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Darla Katherine Snead

also known as Darla K. Snead

4.8
Rating: 10.0

Licensed for 28 years

Divorce and separation Lawyer Practice Areas: Divorce & Separation, Car Accidents, Family ... +2 more

About Darla

Biography

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

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Licenses

Licensed in Illinois for 27 years

State: Illinois

Acquired: 1998

Active and Authorized to Practice Law

No misconduct found

Licensed in Florida for 28 years

State: Florida

Acquired: 1997

Member in Good Standing

No misconduct found

Location

No contact information is available for this lawyer

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Darla Katherine Snead's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

4.8 /5.0

57 Client Reviews

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 reviews | Child Custody

Posted by anonymous | August 08, 2023 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Hardworking and knowledgeable attorney

Attorney Snead came highly recommended by a previous client and I received the same excellent representation. She is very knowledgeable on all of my family law matters and has always acted quickly to respond to any concerns or conflicts. I value the honest advice that Attorney Snead has given during... the difficult process, while still being patient and understanding with me. Her ability to remain objective yet still compassionate during my high conflict divorce led to multiple favorable outcomes in court. She continues to help me advocate for my children post divorce and she takes the time to research the issues fully in order to provide the best representation. The office staff provides the same level of professionalism and responds quickly, they work together as a great team.

Darla Snead

Replied last August 30, 2023

Thank you so much for entrusting me and my legal team to assist you. It has been a pleasure representing you!

Posted by HICHEM | July 05, 2019 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Happily Divorced and Satisfied Client !

I hired Attorney Snead to handle my Divorce case ...Ex Wife was unreasonable on her demands from the begining and asked to keep the House , Furniture, have custody of my minor 3 kids , asked me to pay her attorney fees , pay child support , pay alimoney , life insurance , etc... Ex Wife didn't wa...nt to be partially responsible for marital debts like credit cards debts because they were under my name and not hers . Attorney Snead was very clear with me from the start about the hourly fees she will charge through-out the case ..It wasn't a flat rate but she managed to delegate a lot of work to her knowledgeable and experienced paralegal assistant and that helped reduce the overall cost of my divorce . My Ex Wife never wanted to agree from the beginning on anything and she thought she had an apprehend on the divorce , so all the negotiations and settlement offers were rejected and the divorce was disputed and set for Trial . Attorney Snead stuck with the plan and continued to negotiate with Wife's attorney and tried diligently to settle the matter before Trial as she believed that whatever Ex Wife is asking for was not fair to me. Short and sweet ...all the issues were pretty much resolved before trial ..Trial didn't take more then 2 hours . Pretty much Everything I had asked for before trial I got... I Ended up with 50/50 on everything ..Assets , Liabilities and also rotating schedule on a 50/50 base for my kids..They stay one week with me and one week with her . Didn't have to pay her Attorney fees , no Alimoney , no life insurance , not even a child support , etc... At the end , I can say one thing that Attorney fees might look costly but when you are in good hands it is definitely worth it.. I am very satisfied with the results and the outcome of my divorce and I can't thank Attorney Darla Snead enough for that. I will definitely continue to use her in the future if needed , but I I highly recommend her for anyone but especially for Men dealing with difficult Women in their divorces .. Again , thank you Ms Darla Snead for a Job well done . I am a happy and satisfied Client. HICHEM

Darla Snead

Replied last July 05, 2019

Thank you so much for the review! It was a pleasure representing you!!!

Posted by anonymous | September 25, 2018 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Good resolution for a difficult case

Darla helped me through a difficult time sharing case. My son's father appeared after 4 years and decided he wanted to see him. I was a crying mess at my consultation and Darla put me at ease. Her office staff is so sweet. Melissa (the paralegal) answered all my questions and forwarded the ones she n...eeded clarification on to Darla. I was quite emotional throughout the process and the staff was very supportive. We were able to settle at mediation and come to a reasonable agreement. The number 1 reason I hired Darla is she is honest and she made me feel comfortable and confident. If you are going into a time sharing case, I would recommend Darla anyday.

Darla Snead

Replied last September 25, 2018

Thank you so much!

Posted by Nancy | April 07, 2017 | Hired Attorney | Child Custody

Highly recommend Attorney Snead

Darla Snead is an excellent attorney. She handled my divorce case very well. I knew in my heart before the consult was over that I would hire her. I'd already had 2 other consults . Ms. Sneads knowledge and experience combined with her personal character is the reason I chose her to represent me.... My divorce case moved along quickly even though it involved children and timesharing. She has perfectly balanced herself as an accomplished successful attorney with the human side that genuinely has compassion and concern for her clients. THAT is what stood out about her to me. Highly recommended Attorney Snead :)

Darla Snead

Replied last April 07, 2017

I greatly appreciate your review!

See All Client Reviews

Darla Katherine Snead's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse Darla
Richard Bruce Rudolph headshot
Richard Rudolph

Unknown lawyer | May 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Homer Perry Jordan IV headshot
Homer Jordan

Family lawyer | Feb 23

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer."

Susan Jane Best headshot
Susan Best

Family lawyer | Apr 25

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. I have worked with Darla on several cases and have always found her to be responsive, professional and extremely competent, which makes for a better result for clients when working on family cases!"

