About Dorothy Ferguson

I was born and raised in Bellmawr, New Jersey and am the mother of 4 boys. A graduate of Valparaiso University School of Law, with a specialty in family law, I have been practicing since October 2005. During the course of my career, I have worked as a Deputy Prosecutor in Lake County, Indiana, and as the Staff Attorney for the Indiana Department of Child Services.

Prior to becoming an attorney, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Master of Arts in Political Science and Criminal Justice. I have spent the majority of my career working in various roles within the social service field. I began my career as an inpatient drug rehabilitation counselor, leading individual and group therapy sessions. Additionally, I taught classes about anger management and supervised parental visitation. I have also worked for several agencies, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). I conducted social interviews for the University of Michigan, University of Chicago, and Research Triangle Institute as part of several studies, which include analyzing the foster care system, researching how individuals released from prison adjust, as well as a household study on drug abuse.

I pride myself on being an advocate for children and families and currently serve as a public defender for children in need of services matters. I am regularly asked to serve in the capacity of a Guardian Ad Litem and have also been appointed by the court to be a parenting coordinator. Prior to becoming an attorney, I served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and worked for the Office of the Public Guardian in Chicago, Illinois.

Since going into private practice, I have great success in helping families get their children out of state care. We have helped parents, grandparents, and other relatives navigate the family court in regards to child protective services. We have success at the appellate level.

While I have spent the majority of my career working with families, I am well-versed in criminal law, estate, adoptions, and many other areas of the law. I have participated in and completed over a 1000 trials with a high rate of success.

Recently, I have received certification as a domestic mediator. If you would like to resolve a domestic dispute outside of court, I can help.  I presently serve as the Mediator in "CHINS" court and are often referred to resolve disputes between parties without an attorney.  We also offer mediation services for businesses that have disputes with other businesses or employees.