their lack of integrity and vengeful actions. Needless to say, Jody was so compelling in the courtroom that the case was dismissed without her client (our side) ever needing to testify. Jody brought this 4-month nightmare our family was living, to an end! If you are in need of a family law attorney, you should contact Usow Law. If you are faced with unfair and unjust family-law legal issues you should definitely contact Usow Law. If you don't, the opposing side might. We are forever grateful for Jody Usow!

I initially hired Jody to assist with a temporary restraining order case I was facing where my child’s mother over exaggerated an argument and lied to police to get the TRO. Jody stepped in last minute literally the day before, heard my story, met me at court and represented me for the hearing. The... TRO was granted but Jody being the realist she is, let me know going into the hearing that it would likely be granted and why. Even then I appreciated her honesty and willingness to represent me on such short notice. After the TRO hearing my child’s mother decided she did not want me to see him so I continued to work with Jody with the goal of getting 50/50 custody and placement. Jody has proven to be a beast in the court room at every hearing we’ve had. She is very professional, down to earth, respected by the court and she knows her stuff! Her assistant Nick is just as awesome! We all worked together to accomplish the end goal and they were both very professional, nonjudgmental, and willing to educate me every step of the way. Nick even took the time to call and find out officers were in office, and ride his bicycle to the district to serve them for a court hearing the next day because they had not been able to be reached or served. I enjoyed working with Jody and her staff especially with this all being new to me, she would always answer my very long emails or phone calls in a timely manner, she worked with my family members/friends who were helping me with testifying or confirming information, and she understood how important it was to me to be apart of my sons life and have him be apart of my family and his siblings lives. She took time to educate me on what was happening throughout the entire custody battle and was patient with me when I did not do my part in a timely manner. At the end of my case, I got everything I wanted 50/50 placement and custody, even with the mother having representation and even with the TRO in place- which was a blessing in disguise because Jody fought for the mother and I to have court ordered communication through Our Family wizard where everything is documented for lawyers or the court to be able to access with no way for parents to delete information. Jody has been a huge blessing to me and my family and was worth every penny! Even after my case closed she followed up, gave me great advice and encouraged me to reach out to her if needed. I highly highly recommend and she will be the first name I give to anyone going through any family court disputes.

My case was a very complicated case trying to protect my young daughter from abuse. I went through several family law attorneys (five in total!) that lacked the know how or skills for the challenge and instead tried to convince me that I had already done everything I could to protect her. By the... time I came to Jody, my child's situation seemed very bleak. I was emotionally drained and feeling almost hopeless, but Jody turned things around completely by the time we reached our final trial. Jody was always straight forward, never one to tell me what I wanted to hear but what I NEEDED to hear keeping me focused on what mattered most. She is savy, tough, clearly we'll versed in family law and has a great presence in the court room. My child is finally safe now because of Jody's fearlessness and dedication.