Mark Steven Martinez headshot
Mark Martinez

Criminal defense lawyer | Apr 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I would recommend this attorney to any potential client for criminal defense or family law. Darla is a very down to earth, humble individual who comes across as a regular person. Yet, underneath a calm and gentle exterior is a knowledgeable, intelligent and zealous individual who shows that she truly cares about her clients. As a former prosecutor she possesses the requisite knowledge to provide excellent representation, but I believe it is her willingness to continue to learn and grow that separates her from other attorneys."

Christian K. Lassen II headshot
Christian Lassen

Unknown lawyer | Aug 31

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Top-notch attorney. Highly respected in the legal community."

Alberto Marino Quirantes Jr. headshot
Alberto Quirantes

Personal injury lawyer | Apr 24

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"When you need a lawyer with trial experience, you want to pick a lawyer that was a former prosecutor. When you want a heavy hitting, and well connected attorney on your personal injury and Family law case, or if you are in a bind with the law on a criminal case, look no further than Darla Snead. Darla is well respected by her colleagues and liked by her clients. For these reasons I highly endorse Darla Snead as your attorney when you are in the need for legal services in the Lakeland area."

Brian Max Monk headshot
Brian Monk

Criminal defense lawyer | Aug 08

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse Darla Snead. Darla is a thorough and conscientious attorney who will get the job done right for her clients."

Christopher S Ison headshot
Christopher Ison

Criminal defense lawyer | Jan 12

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"As a former prosecutor, I had the pleasure of working with Darla on several criminal cases. Darla is a dedicated and extremely competent attorney. I highly recommend Darla if you need representation in a criminal matter."

Benjamin L Crawford headshot
Benjamin Crawford

Personal injury lawyer | Aug 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Darla is an excellent lawyer, who pays very close attention to every detail in the case she is handling."

Carl Joseph Barone III headshot
Carl Barone

Criminal defense lawyer | Aug 17

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"Simply put...The best at what she does. I wholeheartedly recommend Darla as the attorney to go to for any criminal defense matter in Polk County. As a former prosecutor, she will put her experience to work for you."

Daniel A. Bachert headshot
Daniel Bachert

Family lawyer | Jul 27

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Ms. Snead offers very sound, thorough and real world advice to Avvo questioners. I consider her an exceptional attorney and would have no reservation referring a client needing her services in the Lakeland area."

Jalal Shehadeh headshot
Jalal Shehadeh

Criminal defense lawyer | Feb 13

Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter

"Excellent attorney. I was opposing counsel to Ms. Snead. Ms. Snead knows the law well, has earned the respect of all the individuals in the court room, and most importantly, does everything she can for he her clients."

Rafael Joseph Echemendia headshot
Rafael Echemendia

Personal injury lawyer | Jan 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I endorse this lawyer. Darla is an excellent lawyer who brings many years of experience, and her personal warmth and openness, to the resolution of cases. Whether she is working as an advocate in negotiations or arguing a case in court, she is over prepared and confident. At the same time, she will not back down from taking on a difficult issue, a difficult opposing party, or a difficult attorney in the protection of her client or her client’s rights."

View All Endorsements
Richard Bruce Rudolph headshot
Richard Rudolph

Trusts lawyer

Susan Jane Best headshot
Susan Best

Family lawyer

Mark Steven Martinez headshot
Mark Martinez

Criminal defense lawyer

Alberto Marino Quirantes Jr. headshot
Alberto Quirantes

Criminal defense lawyer

Brian Max Monk headshot
Brian Monk

Family lawyer

Christopher S Ison headshot
Christopher Ison

Unknown lawyer

Carl Joseph Barone III headshot
Carl Barone

Unknown lawyer

Daniel A. Bachert headshot
Daniel Bachert

Family lawyer

Jalal Shehadeh headshot
Jalal Shehadeh

Unknown lawyer

Rafael Joseph Echemendia headshot
Rafael Echemendia

Unknown lawyer

Experience

Rating:  10.0 (Superb)

Honors

2020

Top Rated Lawyer 10.0, Avvo

2019

Top Rated Lawyer 10.0, AVVO

2018

Top-Rated Lawyer 10.0, AVVO

2018

10 Best Attorneys, American Institute of Family Law Attorneys

N/A

Advocacy - Certificate of Merit, Thomas M. Cooley

Work Experience

2009 - Present

Attorney, Darla K. Snead, P.L.

2003 - 2009

Partner, Crawford, Bracken & Snead, P.A.

2001 - 2003

Associate, Ruff, Weidenaar & Reidy

2000 - 2001

Assistant State's Attorney, Cook County State's Attorney's Office

1999 - 2000

Associate, O'Brien & Somer

1997 - 1999

Assistant State Attorney, State Attorney's Office - Bartow FL

Associations

2014 - Present

Lakeland Bar Association

Member

2014 - Present

Florida Bar, Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section

Member

2013 - Present

Florida Bar, Family Law Section

Member

2009 - Present

Florida Bar, Criminal Law Section

Member

2009 - Present

US Middle District - Federal Court

Admitted to Practice

1997 - Present

Florida Bar

Admitted to Practice

Polk County Trial Lawyers Association

Member

2009 - 2012

Florida Bar, Grievance Committee

Past Chair

Education

1996

Thomas M. Cooley Law School

JD - Juris Doctor

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
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  • 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