Burnt Prairie Lawyers

Shelly Aberman obtained a B.A. in Political Science from Yeshiva University of New York in 1991, where he graduated with Magna Cum Laude honors. Next, he attended Chicago-Kent College of Law, the law school of Illinois Institute of Technology, where he earned a doctorate in Juris Prudence in 1994. Shelly is a tenacious trial lawyer who passionately advocates the interests of his clients. Since his admission to the bar, Shelly has handled a wide variety of personal injury matters, which he has successfully resolved through settlement, arbitration and trial. Shelly is a dedicated litigator who devotes his considerable experience and skill...

Nathan Hakimi grew up in Skokie, Illinois, influenced by his attorney grandfather and psychologist parents, leading him to pursue a career in law. After earning his J.D. from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2017, he practiced at prominent firms like Sax Law LLC and HeplerBroom LLC, specializing in medical malpractice defense. He later worked at JPMorgan, handling complex corporate financing. In 2022, he founded a solo legal practice that eventually merged into the partnership of Kulek, Hakimi, & Katz in 2024. Nathan is known for his strategic and tactical approach in commercial litigation, business transactions, and negotiation. He is respected...

Jason Wapiennik was in the field of Customs law even prior to his graduation from Ave Maria School of Law in 2008. From January 2007 until September 2009, he clerked for Edmund Maciorowski, P.C., a customs law firm and since leaving there, has been in private practice at Great Lakes Customs Law. Before attending law school, Jason began his undergraduate education at Purdue University and later transferred to Loyola University Chicago. At Loyola, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science graduating magna cum laude, and with departmental honors in political science. He is a member of Alpha Sigma...

My interest in the law began before attending law school. After attending college at the University of Illinois at Chicago (1996), Christopher worked one of the largest insurance companies in Illinois as an injury claims adjustor and later, a senior claims adjustor. After graduating from John Marshall Law School (2002), he worked as an insurance defense and divorce trial attorney. Since the start of his career as an attorney advocate, my practice focuses on divorce and other litigation matters including an active trial practice. My office handles matters in Cook County, Lake County, Will County, DuPage County...

Earning his B.A. from St. Xavier College and his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School, Thomas M. Power brings extensive knowledge and experience as a partner at Power Rogers & Smith. Amidst the many large sum settlements and verdicts, he recovered the largest knee injury verdict in the history of Indiana. Outside of the courtroom, Mr. Smith serves as an adjunct professor at DePaul College of Law.

I represent clients in lawsuits in Illinois and courts around the country. My clients include whistleblowers, employees with pay and discrimiantion claims, students who face challenges at school, LGBTQ individuals fighting discrimination, individuals with significant personal injury claims, and complex business disputes. I bring substantial individual lawsuits and class action cases to fight discrimination in housing and healthcare, to stop racial bias in property tax asesssments, to end sexist employment tests by local governments, to protect the rights of individuals who live in nurising facilites, and to fight fraud. I also handle appeals in state and federal courts that include multiple successful...

Carolyn Daley Scott joined Power Rogers & Smith as an associate in 2006. Obtaining a B.A. from Georgetown and a J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, Ms. Scott practices litigation in medical malpractice, automobile negligence, bicycle collision, premises liability, product liability, and defamation cases. She harnesses her knowledge and experience to secure justice for victims, and has won multiple large sum verdicts and settlements.

Plaintiff litigation firm concentrating in personal injury since 2009.

LEAD ATTORNEY MARIO PALERMO
In this industry, where results count, attorney Mario Palermo has consistently delivered. Mr. Palermo’s 21 year track record speaks for itself. In both 2015 and 2016, Mr. Palermo was awarded the prestigious Litigator Award. The Litigator Award represents the highest honor in Trial Law, and stands as the nation’s most coveted symbol of litigation achievement. The Litigator Awards are based on actual “Verdict and Settlement” dollar achievement rather than peer popularity, making it the most rigorous and objective award ratings anywhere. Those awarded join an exclusive fraternity of Superstar Lawyers who have won Million, Multi-Million, and Billion...

