William McSurley

William McSurley

also known as Bill McSurley

5.0
Rating: 7.7

Licensed for 13 years

Child custody Lawyer at Chicago, IL
Practice Areas: Child Custody, Divorce & Separation, Guardianship ... +3 more

440 West Randolph Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL

About William

Biography

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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 13 years

State: Illinois

Acquired: 2012

Active and Authorized to Practice Law

No misconduct found

Location

Merel Family Law, P.C.

440 West Randolph Street, 5th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60606

Ad

Transform legal challenges into solutions.

Connect now to review your situation.

The Avvo Rating explained

display-bg

The Avvo Rating explained

William McSurley's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

25 Client Reviews

5 star (25)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by Teresa | March 13, 2025 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Highly Recommend: William McSurley – Professional, Dedicated and Results-Driven

I highly recommend William for anyone needing a skilled and dedicated attorney. He has extensive expertise in Child Custody/Divorce and brought knowledge and strategic insight to my case that other attorneys were lacking. William is organized, communicative, and solution-focused, making complex l...egal matters easy to navigate. His creative approach ensured a timely and effective resolution, and his dedication was evident every step of the way.

Posted by anonymous | August 9, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Highly-skilled and competent

"Highly-skilled and competent representation," Bill McSurley I'm very pleased with the end results. The challenges that we faced to bring this case on level ground was no easy task. Because of your hard work, dedication and commitment, Today I stand on solid ground. Nothing brings more unspeakable j...oy to my heart than to hear the words Dad coming from my children once again. You've done an excellent job pushing that Boulder back up hill. I'm forever grateful for your deliverance and hard work! Thank you so much

Posted by Gina | July 21, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Great firm with a great attorney

I couldn't be happier with the service I received from the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel. William McSurley was my attorney and very attentive to my case. He's very open and honest and quick to communicate with what was going on. Everyone that I talked to was very professional. I hope I don't need... to use these kind of services again but if I do, I definitely will be reaching out to William and the Law Offices of Jonathan Merel. I would highly recommend them!

Posted by Matthew B. | June 24, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Real good guidance

My divorce experience was astoundingly hard, to say the least -- way more complex and difficult than I ever would have anticipated on every level. Without the expertise, professionalism, and integrity of William McSurley I'm certain that my outcome could have been far less favorable. I appreciated hi...s transparency, sincerity, responsiveness, and encouragement in helping me to establish realistic expectations and perspective, as well as coaching me through a process that was entirely foreign and distressing to me. William McSurley balanced confidence and efficiency with patience and empathy. At times, he stopped me from making foolish mistakes. Surely, step by step, he gained and kept my trust -- even through the most unsettling obstacles and curve balls -- by consistently demonstrating confidence, skill, and proficiency in navigating every challenge through the process. Of course, quality legal services are expensive, which is an added stressor on top of numerous additional ways in which a divorce disrupts your life. They were conscious and respectful of this impact in important ways. I respect that family law is a profession where it can be particularly challenging to strike a balance between seeing your customer as both a "person" and a "client". Overall, he accomplished this impressively, over 16 months. My divorce has been final 6 weeks today, and I am grateful. I remember how unsettling the task of choosing a lawyer was -- especially regarding matters so deeply personal and significant. I need to move forward but wanted share my experience with other who might one day face similar extremely challenging situations.

Posted by anonymous | May 19, 2022 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Child custody

William help guide me through a difficult case. He was always available and gave me the direction and advise I needed.

See All Client Reviews

William McSurley's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse William
Brian William Reidy headshot
Brian Reidy

Divorce and separation lawyer | Aug 14

Relationship: Co-worker

"I endorse this lawyer."

View All Endorsements
Tina Judi Abramovitch headshot
Tina Abramovitch

Unknown lawyer

Brian William Reidy headshot
Brian Reidy

Divorce and separation lawyer

Experience

Rating:  7.7 (Very Good)

Honors

2017

10 Best Family Law Attorneys, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys

2016

"10 Best" Family Law Attorneys for Client Satisfaction, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys

Work Experience

2018 - Present

Family Law Attorney, Weiman Silberman, LLC

2015 - 2018

Attorney, Badesch Abramovitch, L.L.C.

2014 - 2015

Attorney, Law Offices of Jeffery M. Leving

2013 - 2014

Attorney, LeVine, Wittenberg, Shugan & Schatz

2012 - 2012

Judicial Intern, Circuit Court Of The Twelfth Judicial Circuit, Will County, Illinois

2011 - 2011

Judicial Intern, Denver Juvenile Court

2011 - 2011

Summer Law Intern, United States Department of Justice

Associations

2012 - Present

Chicago Bar Association

Attorney Member

2012 - Present

Illinois State Bar Association

Attorney Member

2012 - Present

Will County Bar Association

Attorney Member

Education

2012

University of Illinois College of Law

JD - Juris Doctor (magna cum laude)

2009

University of Illinois, Chicago

BA - Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude)

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