Brody Brandner, Ltd.

After three months of negligible progress and virtually no communication--despite being told my case would take about six weeks--I dismissed Steve Brody and retained a new firm. I initially hired the firm in early June after a positive consultation with Tim, who assured me my amicable divorce would be quick and straightforward. My ex and I had already agreed on a parenting plan and asset division; I only needed legal review. In three months, Steve spoke with me once (June 28), during which he suggested filing a counter-petition, but I told him this was not needed since we already had a plan in place. I submitted my financial affidavit, and my ex promptly provided hers and our parenting plan, yet Steve never followed up to review these key documents. In late August, I learned from my ex that her attorney had not received my affidavit and that a court hearing was scheduled in three days. Steve failed to notify me of the hearing or provide any updates despite repeated emails. At the hearing, he reportedly told the judge he needed more time to respond and to file a counter-petition, directly contradicting my instructions. I repeatedly emailed Steve and his assistant Anna without replies (see timeline below) and ultimately requested that Tim take over my case. Though Tim acknowledged my concerns, no follow-up from Steve occurred, and on September 4 I ended Steve's representation. Below is a record of calls/emails to Steve's office that went unanswered: 7/1: email to Steve with a question about my financial affidavit. No reply 7/23: email to Anna asking for the status of my financial affidavit. No reply. 8/14: email to Anna asking what happens next, since my financials were submitted. No reply 8/22: follow-up to Anna asking if she saw my previous emails. No reply 8/25: email to Steve asking about the status of my case. No reply 8/26: email to Steve sharing my concern about the lack of communication, what would happen in court in 3 days, and for an update as to what happens next in my case. No reply 8/27: emailed Steve 4 specific questions about my case, and told him I'd like a reply by the end of the day. He responded that he would call me that evening. No call was received. 8/28: email to Steve indicating that I never received a call from him. I still want the info requested. No reply 9/4: notified Steve that he will no longer be representing me Steve's lack of communication and inaction were unprofessional and unacceptable. By contrast, my new attorney accomplished more for me in two weeks than Steve did in three months. If you need to verify Steve's level of professionalism, simply go look at their FB page.

Words cannot describe how awful of an experience I had with this law firm and particularly the representation of Timothy Brandner. Here are just a few nuggets of negligence performed by the services of Brody and Brandner. -I hired Mr. Brandner in May of 2024 for what was claimed to be a "slam dunk case", my ex was over 20k in back payments due and an additional 25K in 50/50 fees due. Mr. Brandner claimed this was such a slam dunk case that my retainer paid would most likely be reimbursed and this case should be concluded in a "month or two" -Fast forward to today. Mr. Brandner somehow was able to reduce me ex's back payment to just a little over 10k even though accounting shows it should be closer to 25k, its as if he was representing my ex. Mr Brandner didn't even show up to court he had a newbie associate show up who literally didn't speak a word. She was mute, she wouldn't respond to anything and looked scared, and I was paying for this person. Mr. Brandner filed a sealed document in June of 2024 that legally I was supposed to be informed of and of course I have no idea what was sealed. This seemingly simple case went on over 16 months and I was charged over 11k for his "services". One of the main reasons I hired Mr. Brandner to motion 50/50 fees over 25k didn't even happen. Although, he threatened my ex over email to make these payments or he will file contempt and with that she would have to pay his attorney fees, he completely ignored my requests to actually do his job and file the motions I needed to support my "slam dunk case". The amount of pure negligence in this case is appalling. Tim is arrogant and entitled and it truly felt like he is working against you. Naturally, I filed with the ARDC, filing a lawsuit to recoup fees and pursue negligence, and counterclaiming any of his "due fees motions". This man is toxic. Avoid him at all costs. I don't know if he is just lazy or manipulative. I would say by his schtick - his "just woke up and went to court look" I would yield lazy but losing your client 10's of thousands of dollars seemingly with intent and working the magic $$$ behind your client's back without consent constitutes negligence. Tough call. I am confident with all the evidence I have against him, justice will be served. Hiring this firm would be a huge mistake. Don't do it. He is a loser. The other guy, the Danny Devito look-alike should deliver pizzas for a living I would tip him 2000 percent if he wore a little bow tie.

Absolutely appalling experience - avoid attorney Steven J. Brody at all costs. I came to Steven J. Brody seeking help to draft a simple, respectful letter requesting access to my children--something my wife, from whom I had been separated, had denied me for weeks. The situation was especially delicate, as one of my children is disabled and I have been their primary caregiver. Instead of honoring my request, Brody pushed me to file for divorce, citing my wife's deeply personal issues--issues he had known about for years, as I had trusted him as a friend and advisor for nearly a decade. He assured me those details would remain private and claimed that a letter would be "meaningless." Against my better judgment, I proceeded--despite raising serious concerns about the inflammatory petition he drafted, which contained exaggerated and highly personal claims that I never wanted aired in public. This reckless and aggressive legal strategy misrepresented me, escalated the situation unnecessarily, and forced my wife to hire an attorney. With the help of my family--who were manipulated by the content of the petition--she fought back, which only led to more filings, more conflict, and of course, more billable hours charged to me. When my wife retained counsel, instead of clarifying that I simply wanted access to my children, Brody escalated the matter further. He filed additional motions filled with even more personal and exaggerated claims--without notifying me prior to filing them. His behavior felt deceptive and self-serving. When I rightfully refused to pay for work I never authorized and explicitly disagreed with, Brody sought a judgment against me. Shockingly, Judge Joel Berg granted it--based on nothing but the initial client intake form. No real evidence. Just Brody's word. To collect on that judgment, he froze both my personal bank account and--unbelievably--my teenage daughter's bank account. Despite repeated requests, he refused to release her funds, showing zero regard for the financial and emotional harm he was causing. In a highly questionable move, he then maneuvered the case back into the courtroom of Judge Joel Berg, who is now threatening me unless I turn over sensitive personal documents--documents being handed to someone I believe has demonstrated a serious lack of professional ethics. This attorney's conduct has been exploitative, dishonest, and completely lacking in integrity. It felt like I was caught in a strategy designed not to resolve legal issues--but to manufacture conflict and maximize billable hours. Disturbingly, I discovered after the fact that multiple other reviewers have described similar experiences--alleging overbilling, and overly aggressive and unprofessional tactics. I wish I had read those reviews earlier. If you're looking for legal counsel with professionalism, compassion, or even basic honesty--look elsewhere. I regret ever trusting Steven J. Brody, and I'm sharing this so others don't make the same mistake.

This firm took my case headed to trial less than a week away. That took a lot of courage. Then once they started digging in and saw what a mess everything was they buckled down and handled things like champs. I would recommend Tim and Steve plus their staff and Mariana have been great.

Steve Brody and his firm are amazing. They fight for you hard and with passion. Fearless in the court room and willing to go above and beyond for his clients. I had false accusations but against me leading to an order of protection. Steve was able to have it dismissed without us even having to show any of our evidence "which was a video" solely by just proving she was lying in court and had no grounds for such order. I will definitely recommend him to anyone looking for an attorney willing to fight for you and your family.