David Samuel Kerpel

Absolutely brutal experience. Wound up charging me over $8,000 and accomplished nothing over the course of 8 months. I still had to pay maintenance and child support while unemployed. I'm still trying to get reunification therapy with my children, and now that's further being delayed because they ...didn't change the name of the therapist in the court order. I'm still waiting for my annual true-up to be resolved. The lack of communication was brutal, which is probably why things took so long and nothing ever got accomplished. Yet somehow they were doing a lot of work to rack up bills in excess of $8,000. DO NOT HIRE THIS LAWYER! Run! Run far away.

I became acquainted in with David in 2013 while attending a workshop at The Lilac Tree in Evanston where he was speaking on the subject of "modifications to existing divorce decrees". I then retained his services to explore modification to my decree, granted 2 1/2 yrs prior. With David's excellent st...rategies, expertise and support, he was very successful in obtaining an award for modification in court. Most recently in Sept 2018, I again retained David when my former spouse chose to retire and discontinue paying my maintenance. In Feb 2019, the court ruled the retirement was "in bad faith" and David negotiated on my behalf with the opposing counsel and Judge to reach a very successful final settlement. In hindsight, I wish I had known David Kerpel when my divorce process began. If you're seeking an attorney with complete expertise regarding divorce and all issues surrounding the processes, I highly recommend David Kerpel. David is highly professional, supportive, educating, insightful, and efficient. I would just like to add...on both occasions that I retained David I lived outside of Illinois and our communications took place via phone, emails, and text messages. He could not have been more responsive, available and efficient in navigating both of our schedules, time zones, etc. in his successful resolution of my case.

The tremendous effort on the part of David Kerpel as my attorney resulted in a positive outcome in my divorce, greatly securing my financial future. After 30 years of marriage, my husband and I agreed to part ways. When I first walked into David Kerpel's office I was worried about repercussions th...is could have on my son, as well as feeling enormous fear for my future well-being. I hadn't anticipated experiencing intense fear & overwhelming emotional feelings. David had to deal with my dread & fears & feeling low. He advised me what I could do to get support and become more confident. David networks with impressive professionals having different expertise then himself, that he gave me access to. His recommendations proved to be extremely helpful throughout the entire divorce process, even keeping my costs down. The Lilac Tree recommended David during a private consultation. I had also considered 3 other attorneys. Upon reviewing his website, I noted the same theme consistently running thru the numerous comments - he keeps focused on the issues. When clients stray off course he steers them back, and he was honest. I knew this was the kind of attorney I needed. Even so, in court or office, David listened intently on what I had to say, always conducting himself appropriately and in a professional manner. Relying on prayer and my faith in God for strength, I realized if I believed my prayers directed me here, I needed to listen to David. David is very knowledgeable and knows what he is talking about. However, one time I succumbed to my fears, I took it upon myself to make a decision I thought I needed, even after David said it wasn't necessary. Turned out to be a stressful and not so wise decision on my part! David knows what to do & what NOT to do. He always kept unwavering focus on what was best for me and my future, acknowledging my fears, even when my own focus was somewhere else. Throughout the divorce proceedings David also looked out for the best interest of my son & his college education and beyond. Perhaps because in the beginning my husband was representing himself, things proceeded like a slow moving train. When the divorce train started to pick-up speed my husband retained his attorney. There were times I tried to slow the train down for various reasons. I'd, figuratively, jump on the track thinking I could stop it with an outstretched arm, "Slow Down". I couldn't seem to fathom the train was barreling at full speed & was not going to slow down. David took it all in stride and a number of times kept directing me back to the right track, encouraging me not to impede its rapid progress and to keep my eyes focused forward & to a happier future. David has an extremely strong presence without projecting intimidation. He uses his knowledge of a situation to fearlessly take charge. He personifies the saying, "Knowledge Is Power." I've heard him seek out information for more precise wording, rather than the standard on the MSA, to further protect my interests. David is a very energetic person and appears to enjoy the challenge of his work. He successfully argued for me in court with the judge on many important issues. He also kept a steadfast resolve in negotiations with my husband's capable attorney in my presence & turned things around in my favor during a time I was not present and had looked to be a possible volatile situation. David is thoughtful. Suffering from a pinched nerve in my back, David was continually concerned about my physical comfort, not in word only but in deed. During final court time, David had me sit in a farther more comfortable area while running back & forth between last minute negotiations with my husband's attorney & the place I was sitting, avoiding the hard benches. No longer do I feel hopeless - but hopeful and forever grateful to David. I feel confident highly recommending David, who is fearless & represented me well!