| Attorney Profiles - Child:Robert McNish |
Robert J. McNishPartner rmcnish@davisfriedman.com "The only guarantee is, in the end, they'll both be unhappy," Robert McNish says candidly when reflecting on certain couples in divorce proceedings. "What I always have to remember," he adds, "is that in spite of what a person says or does, I'm seeing that person at his or her worst. This is not indicative of who they are or what they are really like. They are generally really nice people in more tolerable and sane circumstances." Despite the protective veneer of apparent cynicism, McNish in fact comes across as a soft-spoken physician who doesn't shrink from the harsh truths of his profession. "I try to be totally honest with clients and not promise anything that's not going to be realistically achievable." But he continues, "They are not going to be unhappy forever. At some point they may go out and find that all men or women are not horrible." Despite new conditions or restrictions, McNish observes, clients do have better days ahead. In addition to arranging for the children, the most difficult challenges spouses encounter are finances. "My client may be making payments on a Mercedes rather than a Honda Civic, but even with the well-to-do there are budgetary constraints." In most cases, he finds, the parties cannot afford the litigation that they might want to pursue. "And as a lawyer, I help make that decision. That is a difficult everyday task in divorce, and I have to do a good job and keep the cost reasonable." McNish is a partner at Davis Friedman and has worked with other senior partners for close to 40 years. He finds the firm offers a very supportive environment. "It's unusually collegial here. Being in a larger family firm is nice because I get other people's opinions. There are attorneys who are older and some a lot younger. And we discuss cases in a large group setting, and we can walk into somebody's office and talk more privately." |
Teamwork is an important part of his perspective, McNish observes, right from the initial interview. "I'll meet with people and try to decide if I'm the right person in the firm for their case. Some clients may be better off with someone younger or one of my female colleagues." When he originally came to Chicago, it was to work for R. R. Donnelly & Sons, the large printing company. After serving in the Army, McNish left Donnelly and passed the Illinois Bar. He then went into business with another lawyer, who had recently left a big firm. "That fellow liked sitting at his desk wheeling and dealing," he recalls, "and I liked going to court." So, even in a two-person partnership, "I've always been a team player," McNish notes, as a smile slowly appears. Admitted to the Bar1969, Illinois EducationUniversity of Minnesota, B.A., 1965 Professional MembershipsAmerican Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, former member of the board and former president of the Illinois chapter |
