Partner
Location: Libertyville, Illinois
Phone: 847-680-4970
After graduating from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Deanna began working at Schlesinger & Strauss as an associate attorney and was named partner in July 2022. Deanna’s primary practice is in the area of family law, and she has represented clients in divorce, custody disagreements, the setting and modification of child support, enforcement of court orders, and in all guardianship matters. Deanna is an active member of many bar associations is currently the co-secretary of the Association of Women Attorneys of Lake County and is a member of the Associations’ Biennial Continuing Legal Education Committee. Deanna is a member of the Women & the Law Committee, Child Law Section Council and was a part of the Inaugural Class of the ISBA’s Leadership Academy. She is also a member of the Lake County Bar Association as well as the Illinois Bar Association. Deanna regularly assists as the volunteer mediator in Lake County and Deanna also represents clients on a pro bono basis through the Lake County Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer Program. In 2021, 2022, and 2023, Deanna was recognized by her peers as a Rising Star in Family Law which is only awarded to 2.5% of attorneys in Illinois.
Areas of Practice
- Family Law
- Guardianship
- Adoption
- Divorce
- Separation
- Premarital Agreements
- Paternity
- Custody & Support
Bar Admissions
- Illinois 2016
Education
- Loyola University Chicago
Bachelor of Science: Criminal Justice and Criminology
- Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Juris Doctor
Professional Activities
- Association of Women Attorneys of Lake County
- Illinois State Bar Association
- Women and Law Committee
- ISBA Central Community
- Child Section Law Counsel
- Lake County Bar Association
Publications
- Transformation in Illinois’ Department of Juvenile Justice, Child Law, The newsletter of
the ISBA’s Section on Child Law, Volume 33, Number 2, November 2020. - Promoting Access to Justice Among Self-Represented Litigants, The Catalyst, The
newsletter of the ISBA’s Standing Committee on Women and the Law, February 2019,
vol. 24, no 3, and The Docket, The Official Publication of the Lake County Bar
Association, Vol. 26 No. 5, May 2019. - Practical Lessons To Learn From Chavis v Woodworker’s, The Docket, The Official
Publication of the Lake County Bar Association, Vol. 25 No. 11, November 2018.
Testimonials
“My experience with Schlesinger, Strauss & Hoyt, LLC. was top notch. Always responsive and professional. Deanna took care of everything and made an otherwise un-fun process simple and smooth. Grateful for her guidance and expertise.” ~ Katie, January 2023
“I would highly recommend Deanna Hoyt. I hired her and Michael Strauss part-way through my divorce process due to dissatisfaction with my first attorney. As soon as they were hired they learned my case and got it back on track. Deanna is very knowledgeable and she responded in a timely manner with questions I had related to the documents we were working on and the overall divorce process. I felt confident in her ability to litigate, on my behalf, against opposing counsel. My case was complex and high conflict due to the opposing party but she knew how to navigate through those difficult waters. Quite frankly, I believe she continued getting better and better throughout the entire divorce process and I believe she will continue to be a fantastic attorney, a great asset to Michael’s team. If you’re in need of legal representation I would highly recommend Deanna Hoyt.” ~ Client, June 2018
