''Work With Real Professionals'' - Reem Odeh's Decision to Fly Solo

A recent Facebook post by Reem Odeh reveals she has been under more than a little stress and she admits both her patience and temper have been put to the test in recent months. When Odeh agreed to take on the Drew Peterson case, there was no way she could have anticipated what the next two years would be like.

Peterson, currently in jail and awaiting trial for the murder of his wife Kathleen Savio and a suspect in his current wife's disappearance, insisted she be the one to lead his defense. Odeh agreed and in an instant, she discovered the less than ideal side of being in the spotlight. Still, she moved forward with integrity and faith in her client. She soon realized her law partner presented far more obstacles than her client. In late August, 2010, Odeh formally announced she would be leaving the firm she helped build. She assured both her client and the media that she remained committed to the Peterson case and would work alongside Joel Brodsky, the other partner in the firm. In late September, she officially and publicly filed a request to be removed from the Peterson defense team. While it was likely a difficult choice, she believed only by distancing herself from her now former partner would she be able to maintain her own ethics.


Coining her own phrase, ''haggage'', Odeh posted that it felt good to finally be able to take care of the remnants of the haggage. Brodsky's wife had just purchased Facebook ad space to announce an opening at the firm.

Before she was a partner in the firm, Odeh attended and received her J.D. from John Marshall Law School, located in Chicago, Ill.

So what's next for the Chicago lawyer? She's not saying, at least not yet. It does, however, look as though she's setting out for a solo career. Her Facebook page has her current employer listed as ''The Law Offices of Reem Odeh''. The link is broken at this time, but it's important to keep in mind, all of these events are still falling into place. There's a high chance she's had enough of partnerships, and instead has opted to play by her own rules, her own high standards, and with a high degree of ethics she clearly wasn't able to find a partner.

One thing's for sure: she has the support of many of her peers and other attorneys who worked with her on the Drew Peterson case. Andrew Abood, another lawyer who'd played a role in the defense of Peterson but who also resigned, said this after learning about Odeh's withdrawal from the case and the law firm:

''She is a good, honest and decent mother...at a young age she has a unique quality about her - she is a rainmaker...she is able to generate a lot of business because clients have confidence in her and her abilities.''

It doesn't get much better than that.