Champaign Lawyers

Jim Spiros is known to all as an experienced litigator, having earned his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School, who fights for those who need it most in cases involving workplace injuries, serious traffic and trucking accidents, defective drugs and devices, medical negligence, wrongful death, and nursing home neglect and abuse. Not only has Jim been consistently named one of the Leading Lawyers in the State of Illinois by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin consistently since 2003, every year since 2018 he has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer. When Jim is away from his office at Spiros Law,...

Miranda became a partner at Spiros Law, P.C in 2010. Since then, she has established herself as a fierce and caring advocate for her clients wellbeing, showing empathy to their unique situations. Miranda's legal focus includes a variety of personal injury cases including automobile, birth and workplace injuries. She is licensed to practice in both Illinois and Florida. Miranda earned her J.D. at the University of Illinois College of Law. When she is awarded free time, Miranda prefers to spend it volunteering internationally with Meet Malawi, perfecting her many hobbies, or with her husband, Chris, and their three pets.

Cari is a licensed attorney in the States of New York, Illinois, New Jersey, and Connecticut while being licensed in the District of Columbia. Cari is a general practitioner with concentrations in food/agriculture law, family/matrimonial law, civil litigation, estate planning and mediation. Rincker Law, PLLC has offices in New York City and Champaign, Illinois. Cari is a member of the Association for the Bar in the City of New York's Matrimonial Law Committee. Before starting Rincker Law, PLLC, Cari was an associate at Budd-Falen Law Offices, LLC in Cheyenne, Wyoming where her broad practice...

To seek out and maintain justice is Russell Haugen's goal as an Illinois personal injury attorney. Russell Haugen attended Illinois State University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Throughout his undergraduate degree, Russ worked as a paralegal for Woodruff Johnson & Evans Law Offices. As a paralegal, he was able to learn a great deal about the many intricacies of both workers' compensation and personal injury law. This further convinced him to pursue a law degree. Russell Haugen attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. There, he was a volunteer for the Lansing Teen Court, working...

Sandra is a member of the Bar Associations for Champaign and Vermilion Counties, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the Illinois Bar Association. She is a past president of the East Central Illinois Women Attorneys Association and currently serves on its program committee where she helps to design and facilitate continuing legal education programs for a diverse membership. Sandra has also earned the recognition of being named a Leading Lawyer. In her time away from the office, Sandra enjoys cooking, cycling, and running. She is a member of the Second Wind Running Club and the Kennekuk Road Runners. She has completed...

Danielle E. Cain joined Spiros Law, P.C. in 2020. Danielle is originally from Champaign and was eager to return home after 8 years of practice in Decatur, IL. Danielle focuses on personal injury matters including motor vehicle accidents, nursing home abuse and neglect, and medical malpractice.  Danielle has established herself as an experienced litigator who has successfully settled hundreds of cases through careful mediation and negotiation. Danielle graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law with her Juris Doctor in 2011 and was admitted to the state bar in 2011. When not in the office, Danielle is passionate about rescuing cats...

Ryan Bradley has extensive legal and business experience across a wide array of practice areas and business sectors. Based in the firm's Champaign office, he focuses his practice on business and financial litigation, commercial transactions, real estate, and agricultural law. Ryan also works with individuals and businesses on estate, wealth, and succession planning. As a pragmatic counselor to business and individual entrepreneurs, Ryan has played a pivotal role in multi-million-dollar transactions. He has also served as a trusted advisor to businesses throughout their journeys, from formation to exit. As a litigator, Ryan has represented both individual plaintiffs and corporations. While he...

Jennifer joined Spiros Law, P.C. as a Senior Associate in January 2024. Jennifer’s practice focuses on workers’ compensation and personal injury matters. She has dedicated herself to being an advocate for her clients. Her compassion and empathy, combined with her legal knowledge and expertise, have resulted in significant settlements and judgments for her clients. She believes every client is entitled to dynamic representation and strives to ensure each of her clients understand the legal process along the way. Jennifer is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Champaign County Bar Association, East Central Illinois Women Attorneys Association and Workers’ Compensation Lawyers...

