Brett Buckley has been with Schiller DuCanto & Fleck, LLP since his days as a law clerk while in law school. Rising through the ranks, Buckley is one of the youngest attorneys to be elected partner at one of the most respected family law firms in the country.

Buckley gravitated to family law due to the prevalence of trial work, particularly related to the complex and high stakes cases typical of Schiller DuCanto & Fleck. While initially focused on trial work, over the years, Buckley gravitated to crafting creative, efficient, and quiet resolutions outside of court.

“Some family law attorneys shoot first and ask questions later,” says Buckley, “my approach is squarely the inverse. I believe that most divorce and family law cases can and should be settled quickly and quietly. But if that’s not possible for reasons out of our control, I embrace the opportunity to take a case to trial if that’s necessary to protect our client’s interests.”

Buckley strives to achieve efficiency and value for his clients. He’s keenly aware that high-stakes divorce can be costly, so he maintains open communication with his clients at all times concerning their goals and interests, the range of options in implementing a strategy to achieve those goals, and where possible, a cost/benefit analysis. By ensuring his clients are involved in every step of strategy formulation and execution, Buckley creates a more efficient and value-driven process.

Buckley’s experience in trial work makes him a formidable opponent. A dual-threat, Buckley has had much success in litigation as a trial lawyer, which creates an advantage while his cases are in the alternative dispute resolution phase.

With a focus on high net worth divorce cases, Buckley has worked with many high-profile clients over the years, and he knows that confidentiality and discretion are paramount and often underappreciated.

“The best results we can achieve for our clients, high profile or otherwise, are those of which the public does not hear,” Buckley says.

Drawing from a background in athletics at Mount Carmel High School and beyond, Buckley is highly competitive, but never to the detriment of his clients’ goals. “It’s important to understand there are many definitions of a ‘win’ in these cases,” says Buckley, “it’s critical to remain competitive and take pride in what we do, but understand early and often our clients’ goals, which certainly may evolve as their cases progress.”

As far as his caseload, Buckley has seen just about everything. He has vast experience in the classification, valuation, and allocation of multi-million dollar estates as well as the negotiation and litigation of high lifestyle maintenance and child support awards. Buckley also routinely handles high-stakes custody cases. While he is based on the North Shore, it’s not infrequent for Buckley to handle cases in other national jurisdictions.

Buckley also emphasizes the importance of managing the psychological element in helping clients embrace and process their emotions, but compartmentalize them at the same time.

“A family experiencing divorce is going to experience a wide range of emotions, and we can’t expect our clients to turn that off. We need to afford the opportunity and space to process, but when it comes time to make important decisions, it’s incumbent on me to sideline the emotions,” says Buckley.

Buckley’s collaborative, goal-oriented and dynamic process promotes a trusting relationship with clients, where their concerns are met with the utmost attention to detail. With this approach, Buckley achieves dignified, efficient, and value-driven results for his clients. “The North Shore is a small community; our clients are discerning—they expect superior results and we take that incredibly seriously.” Based on his impressive track record, it’s fair to say that Buckley is exceeding the discerning standards of the North Shore.

The Schiller DuCanto & Fleck, LLP Chicago office is located at 321 N. Clark St., Suite 1200. For more information, call 312-641-5560 or visit sdflaw.com.