I graduated from the University of Kentucky as a philosophy and political science double-major. I then worked in the financial services department of a Fortune 500 company for two years prior to attending The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. After obtaining my Juris Doctor, I worked as an associate attorney at a general civil litigation firm with a focus on personal injury and insurance law. There I settled countless cases for my clients, both individual and corporate. As a litigator, I obtained favorable outcomes through mediation, arbitration hearings, and bench and jury trials. Building on that experience, in 2014...

I am an Associate at Richards Patent Law where my primary areas of practice are Patent Prosecution and IP Strategy. I am admitted to practice in Illinois as well as a registered Patent Attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. Prior to joining RPL, I earned my J.D. from DePaul University while also clerking at the Global IP Law Group, a patent litigation firm where I worked on numerous patent monetization projects. Additionally, during my time at DePaul, I was named a National Semi-Finalist at the National IP LawMeet, awarded both the Benjamin Hooks Distinguished Public Service Award...

I have been a practicing attorney since 1973. I used to handle a wide variety of legal matters for individuals and families. At present, my practice is concentrated in consumer bankruptcy. In addition to our main office in Chicago, we also have offices in Skokie, Schaumburg, Naperville, Joliet and Gurnee, Illinois. I am married with one son who is married, living in California, and who is a practicing attorney working for the State of California. I am a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the Bankruptcy Committee of the Chicago Bar Association....

Justin G. Randolph has been an attorney since 2001. He studied immigration law at DePaul University College of Law in the late 1990s, where he was taught by experts in the field. A clinical asylum course at DePaul gave him his first hands-on experience with highly sensitive and personal cases. Justin worked for boutique law firms after law school, where he handled a wide range of immigration and employment discrimination cases. He established the Law Office of Justin G. Randolph in 2004. In the Chicago area, the firm handled immigration and deportation/removal cases, as well as employment discrimination and harassment...

We have had several thousand satisfied clients from throughout the Chicagoland area who we've provided top-quality legal services for over the past 35 years, since 1988, and our clients have given us a rating of 4.53 stars based on over 55 online reviews (on Avvo.com, Google and Lawyers.com).

Danya is an Illinois business attorney focusing her practice on mergers and acquisitions and franchise law. When working with her clients, she not only focuses on the legal aspects but the human and practical impact on her clients' lives as they make major decisions that affect them and their families.

Tax planning, Tax disputes, business planning, tax, estate planning and estate administration and litigation practice in Oak Brook, Illinois

TiShaunda McPherson is a seasoned employment and education attorney, with over 20 years of experience addressing institutional, regional and systemic discriminatory practices, with specialized expertise in Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, the ADA and Section 504. A dedicated advocate for individuals facing or impacted by civil rights violations, TiShaunda is renowned for her ability to achieve successful results for her clients and providing visionary leadership in the areas of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. TiShaunda has had an extraordinary professional career allowing her to bring unique and transformative insight into each case with compassion. Beginning as an associate...

Angela M. Iaria is a licensed attorney specializing in the areas of civil litigation, family law, child custody and support, and estate administration in DuPage, Kane, Will, Cook and surrounding collar counties. Ms. Iaria's practice involves uncontested and contested divorce, post-decree conflicts, including child support, child-related expenses and child custody issues, as well as pre and post-nuptial agreements and estate administration. Additionally, Ms. Iaria has conducted multiple bench and jury trials in state and federal court for cases involving breach of contract disputes, breach of fiduciary duties, premises liability and real estate disputes.

Angela Iaria has served on the board...

Criminal Appeals Attorney Omer Jaleel started Jaleel Law and focused his practice on criminal appeals because he realized as an appellate prosecutor that most people were not receiving the quality of legal representation that they deserved. So many times he saw arguments that should never have been made or arguments that should have been made that weren’t. It has been said that being an attorney is more art than science and that is even truer in appellate litigation. Appealing a criminal case is like a game of chess between yourself and the prosecutor where before each move critical analysis must...

