Donald Schiller Obituary

Schiller, Donald

Donald C. Schiller, respected attorney, active member of both the legal and academic communities, and beloved husband, father, brother, uncle and grandfather, died peacefully at his home in Highland Park, IL. on October 18th, 2024, following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Don is survived by his wife Eileen (Fagin), sons, Jonathan (Susan) and Eric, grandchildren Jessie and Ben, his brother Honorable Stephen Schiller (Joann) and brothers in law, Steven and Michael. He was proceeded in death by his parents Sidney and Edith Schiller, parents in law Morris and Fay Fagin and sister-in-law Nancy Fagin.

Born on December 8, 1942, in Chicago, Don's love of the law began after his bar mitzvah when he began to study Talmudic law for a year at Hebrew Theological College. Shortly thereafter, he met his future wife of sixty years, Eileen, as they started dating while attending Amundsen High School together on the city's Northside. Don would go on to attend Lake Forest College and in 1966, he graduated from DePaul University's College of Law. Following graduation, he started his law practice and joined with his father, Sidney Schiller, who was a prominent attorney. By 1977 Don's professional stature had grown as he simultaneously served as Chair of both the Chicago Bar Association's Matrimonial Committee and the Illinois State Bar Association's Family Law Section. He was already considered by many as the "go to" lawyer in the field of family and divorce law. He went on to serve as President of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), Chair of the Family Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA) and as a member of the Board of Governors the ABA.

Along with Joseph DuCanto, Don founded Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP in 1981 with the vision of creating a firm that would be internationally recognized as a model for the practice of family law. The firm has grown to become one of the largest in the United States that limits its practice to family law.

Don was once described as a "gentleman in a volatile profession." And that revered respect earned from friend and foe alike over decades of practicing matrimonial and family law awarded him all the profession's highest accolades. He was also a well-known published author and lecturer in the field of family law. He taught divorce law at the University of Chicago Law School for over 15 years.

Don's more than 58-year professional career, and probably his greatest legacy, besides his family, is the number of attorney's he's hired, mentored and guided that still work at Schiller, DuCanto & Fleck LLP.

He will be remembered for his elegance, energy, competitiveness and loyalty-- qualities that he brought to his life as a husband, father of two, grandfather of two, brother and uncle of many, friend, and lawyer.

The service honoring Don was held at North Shore Congregation Israel found at 1185 Sheridan Road, Glencoe, Illinois on Monday, October 21. Gifts in Don's memory can be made to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers Foundation or the Schiller, DuCanto and Fleck Family Law Center at DePaul Law School.

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