Joan Marie Fenstermaker

Joan Marie Fenstermaker

4.9
Rating: 7.3

Licensed for 31 years

Landlord or tenant Lawyer at Chicago, IL
Practice Areas: Landlord & Tenant, Litigation, Real Estate

105 W. Madison St., Ste. 600, Chicago, IL

About Joan

Biography

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

Cost

Free Consultation

$0 first 30 minutes

Hourly Rates

$ 300-425 per hour

Contingency

30%-50%


Payment Methods

  • Cash
  • Check
  • Credit Card

Looking for an attorney? Avvo can help.

search module image

Search our directory

Quickly connect with top attorneys through our legal directory to get help with your legal issue.

chat module image

Avvo's live chat agents can help coordinate a consultation with a local attorney.

Chat with a live agent who can match you with the right attorney for your legal needs.

Chat with

Licenses

Licensed in Illinois for 31 years

State: Illinois

Acquired: 1994

Active and Authorized to Practice Law

No misconduct found

Location

Joan M Fenstermaker, PC

105 W. Madison St., Ste. 600, Chicago, IL, 60602

Ad

Transform legal challenges into solutions.

Connect now to review your situation.

The Avvo Rating explained

display-bg

The Avvo Rating explained

Joan Marie Fenstermaker's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.9 /5.0

132 Client Reviews

Showing 11 - 15 of 32 reviews | Communication Style

Posted by Lu | September 18, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

Great experience working with Ms Fenstermaker

Ms Fenstermaker can help people who had very limited knowledge about landlord-tenant law and had a landlord trying to take advantage of foreigners like me. After I moved out I received a letter from landlord asking for unreasonable amount of money and threatening to file lawsuit, Ms Fenstermaker quic...kly identified what the landlord’s intention , helped us better understand our situation and responded back and forth to the landlord’s irrational requests, eventually my roommate and I got the result we need. During the whole process Ms Fenstermaker is knowledgeable, responsible and easy to work with. I would recommend her to anyone who had a similar situation.

Posted by anonymous | March 30, 2021 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

Highly Recommend

Nicholas was incredibly helpful in solving our landlord dispute. He was responsive, professional, and went out of his way to answer any and all questions we had! Having such a knowledgable lawyer helped ease our stress!

Posted by Yun | December 21, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

Yun Tai

I was a renter in a situation where I had to break a lease with a large major-market property management company. Initially, I had contacted the property management company about extreme noise levels, faulty and broken essential equipment, and poor conditions of the apartment building - I received no... response from management despite multiple requests. I was at wit's end until I contacted Joan. I had emailed her for legal counsel in Mid-November. Joan helped me resolve the issue in a matter of weeks. Transparent, responsive, communicative, and knowledgeable, Joan provided me with a step-by-step understanding of what I could expect from a legal point of view. I wish I had reached out to Joan sooner; she helped me get away from a bad situation, and I am truly grateful for her help as it has improved my quality of life. I have friends who are renters and should they require legal counsel, I will be recommending Joan.

Posted by Valerie | October 13, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

Great experience with breaking our lease

We had a wonderful experience working with Joan when we needed assistance in breaking our lease. She clearly explained our options to us and was very responsive and communicative throughout the whole process. We would absolutely recommend that anyone who is having an issue with their landlord to reac...h out to Joan.

Posted by anonymous | October 12, 2020 | Hired Attorney | Landlord & Tenant

Nicholas Bailey Was Great!

Nick was very helpful in explaining the options I could pursue with breaking my old lease. My old lease was broken smoothly without having to pay any additional funds to the landlord.

See All Client Reviews

Joan Marie Fenstermaker's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Joan
Mark V. Clay headshot
Mark Clay

Family lawyer | Aug 29

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I highly endorse Mrs. Fenstermaker. Very experienced and caring attorney who gets great results in representing clients. Keep up a great work!"

David Stephen Morris headshot
David Morris

Landlord or tenant lawyer | Aug 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Knowledgeable, empathic and committed to the passionate representation of tenants."

David Lyon Yanoff headshot
David Yanoff

Landlord or tenant lawyer | Feb 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Joan knows the law and how to apply it to her case. When working opposite her on cases she remains professional in her dealings."

Melinda Longford Power headshot
Melinda Power

Real estate lawyer | Jan 10

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. She is extremely thorough and prepared. She has a good relationship with her clients. She wants to help people. Melinda Power"

View All Endorsements
Gregory Forrest Coplan headshot
Gregory Coplan

Personal injury lawyer

Konstantinos T. Sparagis headshot
Konstantinos Sparagis

Bankruptcy and debt lawyer

David Lyon Yanoff headshot
David Yanoff

Landlord or tenant lawyer

Melinda Longford Power headshot
Melinda Power

Divorce and separation lawyer

Experience

Rating:  7.3 (Very Good)

Honors

2015

Certificate of Appreciation, Metropolitan Tenants Organization

Work Experience

2019 - Present

Principal, Joan M. Fenstermaker, PC

2001 - 2019

Partner, Kendle, Mikuta & Fenstermaker

1994 - 2000

Associate Attorney, Fischer, Kendle & Wahlers

Associations

2018 - Present

Metropolitan Tenants Organization

Board Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Landlord falsely claim property was owner-occupied

Ruling in favor of the tenant for return of the deposit plus 2 x security deposit and attorney's fees

See More Legal Cases

Education

1994

DePaul University College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1991

Indiana University

BS - Bachelor of Science

Speaking Engagements

2013

Un-Common Law on 4/28/13

Tenants' rights

2013

Hotline Volunteer Training 9/28/13

Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance

2013

Hotline Volunteer Training 6/8/13

Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance

2013

Hotline Volunteer Training 11/23/13

Chicago Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution