Timothy Daw has been with Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP since his clerking days in law school. Today, he’s a shareholder of the firm and has seen its growth from a small group of attorneys developing a new kind of family law firm to one of the most respected and successful family law firms in the country.

Since he began his practice as a family law attorney, Daw has embraced the Schiller DuCanto & Fleck philosophy: find creative solutions in uncharted territory of complex, sensitive, high net-worth family law cases.

Over time, Daw has seen the evolution of divorce itself. In the early years of his practice, litigation was a prevalent means by which resolution was achieved. Now clients, working with their attorneys, are taking an active role in problem-solving and finding solutions outside of the court system through alternative dispute resolution. With courts backlogged due to the global pandemic, methods like mediation or collaboration are a great way to create a better, personal framework to solve issues. According to Daw, it is better to have the clients resolve their differences wherever possible with experienced attorney’s guidance looking for resolution as opposed to litigation. In the minority of cases, because of factual, legal, or emotional issues, litigation may be necessary. In these circumstances, given Daw’s wide breadth of experience including the litigation of highly contested matters, clients are able to utilize all avenues for resolution keeping their options open to the best possible results given the uncertainties of the future and the process. With Daw and his firm, the resources are available for any of the alternatives that may be necessary.

Daw brings a wise confidence to each case, with the initial goals of first calming the situation down, identifying the key issues, and creating a strategy and plan to move things forward in his clients’ best interest. He avoids being reactive and simply setting a case’s path based solely in direct response to a crisis.

“We ask people to pause and take a breath instead of just reacting,” says Daw.

Instead of focusing solely on putting out short-term fires, Daw keeps the case’s larger focus on the long-term future.

“You’re dealing with dozens and dozens of issues which can change over time,” says Daw. “But you also have to keep in mind, we’re dealing with now and the future.”

Daw understands that it takes time, trust, and open communication to comprehend all the factual issues, relationship dynamics, and general background of a case. Daw works in tandem with his client to develop strategic goals and continues to refine them as the case evolves.

Daw works with his clients as an interactive team. He gives thoughtful guidance and advice (and provides reality-based recommendations) based on his clients’ and their families’ needs and goals. Daw also relies on the immense resources available through the firm. With nearly 50 attorneys across the firm’s three offices, Daw can tailor his team to precisely fit his client’s needs.

Daw empathizes with his clients and understands that divorce can be a difficult and often disheartening process, but his forward-focus helps keep clients grounded. This grounding is critical—seeing the forest through the trees. According to Daw, this process can sometimes require being very direct when disputes become emotionally difficult or divisive and a realistic problem-solving focus is needed.

It’s important to remember, even when the situation may seem impossible, “this is not the darkest day and things will get better,” says Daw.

By taking it one step at a time, and keeping a future-minded mentality, Daw guides his clients through the process of divorce with great success and as painlessly as possible.

The Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP Wheaton office is located at 310 South Country Farm Road, Suite 300. For more information, call 630- 665-5800 or visit sdflaw.com.