I am beyond dissatisfied with Jaquays & Ellis Law Firm. Unfortunately, my experience with them has…read morebeen nothing short of frustrating and disappointing. When I first hired them, I had heard that they were "sharks" in the legal world, and I thought to myself, *"Great, I want the sharks on my side."* Little did I know, I was the bait. If you're looking for a firm that actually cares about your case and will work diligently to represent you, I would strongly recommend looking elsewhere. Jaquays & Ellis was a complete waste of both time and money. They might be "sharks" to some, but in my case, they just left me feeling like I was prey. This is just my humble opinion and if it save one person - I'm happy to have helped them to avoid this Firm. My costs ended up well into six-figures and they will put a lein on your property to collect. CAUTION is all I can say. Good Luck!

Please choose you're lawyers carefully!…read more This is not the firm you want to go with. There are plenty of firms in Joliet who care about their clients and work hard for their clients. This is not one of them. The women who works in the office is downright ignorant. They pay no attention to detail, they have no drive to fight for their clients. And their cost is sky high. Read the other reviews I think you can clearly see that this is not the firm you want to trust with anything.

I hired Erin in 2012 to handle custody modification and support cases…read more Although I absolutely have a personal bias regarding Erin's passive approach to my cases, I also have professional and educational experiences which cause me to be wary of her lack of understanding as to how litigation should be approached for the best interest of her clients and the children involved. Specifically, I have 8 years of college education (undergrad and graduate degrees in psychology), and for the past 3 years I have studied and conducted research regarding the effects of divorce. My frustration with Erin's approach to my cases is perhaps best summarized by her suggestion of 'putting together something that will pass through the court' (her words - verbatim on 3-23-2012) rather than doing what I felt was in the best interest of my children. I believe that her approach to my case was extremely passive and felt as if she was simply pushing papers rather than fighting for the best interest of my daughters and myself. In court Erin laughed and joked with the opposing counsel while I waited to speak with her, and while we were waiting for our case to be heard she sat with opposing counsel, still joking and laughing, rather than sitting with me to discuss the case. Throughout the process, I asked Erin and her staff many technical questions about the process of and implications custody and support litigation, and I think that she interpreted this as a threat rather than as an opportunity to educate a client in order to be as informed as possible. Many of my questions went unanswered, and some answers that I received from her and her staff were so heavy in legal-speak that I did not understand. When I informed Erin that I was upset that she withheld information from me and that I disagreed with her approach, Erin walked away from my case, citing a 'breakdown in communication' and keeping ~$2,500 of my retainer. I also had other disagreements with Erin's approach to my cases, and it's my opinion that if you simply want an attorney to file papers and to show up to court, then she will do a fine job. However her fees are rather high ($6,000 retainer, $200 non-refundable consultation fee, $200-300 per hour thereafter). And in my cases she did not advocate on my behalf or present herself in court with enough assertiveness or client-centered empathy to be effective. Please contact me for additional information or for details about this review.

Hiring an attorney to handle a divorce, especially when you have children, is very stressful. As…read moresoon as I met Erin, I just knew I was in good hands, and I was right! I had an incredibly difficult/messy divorce, and Erin managed everything perfectly every step of the way. It is very obvious that when she walks into the courtroom she has the utmost respect of every attorney and clerk in there, as well as the judge, and that's because of the way she carries herself. Erin is incredibly intelligent, but also very humble and respectful, and that goes a long way in the courtroom! Erin has always listened to my concerns, gave me excellent advice, and guided me in the right direction throughout the entire process! My ex-husband acted as his own attorney, so the process took about two years, and Erin handled every ridiculous curveball professionally and with grace. In the end, I got every single thing I wanted, and my ex-husband fought her every step of the way. That goes to show just how amazing Erin is; she never faltered or lost passion for my case, not once! My divorce ended about a year ago, and Erin still checks in on me- she's just so kind and genuinely cares about her clients! Also, if you need help with an order of protection or guardian ad litem, Erin has associates and recommendations that have been very accommodating and just as wonderful as she is. If you are debating on an attorney, like a previous reviewer said, HIRE ERIN!! She is the absolute best of the best!!