Robert T.C. Kay, an established attorney in DuPage County since 1986, is the go-to legal counsel for individuals, businesses, and families across Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Naperville, and various other DuPage County communities. With a wealth of experience across diverse legal domains, he offers clients the advantage of streamlining and simplifying their legal affairs. Mr. Kay's consultation services encompass a wide range of areas, including Wills, Trusts, and Estates, Business Organization and Operation, as well as Commercial Real Estate Transactions. With over 35 years of expertise, he provides sound advice to individuals, business owners, and government officials. His focus extends to preserving and...

David W. Clark is the founder and owner of the Law Office of David W. Clark, P.C., in Wheaton, Illinois. As a sole practitioner in the firm, Mr. Clark has extensive knowledge in the areas of personal injury, workers’ compensation and general civil and small business litigation. With more than 30 years of legal experience devoted to personal injury law and those who have been injured in the workplace, Mr. Clark is licensed to practice in all state and federal courts in Illinois, and has been admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court since 2005. He is a Board Member of...

J. Richard Kulerski is a partner in the Oak Brook (and downtown Chicago) divorce law firm of Kulerski and Cornelison. Richard has over four decades of trial experience in the divorce courts of Cook and DuPage counties, IL. and is a Harvard trained mediator and settlement negotiator. Richard and his partner, Kari Cornelison, are staunch advocates of the settlement approach to divorce and both are active in divorce mediation, collaborative divorce law and in the rapidly growing cooperative divorce movement.

Over twenty eight years of legal experience working with businesses on the issues they face daily during their business cycles. I act in the capacity of an outside general counsel assisting business owners to make smarter decisions, build stronger relationships and make and save money. I stress the importance of recognizing that correct legal answers alone do not necessarily translate into the correct best business decisions. I represent all types of businesses in every stage of their business cycles from start up through eventual sale. Specialties: The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialities in the...

Julia A. Pucci, managing partner with Pucci Pirtle, focuses her practice in the areas of divorce and custody litigation. Ms. Pucci attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois where she received a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Sociology and Political Science. Ms. Pucci subsequently earned her Juris Doctor from St. Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri. During her law school career, Julia taught legal research and writing as a teaching assistant and was also active in the mediation clinic where she obtained her mediation certification. As a certified mediator, she mediated court-ordered child custody matters and...

Owner and Principal Attorney at DLAW, PC As an attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience, Deanna Aguinaga Walker enjoys the flexibility that having her own law practice gives her. She is able to become personally involved with each of her clients, and she appreciates the opportunity to assist them on a wide range of legal matters. Deanna earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the Northern Illinois University School of Law in 1995. Since then, she has dedicated her career to meeting the needs of her clients. When you work with Deanna, you can expect her to provide legal advice...

Axel R. Cerny grew up in the DuPage County community, attending Wheaton Academy in West Chicago. Following graduation in 2006, Axel attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications/ Journalism studies in 2010. From there, Axel returned to the area to study at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree in 2013, and after passing the bar exam was promptly hired to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office as an Assistant State’s Attorney. There he worked for two years under DuPage County State’s Attorney, Bob Berlin, prosecuting...

Clarissa Rietveld was born in Iowa and raised in Rushville, Indiana. She received her Associate’s Degree in Nursing in 2009 and worked as a registered nurse in operating rooms across the Midwest and on the East Coast. While working as a nurse, Ms. Rietveld had a patient whose medical history documented that he did not have regular access to food and was starving. Ms. Rietveld spent the afternoon working with hospital social services to arrange for her patient to gain access to regular meals and was shocked to learn that he didn’t qualify for any of the available programs. She...

Athena Farmakis was born and raised in the Chicagoland area, graduated with a B.A. from Northwestern University, and received her law degree from DePaul University College of law. With over 25 years of litigation experience, Athena has tried 67 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials in complex and media-sensitive cases. Athena currently practices in all areas of personal injury including motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, construction accidents, animal attacks, negligent security, wrongful death, nursing home abuse and medical malpractice.

As a former prosecutor, Athena dedicated much of her legal career to serving the public for over 20 years...

