Reviews

Jody is the best family attorney I have met, she is knowledgeable, professional, and always willing to help. With her help I went through very hard times in my family situation. Every time I faced challenges and asked her, she was able to give very professional and helpful advice. If you need a family attorney, I would highly recommend Jody from my experience.

As a business professional, I have required legal services for countless situations over my lifetime. Mostly for normal business dealings, though a few were more adversarial in nature. In either case, selecting the best attorney for the situation is obviously important. When our family was faced with a situation involving a family member being falsely accused, I found myself out of my element as family law was an area I had never needed to explore. I did know however, not having the best attorney in this particular case would mean a devastating outcome and a tarnished record that would haunt us for a very long time. My vast and extensive research brought our family to Usow Law and thank goodness it did. Simply put, Jody Usow is an extraordinary attorney in every way. From the beginning, she was great at managing the expectations, the process and our family. Even though our emotions and frustrations would sometimes run wild due to the unjust accusations, Jody always managed to recenter us and focus on the law and her plan to succeed. Jody's experience and overall strategy in dealing with the opposition was brilliant. I was very impressed with her proactive tactics that set the stage for a favorable outcome. Watching Jody in the courtroom was a sight to behold. Measured and mild-mannered up until the petitioner's testimony became clearly disingenuous, and the lion was unleashed. In this day and age when we have so little accountability, it was thrilling to watch a dishonest person eviscerated on the witness stand during cross-examination due to their lack of integrity and vengeful actions. Needless to say, Jody was so compelling in the courtroom that the case was dismissed without her client (our side) ever needing to testify. Jody brought this 4-month nightmare our family was living, to an end! If you are in need of a family law attorney, you should contact Usow Law. If you are faced with unfair and unjust family-law legal issues you should definitely contact Usow Law. If you don't, the opposing side might. We are forever grateful for Jody Usow!

I initially hired Jody to assist with a temporary restraining order case I was facing where my child’s mother over exaggerated an argument and lied to police to get the TRO. Jody stepped in last minute literally the day before, heard my story, met me at court and represented me for the hearing. The TRO was granted but Jody being the realist she is, let me know going into the hearing that it would likely be granted and why. Even then I appreciated her honesty and willingness to represent me on such short notice. After the TRO hearing my child’s mother decided she did not want me to see him so I continued to work with Jody with the goal of getting 50/50 custody and placement. Jody has proven to be a beast in the court room at every hearing we’ve had. She is very professional, down to earth, respected by the court and she knows her stuff! Her assistant Nick is just as awesome! We all worked together to accomplish the end goal and they were both very professional, nonjudgmental, and willing to educate me every step of the way. Nick even took the time to call and find out officers were in office, and ride his bicycle to the district to serve them for a court hearing the next day because they had not been able to be reached or served. I enjoyed working with Jody and her staff especially with this all being new to me, she would always answer my very long emails or phone calls in a timely manner, she worked with my family members/friends who were helping me with testifying or confirming information, and she understood how important it was to me to be apart of my sons life and have him be apart of my family and his siblings lives. She took time to educate me on what was happening throughout the entire custody battle and was patient with me when I did not do my part in a timely manner. At the end of my case, I got everything I wanted 50/50 placement and custody, even with the mother having representation and even with the TRO in place- which was a blessing in disguise because Jody fought for the mother and I to have court ordered communication through Our Family wizard where everything is documented for lawyers or the court to be able to access with no way for parents to delete information. Jody has been a huge blessing to me and my family and was worth every penny! Even after my case closed she followed up, gave me great advice and encouraged me to reach out to her if needed. I highly highly recommend and she will be the first name I give to anyone going through any family court disputes.

Jody is a Badass! It's apparent that she knows what she is doing and that she has been doing this for awhile.

My case was a very complicated case trying to protect my young daughter from abuse. I went through several family law attorneys (five in total!) that lacked the know how or skills for the challenge and instead tried to convince me that I had already done everything I could to protect her. By the time I came to Jody, my child's situation seemed very bleak. I was emotionally drained and feeling almost hopeless, but Jody turned things around completely by the time we reached our final trial. Jody was always straight forward, never one to tell me what I wanted to hear but what I NEEDED to hear keeping me focused on what mattered most. She is savy, tough, clearly we'll versed in family law and has a great presence in the court room. My child is finally safe now because of Jody's fearlessness and dedication.

