Dwayne Douglas

Dwayne was my second attorney during my divorce. I initially retained the Fathers' Rights attorney who is all over TV and radio in Chicagoland. Fathers' Rights don't exist. It's a marketing gimmick that preys on the higher wage earner which is usually the father. When I interviewed Dway...ne, I was shocked at how polar opposite he was from the previous attorney. I did not like what I heard. My ideas on how the court system worked were fatally flawed. At the end of the case, his initial statements at the interview regarding the likely outcome of my divorce were accurate. No fairy tales from Dwayne and no empty promises. His courtroom demeanor is really good. During one of the pre-trials in chambers, other attorneys in the courtroom were even commenting about his tenacity. He didn't win every argument but he won most. My only criticism would be that he advised me to move out of the marital home as I was afraid of being arrested on false allegations of Domestic Violence. Never. Leave. The. Home. The only time you leave is upon court order. If you leave, you are telling the court that you find the other parent is who should have custody of the children. Simply have a digital recorder running 24/7 while living in the marital home with your adversary. He does not run up the bill like many other lawyers. He followed my directions unless I was requesting something that the court would never entertain. I was impressed with his ability to be managed by his client. Dwayne is one sharp dude and I will be using him again in the future should other issues pop up. If you want an attorney that won't rob you blind and is a litigator, hire him. Any attorney can negotiate but a litigator can win a trial for you. His ability to steer me away from rabbit holes and make convincing arguments to the court allowed me to secure 50/50 joint legal/physical custody and school placement from a stay at home mom.

Mr. Douglas has been my attorney for post-decree matters for 10 years. Watching him in the courtroom, amazes me to this day. His professional, knowledgeable and calm demeanor is by far the best combination when dealing with family matters. He has always been honest and given the best advice on wha...t needs to be focused on. Please, do yourself a favor and don't look any further.

Agree with some of the negative reviews. I switched lawyers since Dwayne was a really good salesman and came across as representing me to my advantage. I regretted switching since I think I would have ended up better with the first lawyer. He didn't have time for me and I had to repeat constantly and... getting charged for it also. When on the phone, I asked questions and he would ramble into long answers not answering my questions and charging me for the long rambling. At times, it seemed he was working for my spouse instead of me suggesting strategies that backfired causing more pain and costing much more dollars on maintenance, pensions, etc. I would not recommend him.

I hired Dwayne for a divorce case. He seemed good and knowledgeable at the onset however over the course of a year he lost nearly every motion that was filed and I finally switched counsel, wish I did months prior. His initial ballpark estimates of costs were unrealistic and far from what he ended ...up charging. He was very “sales-y”, often rambling on without giving true answers and charging me for no sound advice. Dwayne would always needed “refreshers” on a case he should’ve known cold just so he could mark up his fees. There were multiple times he actually looked at his watch and didn’t want to answer a couple questions and was inferring I was at a time limit. His stated rate comes across as reasonable however he over bills his hours constantly. Dwayne was not the advocate and fighter I needed and would often play nice when the other side was ruthless. He made multiple procedural errors which were discovered after the fact which will cost me dearly for years. Please in your best interests find someone else.

Mr. Douglas is a good attorney and knowledgeable. But he seems overloaded and would need "refreshers" from me to explain my case and details over and over while being charged by the hour. I felt like I had to ask for things to be done and he wasn't looking for ways to protect me from possible outcome...s. He acted like a salesperson on commission, and was only in it for the money. Don't fall behind with your payments to him - he will send a collection attorney after you with no warning and have your bank accounts levied.