Stephanie was wonderful in helping my mom prepare her will and trust. I live out of state and…read moreneeded to assist my mom remotely, and Stephanie made the entire process seamless. Her communication and that of her team was excellent throughout, keeping us informed every step of the way. Thanks to their professionalism and organization, everything went smoothly from start to finish.

Called on a Wednesday. She was gone all day. Asked for prices to be emailed to me, because I don't…read morehave a consistent free time to talk. Stated that in the message. Described what I needed in my return email. She refused saying it wasn't her style. I dont do business with vendors that don't listen or only work their way. Plenty of lawyers out there.

After our original attorney office dropped the ball resulting in the loss of our contract and the…read morere-listing of our home, we were lucky to have Attorney Hammel and his staff help represent us through this process. While our first attorney's office couldn't timely return our emails or phone calls, Ted was making sure our deal didn't fall through the cracks again even while he was on vacation out of the country! Although Ted Hammel is more well-known for his expertise in the criminal law realm, especially DUI law, I would 100% recommend him for all of your legal needs, including real estate.

If I could describe Ted in one word it would be careless. I don't even believe he knows what he is…read moredoing half the time in court. Don't hire him he will literally not help you

I had the unfortunate opportunity to retain Chantal Host on my ongoing divorce case. If you want an…read moreattorney that's not on your side this is the one for you. If you want an attorney that's in it for the money then hire Chantal today. Chantal sold me a dream during the free consultation. After I payed the $3000 retainer she was extremely difficult to get a hold of. Between two court dates and a few emails I received my first bill of $1800, more than half of my retainer, gone! After our first time meeting in court, Chantal arranged a meeting between myself, my spouse, and both attorneys where all parties verbally agreed to certain terms. I agreed to pay my spouse weekly and in turn I was going to be able to finally have parenting time with my kids. That meeting was January 21st and to this day, March 11, 2026, I've only been able to have my kids one weekend for parenting time. As soon as my time was denied I immediately brought this concern up to Chantal. She repeatedly told me that my parenting time was not enforceable because there is no court order but continued to hold me accountable to pay weekly child support without a court order for that either. Chantal never offered up any solutions or a plan to allow me to see my kids until I continued to press her to file anything on my behalf to allow me parenting time. Anytime I would email Chantal about any of my concerns nothing was done. She did not fight for any of my needs regarding my children, not once did she provide evidence from me regarding my spouse denying me time with my kids. She did not have my best interest or my children's best interest in mind. Regarding the sale of my house, I used a realtor that she referred to me which was clearly her friend. The realtor was very unprofessional as well and just as good of a communicator as Chantal. Her estimated payoff was off by nearly $40,000 and so I decided not to continue working with her, I was not comfortable with how she conducted business. I decided I needed to use a realtor I could trust and Chantal accused me of conducting a backdoor deal to receive additional funds which was completely untrue and unfounded. I could have easily said the same thing about her and her friend. I was naive in the fact that I believed Chantal would help me out in my case. I asked her multiple times to have a phone call or in person meeting to discuss a case strategy and it never happened. I would ask her direct questions and bring up legitimate concerns and she would always give me the runaround. Chantal would never even say she would get back to me if she didn't have an answer and many times she would ignore my concerns completely. Not once did Chantal return my calls even when I attempted to scheduled phone calls with her. I was able to get her on the phone twice in the two months she was retained. The only times she was responsive was when I fired her realtor friend and when I fired her. Before the last court date she filed a petition regarding parenting time and we were supposed to address outstanding concerns regarding taxes and the house, Chantal said she NEEDED be there at court to support me since the motion was already filed and instead she did nothing. She walked into court and acted as if she didn't even know me, told the judge I fired her and that was it. And I'm sure she's going to bill me for it. Between four court appearances, emails, and phone calls, I racked up a $3000+ bill and I'm still at square one, a bigger headache and even more debt than I was before. Very unprofessional and an inadequate communicator, she leaves much to be desired. I would strongly NOT recommend her.

