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 1 - 2 of 2 reviews | Personal Injury

Posted by Brian Arndt | January 12, 2016 | Hired Attorney | Personal Injury

Someone you can trust

I'll do my best here but may have a hard time expressing in words how helpful and wonderful Joan was to work with. My wife and I ran into a situation with the apartment we were renting a few months back when some less than savory new tenants were moved in above us, who basically viewed this residenc...e as an extension of their college dorm. The culmination of a few months of trying to work with them and the landlord to make some kind of peace eventually resulted in me getting jumped in our own hallway by a few people the upstairs neighbors had over one night...We needed out, we were concerned for our future safety. A police report and a few lawyer calls later I got in touch with the tenant/landlord hotline to the city who were pretty helpful in giving me some direction. I had made quite a few calls prior, not to find a lawyer who would just say yes but to try and accumulate as much knowledge as I could about what my rights were and if I had any hope given my circumstances. The three before seemed to not have such a great grasp on the law and each left me looking back on the internet until I called Joan. I hadn't given up hope yet but things were not feeling the best back at our camp until we talked and what a breath of fresh air she was. She was kind and polite but yet like a pit bull ready to take on my case and was clearly concerned for what was in my best interest. She gave me a clear plan and a fresh confidence, she is incredibly versed in the law with a knack for making that information easy to understand and she never once faltered or thought to back down. She always answered my calls and more importantly, usually was the first to call with any new developments so I never had to sit around being stressed due to lack of updates. Through her we we able work with our previous landlord, get out of our lease so we could move to safety and get our security deposit back all in a tremendously short period of time. Joan was able to use my injury plus find a host of other areas where the landlord had violated the city code to make this possible. Bottom line, do not hesitate to call. I know I will be if ever anything should arise where I need her expertise.

Posted by Dan | September 30, 2013 | Personal Injury

Great tenant attorney

After our children were found to have lead toxication and the city inspector found very heavy lead paint all throughout the building, it got increasingly difficult to communicate with our landlord, who obviously wanted to get rid of us as soon and easy as possible. Joan, from the first conversation ...on, listened very carefully and gave us the confidence that we were going to settle our issue in a very reasonable way and for very reasonable fees. Joan was friendly, patient, and pleasant to work with. I definitely recommend her as a tenant attorney!

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