James Goodnow is Fennemore’s President and CEO. Nearly two decades after starting his career at our firm as a file clerk, he became the youngest known chief executive of a major law firm in U.S. history. He holds his JD from Harvard Law School and dual management certificates from MIT, where he was an enrolled MBA student before pivoting to the University of Cambridge Business School (U.K.). He earned a BS at Santa Clara University, where he graduated first in his class. James is known for his thought leadership at the intersection of law and business. He has been featured on...

Ann Leone is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina. She graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Psychology. She then attended The John Marshall Law School and received her Juris Doctorate. She has worked in various government agencies, including the Department of Children and Family Services and The Cook County Office of The Public Guardian as a Guardian ad litem. Through these agencies, she gained invaluable experience working on various complex juvenile immigration cases and handling many domestic relations cases, including custody disputes and divorces. Additionally, she has worked with numerous non-profits, specializing in...

Ryan Stephan is a founding partner of Stephan Zouras, LLP. Ryan represents people from all walks of life in class and individual civil litigation. Specifically, Ryan has helped thousands of clients recover damages in cases involving unpaid overtime, employment disputes, business litigation, products liability and personal injury. Ryan has successfully tried cases to verdict including obtaining a $9,000,000 verdict on behalf of 200 employees who were misclassified and denied overtime pay. Ryan has also served as lead or co-lead counsel on numerous complex class and collective action cases involving wage and hour matters and has helped...

Concentrates solely in Family Court Mediation. He is on the “List of Certified Mediators” with the Domestic Relations Division, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

The Hon. Edmund Ponce de Leon (Ret.) gained a reputation as an eminently qualified and even-handed jurist, who was highly efffective with helping litigants resolve cases through the pre-trial mediation process. While on the bench, Judge Ponce de Leon helped facilitate hundreds of settlements.

He has an extensive 19+ years' experience presiding over a wide array of civil disputes, including divorce cases. He has a combined 33+ years' experience as...

Attorney Melvin L. Sims III is a Commercial and Residential Landlord-Tenant & Real Estate Attorney, a Realtor and a Title Agent with 18 years of experience in the practice of law. Mr. Sims' Landlord-Tenant practice focuses on defending and prosecuting Commercial and Residential Landlord-Tenant actions, including Evictions, Lease Terminations, Lease Arbitrage, as well as pre-litigation Commercial and Residential Lease Dispute Resolution throughout Northern Illinois. Attorney Sims' General Real Estate Practice includes representing both Sellers and Buyers in Commercial and Residential Conveyances through Closing, with an emphasis on Multi-Family assets of 10 units or more. Attorney Sims also provides Title...

Stacy founded Bardo Law, P.C. in 2015 to provide effective, zealous legal representation to consumers, while maintaining empathy and compassion for her clients. Prior to Bardo Law, P.C.’s inception, Stacy was an attorney at the Consumer Advocacy Center, P.C., where she exclusively practiced consumer law. Stacy has been principally involved in more than 275 cases for the victims of harassing debt collection practices, consumer fraud, bait and switch advertising, predatory lending, automobile financing and odometer fraud, wrongful repossessions, unfair mortgage foreclosures, incorrect credit reporting, and violations of the federal Truth in Lending, Telephone Consumer Protection, Fair Debt Collection...

I've been a trial lawyer for over 30 years. I graduated from Yale and NYU Law School, and my legal career began as a criminal prosecutor in New York City. Then I moved to Chicago and became a partner with a mid-sized litigation firm for 10 years, receiving litigation training from some of the best trial lawyers in the city. I opened my current law office in Chicago in 1998. In addition to practicing law full time, I've also been teaching trial skills to practicing lawyers every year since 1994 as a faculty member with The National Institute for Trial...

Joseph D. Parente is a Chicago personal injury attorney with extensive litigation experience. He has represented injured persons in the Chicago area for many years, including injured members of the Cook County Forest Preserve, the Fraternal Order of the Police, Electrician’s Union, Carpenter’s Union, Plumber’s Union, and Pipefitter’s Union.

Personal injury attorney Joseph Parente earned his law degree from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago, Illinois. Attorney Parente was awarded his Bachelor of Arts degree magna cum laude from the Loyola University in Chicago.

He has represented injured persons in the Chicago area for many years, including injured members of the...