Chantal Host is just another corrupt and greedy 'Court Official'. She was hired to oversee my…read morechild's custody and appointed MARY GARDNER (look her up!) to complete an evaluation of my child. As it turns out these two have been 'working' together for years to insure court cases are prolonged to yield the highest profit. Their work was often incomplete, vague, and delivered only after repeated attempts to obtain results. Avoid BOTH of these individuals all costs if you value the well-being of your family and children.

Chuck Bretz and his team are amazing lawyers. I am so appreciative of all they did for my husband's…read morecase. From beginning to end they put in the work that achieved the best possible results at every step. They definitely deliver on everything they say they are going to do when fighting your case. The staff are so understanding and provide excellent customer service. Many thanks to Mr. Bretz and his team!!!!

Very professional and compassionate team. Before I hired them, my divorce situation was extremely…read moredifficult and stressful. From the moment I met with Mr. Andreano, I felt like I was finally in capable, caring hands during a challenging time in my life. The whole team made me feel informed, supported, and never left in the dark throughout the process. Even though I live out of town, he made sure I only needed to appear in court when absolutely necessary, which took a huge amount of stress off my shoulders.

Called after reading reviews HOPING for a referral to a real LAWYER in Kankakee County…read more... Apparently, the receptionist is to busy to ask the question and she knows of none in the area..... Don't know how well this legal firm is doing but if they cannot answer a simple referral question I doubt they have time to take on clients.... Thanks for nothing and hope YOU get a better response....

Jeannine Parker-Ross was assigned to my court case as the GAL. On my first meeting with Jeannine,…read moreshe informed me that she was married to a man who coincidentally had the same last name of my ex husband. I feared instantly that because of that Jeannine who favor my ex because of her need to share this with me. It didn't take long for me to see that Jeannine was not working in the best interest of my son. It was very obvious that Jeannine was working for the best interest of my ex husband. Jeannine seems to favor the men versus remaining mutual and working for what would be the best interest of the child. Despite my son telling Jeannine compelling details of what happens when he goes to his father's house and what his father does., and after Jeannine herself informing me of the things my son shared with her, she still spoke highly favoring my ex husband. My son was left devastated feeling his voice was not heard and the concerns he shared with Jeannine were ignored. Because of Jeannine, I lost significant time with my son. My son comes home crying always of the treatment at his father's when he's with him. It truly is heartbreaking that the system would allow someone like Jeannine to impact a family ruling on custodial court discussions. And because I didn't have a real good attorney that could question Jeannine's behavior and recommendation to the court, I was forced to accept what was put in writing. Needless to say, I decided to fire my attorney for several incompetence displayed during my custody battle and chose not to pay Jeannine's ridiculous bill she sent over. JEANNINE IS NOT WORTH A PENNY! Funny thing is, my ex husband who Jeannine favored so much during the court process didn't think Jeannine is worth a penny either as he refused to pay as well the ridiculous bill she sent. After the court was over, I reached out to the Disciplinary Board to file a complaint against Jeannine but because Jeannine was assigned to my case as a GAL there was nothing they could do. In the future if I ever go to court again, I will be requesting for a different GAL. One that does work in the best interest of the child. If I could give ZERO stars, I would. But unfortunately you are required to give a star in order to leave a review. Jeannine is not only not worth your money or a star. I do not recommend Jeannine as a GAL.

From the owner: Effective representation at reasonable rates…read more Parker-Ross Law & Mediation Services, proudly serving Will County, Illinois, is here to help you through tough times. We understand that dealing with family law issues can be stressful, complicated and confusing. We work hard to make everything as easy as possible. Our family lawyer and mediator will always listen to your specific situation and work WITH you to develop a plan suited to your unique situation. We have experience in a variety of areas, including: Divorce Child custody Domestic violence Civil union Order of protection Collaborative Law Adoption Paternity Actions - DCFS appeals Wills Parker-Ross Law & Mediation Services wants the best possible outcome for all of our clients and we hope to become a team that you can always rely on. Call today for a free initial consultation.