Alison Kimble joined the Spiros Law team in 2018 after graduating from Michigan State University College of Law. While in law school, she earned a concentration in trial practice from the school's nationally recognized Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute. Alison has earned a reputation of being eager to serve clients in the area of personal injury and wanting to provide justice and compassion for her clients. Her practice focuses on Motor Vehicle Accidents, Workers' Compensation, and other personal injury matters. When not in the office, Alison enjoys reading, attending sporting events, and spending time with her family.

Respect for working men and women is the driving force behind Jay Johnson's commitment to workers' compensation law. It is a respect that runs deep. One of Jay's grandfathers was a Kentucky coal miner; the other, a member of the United Rubber Workers. Because both his grandfathers worked extremely hard in less-than-ideal environments, Jay has great empathy for those who get hurt on the job. Over the years, Jay Johnson has recovered millions of dollars for people suffering from a variety of work-related injuries. He prides himself on thoroughly preparing for each case and staying in close, personal contact with clients....

Experienced. Tough. Driven. Put these three words together and you have defined the lead attorney at the firm of Woodruff Johnson & Evans. Over the course of his career, Mr. Woodruff has handled thousands of injury claims, recovering millions of dollars for people who have been hurt. Through it all, Mr. Woodruff has fought tirelessly to prevent corporations and big insurance companies from trampling on the rights of working men and women. For instance, on 40 different occasions, Mr. Woodruff represented employees from the University of Illinois who were denied their workers’ compensation rights after suffering repetitive-work injuries to their...

Jon Walker is an associate attorney at Woodruff Johnson & Evans where he focuses his practice on personal injury, workers’ compensation, and Social Security Disability claims. With more than a decade of legal experience, Mr. Walker has successfully recovered millions of dollars for his injured clients. He is particularly experienced in handling workers’ compensation claims for auto industry workers. He is one of only a few attorneys in the entire state of Illinois currently helping injured workers secure expedited trial and appellate review by filing emergency hearings under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, Section 19(b-1). Call for a free consultation.

At a very young age, Dexter John Evans envisioned himself as an advocate for the sick and injured. The grandson of a Chicago union worker, he has always felt a strong urge to help those trying to protect their rights. It is from this foundation that Dexter established himself as an aggressive advocate for the rights of his clients. “The greatest satisfaction in my profession is the gratitude of my clients. There is no better feeling than to get a hug from a client who is in tears because they finally received the justice they deserve. The thank you letters...

LEANDRO A. ALHAMBRA
Respect, Compassion and Zealous Advocacy
Mr. Alhambra prides himself in providing each client with respect, compassion and zealous advocacy. Prior to pursuing his ambition of becoming a lawyer, Mr. Alhambra spent two years administering UAW disability benefits for a major insurance company. Seeing first hand some of the injustices done to working men and women, Mr. Alhambra made the decision to focus his talents representing the injured worker. His thorough knowledge and understanding of the insurance industry’s policies and procedures have proven to be a tremendous asset in obtaining maximum recovery for his clients. Since joining the firm...

Jason Spangehl is the Principal Attorney at the Law Office of Jason Spangehl in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois. For nine years this practice has exclusively addressed immigration law in one of the fastest growing immigrant academic communities in the United States.

Jason brings nineteen years of experience in education at every level from elementary through post-secondary to his practice, including broad experience as an instructor at the elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels, as a college administrator. He also works as executive consultant to senior administrators and governing boards at Universities across the country through his separate consulting practice, Spangehl Higher Education Associates.

The Law...

My academic interests encompass both information technology and law. I am a Professor and H. Ross & Helen Workman Research Scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Law. I have a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin and a JD summa cum laude from Georgetown University. I have served as a technical expert in numerous patent lawsuits in the communication and computer areas, especially wireless communication, RF, e-commerce, software applications, integrated circuits, microelectronics and semiconductors. I am an inventor and hold 20 U.S. patents and serve on the boards of directors/advisors...

Shayla Maatuka transitioned her private practice into the partnership of Dodd & Maatuka. She currently serves as managing partner for Maatuka Al-Heeti Emkes LLC. She combines her expertise as an entrepreneur - successfully establishing four businesses - with the practice of law, concentrating on civil and commercial litigation, personal injury, as well as business litigation. Her passion for the community helps others achieve their goals through entrepreneurship. She currently sits on the boards of Visit Champaign County and Mettler Studios, Inc. and formerly sat on the boards of the East Central Illinois Women Attorneys Association, the Executive Club...

