Dan began his legal education while earning his undergraduate degree at Illinois State University. During his junior year, he joined the university’s mock trial team and competed in hundreds of trials for the American Mock Trial Association. Dan attended Northern Illinois University College of Law where he graduated Cum Laude with his Juris Doctor.
After being sworn in to the Illinois State Bar in 2015, Dan then became licensed to practice law in Federal Court and spent time working for a Chicago-based bankruptcy firm helping clients file for bankruptcy relief. With the desire for more courtroom litigation, Dan accepted a position with the Will County Public Defender’s Office where he handled a myriad of criminal cases from initial bond hearing through to trial.
Since leaving the Public Defender’s Office in 2017, Dan has focused his practice on Family Law and Criminal Defense. He has tried scores of cases through to verdict, both jury and bench. Dan thrives in the courtroom and is a true advocate for his clients. Though Dan is comfortable in and enjoys the Courtroom, his primary obligations are to his clients. Negotiations are cheaper than courtroom battles, and Dan always walks his clients through the benefits and drawbacks to compromise and negotiation, or proceeding to trial or hearing.
In Dan’s free time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife Danielle Giannola and their 5 kids, restoring classic cars, metal fabrication, bow hunting, fishing, and gardening.
Q&A:
From the perspective of your role, what’s one thing you wish clients understood better about the divorce process?
That one of the most important things while going through a divorce is that you have to be able to keep a level head and control your emotions if you really want to get the best results across the whole divorce.
From the perspective of your role, how do you ensure clients feel heard and understood?
I make sure that I will always give the client as much time and explanation as they need to fully understand what their options are and the pros and cons of each.
What’s one myth about divorce law you’d like to clear up?
The idea that one parent can threaten another parent to “take full custody” and for the client to take that seriously. Absent extreme cases, or proof that the client is somehow mentally or emotionally unfit, the Court would rarely award full custody to one parent and if they did, it would almost certainly be on a temporary basis.
What makes the culture at Giannola Legal LLC unique?
Being a small firm allows us to not only work together, but to also be involved in each other’s lives and able to rely on each other on a deeper level than just a professional relationship.
What do you like to do to unwind after a long day in court or at the office?
Putter around in the garage or work on any of a million outdoor projects that I have going on at any given time.
If you weren’t working in the legal world, what career would you want to try?
Chemist or a steel fabricator
What’s one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
I’m just as comfortable up to my elbows working on some junk car I bought online, or waist deep in a creek with a fishing pole as I am arguing in court or working in the office.
