Daniel Josef Paletz

I was married for a very long time and planned on staying that way. So as one can imagine, I never had any reason to look for a divorce attorney. However, things don't always turn out as planned... My ex and I initially intended to work out the details of our divorce with a mediator. We did our be...st to be civil in settling our differences. But even in the best of circumstances, divorce is a difficult and often painful process. So when the mediator didn't work out, she referred me to Daniel Paletz and his firm, Kermisch & Paletz. I work in a creative industry and my brain cowers and aches when I need to read over long, dry documents, contracts or spreadsheets. From our first meeting Daniel put my mind at ease. I felt he had a thorough understanding of my situation. He was patient with my questions, compassionate about the history of my marriage and concerned about my needs moving forward. He instilled confidence that the job would get done right and immediately went to work. Because of the long duration of my marriage it was a complicated process. People say a lot of nasty things about lawyers, but at every step of the way Daniel distilled the legalese, procedures and processes into a language I could understand and he did it without being patronizing or condescending. My divorce is now finalized and I am writing this review as small token of appreciation to someone who advised and counseled me though a long and often arduous experience. Daniel Paletz was my Obi-Wan Kanobi in the journey. He is not only an excellent attorney, he's also one of the smartest people you will ever meet. I'm happy to give him my highest recommendation.

My ex is an attorney driven to cause conflict even after the divorce had been done, using finances and the children in a desperate attempt to "win". My original attorney and I had hoped that the constant RFOs would cease once the divorce was done, but if anything, that just ramped up the litigant dri...ve of my ex. Once the ongoing conflict was understood, my first attorney suggested that I needed an attorney who would be able to not only be ready to compromise, communicate and mediate as he was, but also be ready to fight. That attorney is Daniel Paletz. In the face of lies and misrepresentation from my ex, along with a false report to DCFS, the judge was predisposed to believe her story and reduce my time with the children. Daniel advocated like a champ and was able to get a PPA2 ordered. The PPA2, in conjunction with a finding of the DCFS report as 'Unfounded' resulted in a continued 50/50 custody arrangement. Daniel worked with me personally, putting in the time, making sure that I understood how to explain the situation to the Evaluator in the language that they would understand. My ex's plan may have been successful if it were not for his understanding of how to navigate the legal system - I had no clue as to what to do. Daniel is a realist with a good heart - although he may deny the latter part of that statement. ;-) Hire him and let him know who you are. He will help you.

I usually don't write reviews, but in this case I want to make sure I really help out others who are diligently looking for a faithful, honest and a decent Lawyer. My experience with Daniel was totally opposite to what you would look for/hope for in a lawyer. He along with his staff is VERY INCOMPETE...NT! First, he promised to me that he will be in the court on the date of the court, so listen this; he called me like 10 min before the hearing that he will not be there as there is another urgent case that’s needed his attention. How preposterous is that? Second, he tells me that his assistant, who also is a fresh graduate out of college, will be able to handle my case. She was a total mess and couldn’t handle it. On top of that his assistant was billing me like crazy that only after I warned Daniel that I will take him to court, he pulled the amount out of my invoice. Last, I found him very in competent that he couldn't get a single judgment in my favor, instead tried to rationalize with me. Not even a good visitation rights. He was just so incompetent that he couldn't advise me on the best possible options for me. I ended up firing him and hired a NEW lawyer. You get what you paid for. Ask yourself why an attorney would have a low hourly fee compared to any other good attorney in the Market. If still you want to hire this cheapo, then go ahead. But you have been warned! I am glad I fired him early in my case. Good Luck!

I hired Daniel as my attorney in 2011. Kermisch & Paletz LLP was the least expensive of the firms I looked into, so I was suspect; however, shocked at how amazing they were and how my husband's attorney was expensive and not nearly as informed and prepared. Daniel was compassionate and truly cared ...about the results of my case and my children. Lauren and Jorge were also extremely helpful when Daniel was in Court and I had a quick question. This firm is top quality and not based upon the older model of billing clients a ton and hoping to get paid. They charge a fair rate, provide top quality advice and counsel, and care about their client. I would highly recommend Daniel.