Colby is an associate attorney at Meyer Capel, A Professional Corporation. Awarded his juris doctorate with honors (magna cum laude) by Northern Illinois University in 2012, Colby demonstrated excellence though his academic endeavors and by his participation as the Symposium Editor for the Board of Editors of the Northern Illinois University Law Review and as an accomplished moot court competitor. Colby was a Semi-finalist at the 29th Annual NIU Prize Moot Court Competition and an Octofinalist at the 30th Annual John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition in Information Technology and Privacy Law. Colby has...

I help clients protect their most valuable business assets: their ideas and inventions, their purpose, and their products. I help clients protect themselves and their assets through a combination of intellectual property management, business planning, and estate planning. I help business owners start and run their businesses successfully. I help clients keep their focus on the core parts of the business, the things that made them want to do it in the first place, by making sure their foundations and legal strategies are strong and tailored to their unique needs. My focus on clients’ legal issues takes that off their list...

Dennis VanDerGinst is the President/CEO of VanDerGinst Law, one of the most successful personal injury law firms in the country. He has been a tireless advocate for his clients and a stalwart ambassador for his profession. As a result, he has been recognized as one of the best in the country by clients, peers, and other professionals. Dennis received his law degree from DePaul University in Chicago. He is licensed to practice in Illinois, Iowa, Washington D.C., and the federal courts. During his career he has represented clients in almost every state of the country. The focus of his practice has...

Jeffrey D. Frederick, Esq. is a partner of Frederick & Hagle. Mr. Frederick graduated with high honors from Chicago Kent College of Law in 1982, where he consistently achieved academic excellence and was in the top 10% percent of his class.

Jeffrey D. Frederick became a member of this law firm in 1982. He limits his practice to personal injury and consequently has been able to focus his practice of law on representing those individuals who have been injured as a result of an automobile collision, a defective product or while working in construction. Additionally, Jeffrey Frederick also handles workers compensation...

Evan Bruno is a Partner at Bruno Law Offices, LLC, a family-owned law firm that focuses on defending those accused of misdemeanor and felony crimes in state and federal courts throughout Central Illinois.

Since 2016, Evan has served as the President of the Champaign County Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He is also a member of the Champaign County Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association, where he serves on the Human Rights Section Council and the Bench and Bar Section Council.

Prior to joining his father, Thomas, and brother, Anthony, in private practice at Bruno Law Offices, LLC, Evan...

Attorney Lauren A. Anaya has over 20 years' experience in the practice of law and is ready to put her experience to work for you. Dr. Anaya began her legal career with the United States Department of Justice after being hired pursuant to the Attorney General's Honors Program, the largest and most prestigious federal entry-level attorney hiring program of its kind. She served with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and subsequently went to work for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in the Office of the General Counsel. She knows immigration law and can assist...

Joseph D. Murphy is currently the president of Meyer Capel. Following law school and a two-year clerkship with a federal district court judge, Mr. Murphy began his practice with a Wall Street law firm, gaining substantial experience in trademark licensing and intellectual property litigation. Subsequently, he moved to a Washington, D.C.-based firm, where his practice concentrated in franchise litigation and counseling. Since returning to Champaign-Urbana in 1994 to join Meyer Capel, he has focused his practice on a combination of intellectual property (including franchise licensing) and telecommunications.

Richard T. West has been practicing law for over forty-one years. He has been a shareholder of Meyer Capel for over half of his career, having practiced in other firms in the community prior to joining Meyer Capel in 1991 as a shareholder. Throughout much of his career, his focus has been in the areas of complex litigation involving, for example, intellectual property, construction, banking, products liability, contract disputes and corporate and fiduciary obligations, as well as business representation, construction law, and health care law. In recent years, he has begun to shift his focus from an active litigation practice...