I cannot begin to thank Jody for all of her hard work and dedication to helping kids - I think that’s the thing that sets her apart! What I could have never predicted was that in this process, my parents and I really came by some big time healing. While I won't speak on their behalf, I think my parents would agree that they could never have even known how much WE needed this healing, this relief and this better understanding of one another. It was also the first time I was able (meaning get the words out of mouth in real time) to be transparent with them about my ex and his behavior. I asked them to view that as insight into our son’s understanding of the world and the job of a father, and they in turn learned a lot about their grandson. When your dad is dying, that's not little. It's everything. When you're using up your inheritance, this was not a little choice for any of us. We all now wholeheartedly agree that we did the right thing by hiring Jody. This gives my dad peace of mind that when he is no longer with us, his grandson is better protected. This was worth every penny. We are learning to accept that we can't save or protect my son’s heart from his dad, but we can say collectively as a family that this is the best plan (legal agreement) for him given all these crummy circumstances outside our scope of control. Jody is the person responsible for that. Jody knew the attorneys and the parties (yes me!) better than I can explain. Jody listened to me even when I was so angry with my son’s dad or at the law that I could spit nails while actively grieving. And there's something else - I am no longer afraid of the big bad wolf. I listened to every droplet Jody said in our initial phone call. And I did the work she asked me to. While life with my ex will never be over, his cord around my neck is gone forever. I will never, ever, ever be able to express my gratitude to Jody fully.

Jody is a wonderful attorney; tough, knowledgeable and a great communicator. She made the entire process easy to understand, provided timely updates and pertinent advice during negotiations. She exceeded all my expectations, especially with the final settlement. The best attorney to advocate to for your interests in a difficult time. Thank you, Jody!

Jody and Nick are an amazing team! They are professional, knowledgeable but also empathic and personable. Jody represented me on two cases. My divorce dragged on for years even though we were ready to come to a reasonable agreement with the other party within months of the initial filing. She didn’t hold back on bluntly telling me “you can’t do that” or “that’s not how it works” when I was misguided - but she did the same when my ex’s filings intimidated me unnecessarily. When yet a new filing or demand scared me, she could explain in simple terms why I didn't have to worry. Thanks to her many years of experience, she knows the law and workings of the court thoroughly and also has good professional relationships with other lawyers and court officials. So I was constantly reassured and had correct expectations set - expectations that were exceeded when the final order was made! I’ve told many people that my lawyer was many times more beneficial for my mental health than my therapist, friends and family combined :) To be fair, we had a blundering opponent - who basically told the judge that his feelings should trump the law - but Jody and Nick’s assistance in navigating the years of filings and demands was invaluable regardless. It also helped that I had an organized archive of emails, documents, screenshots. For example, when Jody would discuss two possible responses to yet another filing, I could quickly send relevant documentation to decide on our response. On her part, she was fast and efficient with no needless meandering - always to the point, always on top of the case. I feel incredibly grateful for her to have represented me.

Jody was absolutely amazing through a stressful and difficult circumstance. She is straightforward and will tell it how it is so you know what to expect, while still being kind and compassionate the whole way. Other law firms agreed to help me but then decided they couldn't later due to some international complications. Jody, on the other hand, got the job done exactly as she said she would. Nick was wonderful as well, and I would recommend this law office in a heartbeat to anyone going through a similarly difficult experience.

Attorney Usow is amazing. She’s very professional, very smart, and very tough in court. If you hire attorney Usow she will save your case and grant you victory. I highly recommend her. She’s the absolute best.

After 20 years of committed support and having finally paid off all lingering debts (guess who's), my wife said she needed her independence. She asked for a divorce, moved out, and hired a "Best of Milwaukee” lawyer. I soon learned her definition of independence included my pre-marital inheritance assets (breaking our prenuptial), long-term spousal maintenance, and minimal involvement raising our teenagers. As an idle professional with college degrees, she insisted her new low-paying job was good enough for the court to use (in setting my spousal payments). I obviously had a serious problem and was facing a messy divorce. I needed good legal representation. I am so thankful I chose Jody Usow as my counsel. Having her in my court made all the difference. Afterwards I had the stability I needed to raise my kids and the financial means to do so. Thank you, Jody. You were awesome! Notables when observing Jody in action: 1. Incredible courtroom presence and tact. Jody purposefully addressed the Judge at the exact moment a “highlight item” needed to be considered (almost always with a good outcome) 2. Responsive – Anything I asked by email received a response within 24 hours and she was available by phone for quick questions and pressing needs. 3. Well-Prepared and On-Time Always: In court, in opposing council meetings, and in 1-on-1 phone/video calls 4. Thinks “Outside the Box” – She helped assemble an unorthodox divorce resolution that was acceptable to all 5. Strategic and Forward-Thinking – Jody always had my back and kept me “in the know”, rational, and proactive throughout the process. 6. Cost – Jody is certainly not inexpensive, but she was careful to avoid unnecessary costs and used practicality to reduce billable tasks throughout my case 7. Simplified/Common-Sense Approach – She helped me understand and face the reality of my situation and the likely outcomes for different scenarios 8. Mediation-Leaning – Jody helped avoid forcing court decisions when she felt something could be resolved in dealing 1-on-1 with my spouse 9. Collaboration – Jody worked with my wife's lawyer to open/bypass several “locked door” issues 10. Great Listener – Jody took time to gather all case details and know me as a person. She understood my greatest concerns, all situational issues, and my goals for a final outcome.

Jody and Nick were very responsive providing assistance that was very timely and helpful to resolve my concerns. They are very much appreciated!