Samuel Francis Cannizzaro | Chicago Divorce and Family Lawyer


Samuel Francis Samuel Lawyer

Samuel Francis Cannizzaro update listing

Divorce & Family Law, Child Custody, Child Support, Divorce, General Practice, Family Law

312-863-2800


VERIFIED 

  • Profile LAWPOINTS68/ 100
    LAWPOINTS™ measure the overall completeness of a Lawyer's profile. More complete profiles are ranked higher and help visitors select the right lawyer faster.
    We help paid Members build more complete and informative profiles.
    LAWPOINTS™ do not measure a Lawyer's reputation.
    More Info for Lawyers
  • Free Consultation 
  • No Misconduct Found 
  • Accepts Credit Cards 
  • Accepts Lawyer Referrals 
  • Reviews Pro Bono Cases 
  • Upgrade to a premium listing
  • Update your listing
  • LAWYERID LOY-984-1015
    LawyerID™'s identify each individual within Lawyer.com’s directory of 2M global lawyers and help to ensure that the most accurate, up-to-date records are being kept on every lawyer. If you are a practicing lawyer without a LawyerID prominently displayed on your Lawyer.com profile, please call 800-840-0600 to receive one.
    Contact Us
  • 312-863-2800

Please include all relevant details from your case including where, when, and who it involves. Case details that can effectively describe the legal situation while also staying concise generally receive the best responses from lawyers.

Sam Cannizzaro goes out of his way to put his clients first, understanding the stress they are under while going through a family law matter. “I’m accessible to my clients at all hours. These are not 9-to-5 problems. When clients call me, I take the call without my staff ever asking, ‘Who’s calling?'”

In cases involving minor children, he emphasizes, “I always look at the situation from the children’s point of view. I’ll ask my clients to look at the effect their actions during a divorce might have on their children.”

Cannizzaro’s warm personality and legal success are the products of a life built around family and helping others. He worked 12 years as a singing waiter at Monastero’s Ristorante, an Italian restaurant on the Northwest Side of Chicago where he grew up and still lives today with his family. Sam brags about his daughter in college and his son in high school. “I bought the house next door to my mom. She’s older (99!), and I can help her that way.”

Cannizzaro attended Loyola University of Chicago, then entered Loyola’s School of Law.  He volunteered for four semesters in Loyola’s community legal clinic, where he handled six divorce cases to completion before graduation. “That work was exciting to me, and I felt that I really made a difference at a critical time in my clients’ lives.”

“Divorce is tough,” he observes. “It’s tough on the parties and tough on the children. I make sure my clients know that they are my priority. We owe them a high level of service.”
Please describe a case in the last year or two where you made a big difference.

Recently, a mom who was not married but had a 5-year-old daughter, came to me since she wanted to move with her daughter to Tennessee to live with her fiancé who was in the Army. The father of the child, who had parenting time 3 out of every 4 weekends, had filed a Restraining Order against her anticipated move. I was able to defeat the Restraining Order, file a Petition for Removal (to allow my client to move away with the child), and get her a ruling allowing her to move with her child to TN, prior to the start of this fall school year. She was very grateful.

How did you build a successful practice?

I worked as a singing waiter at an Italian Restaurant all through college and law school. My customers knew me and trusted me, and it gave me a base of new clients when I graduated. Also, in law school, I worked 4 semesters at the Loyola Law Clinic, and got great experience (and clients). I then went on my own, and clients and other attorneys were and are my best source of referrals. I am now a partner in a prestigious downtown Family Law Firm.

What should clients look for in a lawyer?

Someone who cares. Most attorneys are competent, but unless they try hard, clients can get overlooked and the focus necessary to serve every client fully may be lost. Once clients meet with me, they know that they are my priority, and that I will fight hard for them.

How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases?

In a perfect world, all Judges are impartial and rule only on the merits. The fact is that Judges are human, and if they know an attorney and trust him/her and know that he/she has an excellent reputation for honesty and competence, that may have an impact on those decisions that he/she must make in cases that have close calls. I am happy to have a very good reputation and rapport with all the Family Law Judges in Cook, Lake and DuPage Counties. I have been practicing before them for over 30 years.

What information can you provide in a free phone consultation?

Whether they have a good case, approximately how much it will cost, and, often, my legal advice.

What information do you need in a free phone consultation?

Nothing definite. I use that initial consultation to listen to the facts, learn what the client is looking for, and counsel them through it. If they then go ahead and hire me, we can discuss what paperwork, information, and retainer I will need to get started.

What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community?

Aside from my successful track record, clients like me because I listen to them, I don't sugar-coat things, I try to save them money in fees, and I always return calls and attend Court Dates on time. You'd think those would be basics with all attorneys, but not even close. Again, I also truly care about my clients and their cases. Clients also like that I don't just keep 9-5 hours - I am available many evenings (even late) and weekend dates, too.

What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?

Getting results for my clients that may have been discouraged before they hired me. Also, when the phone rings and it is a new client that a former client referred and had nice things to say about me. I also enjoy succeeding when against some of the finest Family Law Attorneys in the State.

