Reviews

If I could give ZERO STARS, i would. Our first appointment was set for 9-19-2024-You canceled. I contacted you on 10-15 to ask why you had not gotten back to me to set up another appointment. Of course, later that day you finally were ready to send me some alternative dates. You're a joke and your service is a joke. I'm going to make sure that people who seek you out are aware of how you conduct business and refer your clients to other lawyers. We made it clear!!! NO LAWYERS!!! Did you even review the intake forms? I feel you didn’t. As we know for a fact you didn’t review any emails that I sent with financial information. This was proven when you told my wife that you were still waiting for the paperwork that I had already sent you. You made me look like I was trying to hide something for her. Get yourself organized before your meetings and "Ive had a long day with meetings" is not excuse!! Our expectation was exactly what we had discussed prior to hiring you: You were to go through our financials and put together a few fair options for either one of us consider to be fair and amicable. I know I made it clear as day to you that I didn’t want to screw my wife of 37 years over. I told you I wanted her to live a comfortable life, for the rest of her life. Do you even take notes when communicating with clients over phone and zoom calls? My wife also made the comment that you were very repetitious in your interview trying to milk the clock. I guess you are ONE OF THOSE!! I would have never thought over a first zoom meeting with you that you would refer a lawyer to help out. We came to you to save money opposed to hiring two attorneys to represent us through our divorce. I made it very clear to you and I believe my wife did also that we don't want any attorneys involved just mediation!! You also seem to be unorganized and obviously overworked. You should probably consider retiring. You may want to also update your picture on your website- I sat and wondered last night what type of Kickback you’re getting from the attorney you referred.?? I also plan on letting the Judge O’Malley know in courtroom 401 what you're all about. I also plan on contacting the Illinois State Bar Association, Family Mediation @ Illinois State Bar Association, Mediation Council of Illinois and the Chicago Center for Family Health. God bless you I don't know how you can sleep at night but you'll have to face someone at the golden gates eventually. ________________________________________

I'm happy for those who had a good experience with him, but my ex-wife and I had a horrible one. We were trying to work out an amicable solution, but Mr. Kessler was no help at all. It was (obviously) a terrible time for us and he chose to make us feel worse by rolling his eyes and saying things such as "I just don't know how you're going to pay all the bills" and, in so many words, accusing me of cheating on my taxes (I'm a gig worker and my return is complicated). After over $1000 worth of sessions, we were further away from an amicable divorce than we were before. He really milked us and, had we continued, I shudder to think how much money we would have wasted. His little dog, "Mr. B" was running around the office and he would often interrupt our sessions to deal with it. Things turned out great for us because we were able to calmly work it out ourselves, which, in the end, is what everyone in this situation must do. Don't hire someone like this to do your problem solving for you. He just wants your money and you'll still be in a maze of problems. Update: I just read his response and here is my response: What does the timing of my review have to do with anything? The breakup of a thirty-year marriage takes time to process, and it took me awhile to realize how badly we'd been treated. It's important to let others know. It's rather stunning (and incredibly unprofessional) that he would post details of my tax return here, but it's not surprising, given our experience. FYI, I play music at nursing homes, schools, special needs organizations, etc., and it is NOT a profiting "business". With equipment, music, instruments, sound system, travel, etc., it costs a lot more to do than I get paid, so my self-employment section, with legal deductions, always shows a loss. My ex-wife and I are on SS and share my teacher pension and my music gigs are just something I enjoy doing. And, he didn't point out any specific "errors", he just said, "That's an aggressive tax return." We only went to him because we were told by our lawyer that it was a necessary step, but he deserves no credit for helping us, as he claims, because nothing was accomplished. My ex-wife and I worked everything out ourselves. For most people, especially those facing economic uncertainty after divorcing, $1000 for three meaningless meetings is significant. He find it "humorous" and brings Mr. B to work. Solve your own problems. You'll be better off.

Jerry was outstanding at assisting in a difficult case and made a significant impact advocating in the best interest of our child custody.

He is one of the best attorneys & mediators. Jerald Kessler is very professional in the field. I would highly recommend him.

Jerald Kessler is the best attorney so far I worked with. He patiently listens and answers all questions you may have. I could tell starting from the intake process, Mr. Kessler has the experience that will help you to get your goal the most efficiently. His knowledge will most certainly get you where you want to go, at the least he will shed light on the questions you have. I highly recommend you do the intake process and experience the patient and professional services of his to save your own time.

The terms of service offered by Mr. Kessler are riddled with legal inaccuracies and when I asked questions about the terms, Mr. Kessler decided he didn’t want to mediate the case. If you are concerned with the privacy and legality of any mediation case, I strongly suggest thoroughly reviewing the terms of service and consider finding a mediator who has the legal fortitude to professionally respond to your questions without dropping your discussion before it’s even begun. Professionalism, courtesy and the ability to articulate his services are severely lacking. For clarity, nothing accompanying my request involved compromising Mr. Kessler's moral nor ethical standards. His agreement states that he will not be involved in any litigation, yet also elucidates that he is able to share information with an attorney from an opposing party that the attorney would be able to get from their own client. When I asked if this conflates the nature of his agreement and would technically make him party to a case (out of curiosity, and not because I intended for anything to go to trial), his response was to deny mediation. The job of a mediator is to respond to questions and HELP people reach an understanding. If he can't help answer questions about his own agreement, how is he going to help you mediate your case? His own response to his own terms document includes "As to paragraph 10 of the Agreement to Mediate, there is a problem with the wording." He admits to problems with the wording of his agreement yet refuses to mediate after someone asks for clarity on his own terms? Is this morally or ethically responsible behavior for someone who purports to support bringing clarity, consensus and alignment between parties?

Mr. Kessler is the consummate professional. I’ve seen other mediators in action and he is, in my estimation, the best. He is a calm force in the room. Very skilled and compassionate.

Jerald A Kessler is one of the most respectful and highly devoted attorneys I have ever had the honor and privilege to work with.

Jerry has a great way of approaching a tough situation. He is positive and keeps moving towards the best case scenario.