David B. Sholem joined Meyer Capel in 1978 and was named as a shareholder of the firm in 1982. He graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Mr. Sholem attended the University of Illinois College of Law and Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1978. He was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 1978. Mr. Sholem’s professional affiliations include Champaign County (Illinois) Bar Association (former President), Illinois State Bar Association (Real Estate Section) and American Bar Association. David Sholem has represented a number of real estate developers and...

Colleen C. M. Ramais joins Meyer Capel’s litigation team as a full-time associate after serving a two-year judicial clerkship with the Honorable Justice Rita B. Garman of the Illinois Supreme Court. Colleen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law with her juris doctorate in 2010. As a law student, she was named to the Dean's List for all six law school semesters and was awarded the Celia M. Howard Fellowship for graduate study from the Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women. She is a ten-time recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for...

Jenny Park always knew what she wanted from a career. She wanted to help people. But it was not until a few years after earning her undergraduate degree that she decided the field of law would offer her the best opportunities to do just that. When Jenny first entered the University of Illinois as an undergrad, it was with the intention of becoming a medical doctor. In 1993, she graduated from the U of I with a Bachelor of Science in biology. Then, she took some time off from school to reassess her career goals. While working as a paralegal during...

Ward F. McDonald brings a wealth of experience in real estate, banking and commercial law to the clients of Meyer Capel. His background includes 13 years as CEO of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., a title insurer with multi-state operations, and 25 years as an attorney in private practice. Over the course of his career, Ward has handled numerous transactions in the $1-100 million range for commercial and residential real estate developments, including sales, acquisitions, refinancing and consolidations. Ward holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Land Economics from the University of Illinois as well as his Juris...

Since joining the firm in 1970, Francis J. (Jerry) Jahn has been responsible for building and expanding the business practice of Meyer Capel. He served as President of the firm from January 1999 until December 2010. A 1967 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Jerry was winner of the Frederick M. Green Moot Court Competition and the Horner Cup and Waterman Prize for Excellence in Moot Court Competition as a law student. He was also recipient of the Harno Scholarship. Jerry is a member of the Illinois State and Champaign County Bar Associations. He served on CCBA's board of...

Randy Green is a shareholder in Meyer Capel’s Business and Real Estate Practice Groups. His unique experience allows him to serve not only as legal counsel, but as a trusted business advisor to his clients. Experience Mr. Green has represented both public and private companies ranging from top U.S. financial institutions to single-member LLCs in a variety of transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private equity investments, financing, entity formation, franchising, and leasing. He has also helped organizational and individual clients sell, purchase and lease various types of real estate across the U.S. Before he began his legal career, Mr....

Lorna Geiler brings Meyer Capel the benefits of a distinguished academic career. A 1986 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and a 1983 cum laude graduate of Illinois State University, she joined the firm in 1988. Ms. Geiler is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the American, Illinois State and Champaign County Bar Associations. She is also involved in the employment and labor law section of the Illinois State Bar Association and was listed in Who's Who Among Rising Young Americans in 1992. Lorna has represented employers before the Illinois...

Patrick Fitzgerald begin his legal career with Meyer Capel in 1987 as a law clerk. Now, as a shareholder with the firm, he concentrates in real estate. Mr. Fitzgerald is a 1989 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law where he earned a spot on the Dean's List. In 1986, he received a bachelor of arts in economics, also from the University of Illinois. Mr. Fitzgerald is a member of the Champaign County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Further, he is actively involved with the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce as well as the Champaign...

With his accumulated knowledge of Health Care Law and Litigation Services, Keith Emmons offers a unique perspective on the legal issues important to the professional clients of Meyer Capel.

Mr. Emmons has been recognized as both an Illinois Leading Lawyer and an Illinois Super Lawyer in the Health Care Law field. His practice includes the general representation of health care providers and their professional practices, general litigation, and alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") as a mediator and arbitrator. Mr. Emmons also represents health care professionals in proceedings before the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (IDFPR). He...

Planning and Estate

John H. Elder brings a special degree of experience to the clients of Meyer Capel. John works with his clients to deal with the tax issues of estate planning, but has always realized that this is only one component of the planning process. It is very important that an attorney work with the family members to learn about the needs and personalities of the various individuals and to develop a plan that meets the family goals and objectives. Some of the greatest qualities of an estate planning attorney are compassion, trust, and communication skills and it is only...