What are your other interests in addition to law?

I am a wish-granter for the Illinois Chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. That is VERY rewarding! I also am a song-leader/cantor at two parishes on the northwest side of Chicago. I have two great children, a daughter in her final year of college and a son who is a Junior in High School, that I adore and love to be involved in their activities. Finally, I am a huge baseball fan.

Are you involved in your community?

Yes. For years, I was the President of the local Edgebrook-Sauganash Chamber of Commerce. I am still an active member. (I mentioned singing in church and Make-A-Wish above.)

Position Organization Location Duration
PartnerDavis Friedman, LLP135 S. LaSalle Street, 36th Floor, Chicago, IL09/2011 - 03/2015
School Degree Major Graduation
Loyola University Chicago School of LawJ.D. Law School1984  
Loyola University of ChicagoB.B.A.1980
State / Court Date
Illinois1984
  • - Chicago Bar Association
    - Illinois State Bar Association; ISBA Assembly Member
  • The Chicago-based Justinian Society of Lawyers has honored Sam F. Cannizzaro, a partner in Birnbaum, Haddon, Gelfman & Arnoux, LLC, during a recent dinner ceremony. Cannizzaro has been a member of the Justinian Society for 31 years.
  • Although he has been published in legal journals and is a frequent speaker, he finds some of his most rewarding work has been as a Wish Granter for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, where he meets with children who have potentially life-threatening diseases. “I talk with them and learn about their interests,” he says, “and we try to be creative, granting their wish in a way that makes it really special for them.” In and outside his practice, Cannizzaro has never lost the desire to help people, especially “when they’re going through a rough time.”
Sun. Mon. Tue. Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat.
9:00 am
-
5:00 pm
9:00 am
-
9:00 pm
9:00 am
-
5:00 pm
9:00 am
-
9:00 pm
9:00 am
-
5:00 pm
10:30 am
-
4:00 pm

 Sunday By Appointment


Lawyers with longer memberships tend to have more experience so we use the Membership date to help prioritize lawyer listings on search pages.

Verified Credentials Date Verified

Above credentials have been verified independently by Lawyer.com.

Fee: Call today for your initial evaluation.

Service Type: Private

Language: English

Update Date: 2014-07-07

https://www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013i.png, https://www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013p.png, https://www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013f.png, https://www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013v.png, https://www.lawyer.com/seal/d/featured-medium.png, https://www.lawyer.com/seal/d/verified-medium.png, https://www.lawyer.com/seal/d/featured-small.png, https://www.lawyer.com/seal/d/verified-small.png,

To recommend or link to this lawyer as a trusted attorney, we have provided a list of sample links. Please choose the one that meet your needs.

Want a Premium Customized Photo Badge?

Call Toll Free: 800-620-0900

Lawyer Badge
Image Link 1
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro  Lawyer Badge
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013i.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 2
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro  Lawyer Badge
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013p.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 3
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro  Lawyer Badge
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013f.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 4
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro  Lawyer Badge
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013v.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 5
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro  Lawyer Badge
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013d/featured-medium.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 6
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro  Lawyer Badge
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013d/verified-medium.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 7
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro  Lawyer Badge
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013d/featured-small.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Image Link 8
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro  Lawyer Badge
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom"><a href="//www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html"><img alt="Lawyer.com" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal/2826013d/verified-small.png"></a></div><script type="text/javascript" src="//www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Text Link 1
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom" style="width:250px;text-align:center;background-color: #fbaa02;padding:3px;"><a href="http://www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html" style="color: #fff;text-decoration:none;size: 12px;">Lawyer.com Listed: Samuel Francis Cannizzaro</a></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Text Link 2
Corresponding HTML Codes
<div id="Lcom" style="width:250px;text-align:center;background-color: #fbaa02;padding:3px;"><a href="http://www.lawyer.com/samuel-cannizzaro.html" style="color: #fff;text-decoration:none;size: 12px;">Lawyer.com Verified: Samuel Francis Cannizzaro</a></div> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://www.lawyer.com/seal.js"></script>
Change Date Change Field Previous Content
Samuel Francis Cannizzaro
180 North Lasalle Street
37Th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601
41.88502,-87.622387

MAIN LOCATION

180 North Lasalle Street
37Th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601


Other Locations:
  • Proudly serving Chicago and the immediate surrounding region. North West Side Office by Appointment (call to schedule).  

WEBSITE

LAWYER BADGES

SAMPLE LEGAL CASES

Debunking Common Misconceptions About California Property Laws
Navigate the complexities of California property laws with confidence. Get clarity on your rights and obligations with Deldar Legal.
Auto Insurance California - Filing Claims After A Car Accident
Get the support you need to handle your auto insurance California claim! Deldar Legal provides skilled negotiations with insurance adjusters.
Ship Collision In Maryland Presumably Kills 6 People
Learn about the catastrophic ship collision at the Francis Scott Key Bridge and its implications for the local community and port operations.