I have recently finally finished my divorce / custody / financials etc. etc. I am not a rich man but i do understand right from wrong and know the importance of having to be properly represented. My proceedings actually started 12 years ago with a different firm. I needed a change and found Mike Koenigsberger through a family friend. He and his associate Theresa worked for a different firm at the time. I hired him on an emergency and witnessed what I still to this day think of as a miracle. I believe at that time I watched the greatest performance from a lawyer and associate that a courtroom ever took on. He was better at being my lawyer than Michael jordan was at basketball , better than Eddie Van Halen was at guitar, and Walter Payton was at running the football. He disinagrated his opposition and I left that day with custody of my oldest son. He couldnt take on the rest of my divorce due to a full schedule but he thought long and hard and told me he knew of another firm that he believed was just as good as him. Steven Wittenbergs firm. I obviously trusted him , he made a call , drove me himself at that time over to meet Steven and his associate and I had my self a new law firm to represent me. I found that for someone to represent you there has to be a good fit Steven Wittenberg is absolutely brilliant , well spoke , willing to actually listen to ideas from his client and i must add honest as the day is long. He sticks to his word and never varied. He promised me and delivered exactly what he said he would. He would not allow me to take anything but the higher road and in the end it would be rewarded. I can not speak any higher of that mans dignity , ability as a lawyer , and professionalism. Did I forget that Steven has an associate named Katie Opal. Now things were slowing up for one reason or another , covid , etc ,etc. Katie was always there with Steven in court , on a conference call and knew my case as well as Steven. She started to take control of the case and I seen this little 110 pound soaking wet attorney take on seasoned lawyers from another big firm and consistently fight , argue , and go nose to nose , round for round with them and i never walked away thinking we just got beat. When Katie got going especially when there were topics that she felt passionate about , it was like a well written song , a well acted movie , a well thought out argument which just happened to be my life. I felt she was the ace up the sleeve that I needed and I cant put into words how well she represented me , fought for me , and most important actually cared about the final outcome of my divorce. She fit like a glove , never forgot about me , was always available to talk and she made a completly terrible situation like a divorce / custody manageable . Funny how certain people fall into your life and seem to fix things that you never thaught could be fixed. Katie ended up being just what my life needed. She is so so so smart , puts together legal jargon so it sounds like a poem, is so unbelievabley fiesty and just as honest as Steven. Never allowed me to sway. So If anyone is looking to be well represented you have to trust me. Look no further. A few years back Mike Koenigsbergerand Theresa joined Steven as a partner and there you go. Truly take your pick. A dream team. I have no problem speaking to anyone with questions. I really feel that strongly about this firm. Thank you all for helping straighten out my life , I wish you all the best in life and continue to do what God choose for you to do. To represent those that can not fight for themselves. Pat Marshall read more

I wish I saw these reviews before I hired this firm. If you meet Marvin Mendez in person (I hope you don't), don't let the slick Italian suits and shoes fool you...each trip to Armani is paid for with your checkbook and credit card. You'll find he has a great big smile, especially in court. He loves knowing your court case will drag on for years and there's nothing you can do about it except pay him every single month. What happens if you don't? I'm glad you asked. He'll withdraw as your counsel mid-case and file a motion with the court for unpaid attorney fees. The two years I waited for my case to be resolved is more painful than the ~$50K I paid to his firm. I hope you or your loved ones don't make the same mistake I did. read more

Dussias Wittenberg Koenigsberger - Divorce & Family Law Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Unfortunately I have a had a bad experience with this law firm. I could not agree more with the other reviews. They have lots of stalling tactics to prolong the case. The worse part of it was right before trial they stopped representing me due to paying the balance in full. Please keep in mind that I just paid them $4K the previous month. They dropped me right before trial because I could not pay the balance in full. They will abandon you in the middle of the case and just take your money. I would stay away. read more

Dean Dussias was a superb recommendation, and he did not waste any time to go to work. His knowledge was impressive, and he followed each and every turn with precise steps, intelligent decisions, and careful management. Attorney Alexa Goutos was also exceptionally instrumental in her attention to every detail and quick wit. Did I mention that they were genuine as well? It was important to me to be represented by people who knew how to win, and at the same time cared about others. I highly recommend this firm! read more

The decision to work with Dean Dussias and Dan Kessler proved to be a great one... my divorce entailed difficult and extenuating circumstances. Dan's expertise and thinking resulted in the conclusion I hoped for. Whenever I spoke with Dan, he brought order and purpose to tackle each obstacle, along with a genuine sense of caring to give myself and my kids the outcome we deserved. Deb was also helpful in her prompt execution of tasks necessary to advance the case. Choosing this firm will be the peace of mind you need to achieve the conclusion you desire, along with the peace of mind knowing you have someone devoted to your case/life. This was one of the most difficult times in my life; having Dan and Dean in my corner helped me to find the happiness and conclusion I deserved. read more

Agree completely with the one star review! All that Steve and Katie did was prolong, prolong and prolong the case, thus increasing fees a well as not be able to prevent us prom having to pay for the opposing Atty, Guardian, psychiatrist totaling up to over $150,000.00 Worse of all when it came time to negotiate with opposing counsel, skipped out on conference call, and 1 minute before trial was to commence sent by email a settlement which was worse than the initial settlement!!! If you want someone to misrepresent you, delay court dates, charge insane fees, and get a worse settlement then Steve and Katie are your team!! Obviously would not recommend them to anyone. read more

I was referred to Dean Dussias and Alexa Goutos from a co-worker since my prior lawyer was a waste of 20k and not doing anything to assist in my divorce/custody case. What a blessing this firm has been! First off, Dean is honest, compassionate and sincere, he actually took the time to listen to my concerns and restored my faith in honest lawyers. Alexa Goutos has been a dream to work with. My case has not been an easy one and throughout the custody issues, a difficult ex, marital estate controversy, and tears Alexa and Dean have been there for all of it. They set me straight to avoid high legal fees on what is worth fighting for and how best to keep costs down and resolve issues quickly. Alexa fought for me and for my children every step of the way and we could not be more grateful that I had a powerhouse like her on the case, and she has ensured we would be set in rebuilding our lives. Even though I had the A squad in Alexa, I really appreciated the team approach this firm takes as they utilize each other to navigate difficult issues and use their experiences and expertise collectively to manage my case. read more

Stay away from Steve Wittenberg and Katie Opal. Steve is better suited to be a Hollywood agent than a lawyer handling serious family matters. He is never prepared and fails to take steps to manage a case to completion. Expect him to miss calls for days if not weeks, ignore emails, and show up to court seriously late. Upon appearing, he will be unfamiliar with the case and easily fold to what the opposing counsel accuses or wants because he arrived not knowing the facts or what his client wanted. Once you get smart to him not being competent, he will then hold backroom discussions without you and emerge with agreed orders that do not resemble anything he represented. He will then have an important meeting he needs to go to and ignore you. Ms Opal is technically proficient but easily confused and disoriented. She is not capable of handling opposing attorneys and will seek easy agreements or continue a dispute for a later date rather than effective and timely problem solving. She continued a weekend visitation argument over 4 court appearances at a cost of nearly $10,000. Not a weekend visitation arrangement for the entire year, but a singular occurrence that should have been resolved in an hour. Completely wasted two years until it was clear they had to be let go. read more