Dolton Lawyers

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

Cheri Costa is an attorney serving the Southwest Suburbs of Chicago and Chicagoland since 2005. My goal is to provide you and your family with Legal Advice and Legal Representation that you may need throughout your life. I understand the difficulties life may bring and I wish to be your Personal Attorney there for you at those times, whether it is going through a Divorce, obtaining Child Support, Maintenance (Alimony) or Parenting Time with your Children, helping with debt situations using our Bankruptcy Laws, Preparing your Estate Plan with Trusts and Wills, buying or selling your home, or...

Timothy Richardson has been exposed to the law for virtually his entire life. His uncle served as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County, and his aunt served as a federal administrative judge for the Northern District of Illinois. He has followed in their footsteps with same determination and commitment to professional excellence, integrity, and respect among his peers in the legal community. In 2002, at only 34 years old, Tim received the distinguished honor from the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, being chosen as one of the "40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 To Watch." He has had verdicts...

Katherine Levine graduated from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago and was admitted into the Illinois Bar in 2008. Prior to becoming an attorney, she served four years active duty as a United States Marine and was honorably discharged as a Sergeant in 2001. After law school, Katherine worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney until August 2015 where she successfully tried hundreds of misdemeanor and felony criminal cases. Today, she is in private practice defending individuals accused of serious state and federal crimes. Her experience as a prosecutor provides her insight into the strategies and...

Sherlyn ("Sherry") Smith has fought and advocated for the rights of others for more than 20 years. Prior to embarking upon her legal career, attorney Smith was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specialized in DCFS involved families and mental health issues. Observing the nexus between individual legal and family problems, she concentrated her legal practice on family law, probate/guardianship, and family-based/humanitarian immigration law. She truly cares for her clients and works to help them really move forward once their cases are finished.

Deeply rooted in her beloved Chicago, attorney Smith is the proud graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana...

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...

Clifford Horwitz has won every case that he has taken to trial over the past 24 years with over 25% of those verdicts being record-setting jury verdicts. Cliff works with and manages the lead trial team at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates. Together, Clifford Horwitz, Jay Luchsinger and Michael Carter won the largest personal injury verdict in Illinois history for an individual and the second largest in U.S. history. The $64 million verdict was awarded for an injured ironworker who fell and was left paralyzed from a job-site accident.

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.

Plaintiff litigation firm concentrating in personal injury since 2009.

Ms. Kaplan graduated from Boston University in 1996 having received her bachelors degree in political science, and attended the John Marshall Law School.

Ms. Kaplan graduated from law school with a 3.5 GPA and after passing the bar in 2001, began practicing law with her father, Melvin J. Kaplan, renown bankruptcy lawyer for over 58 years and author of two books including, Chapter 13 How To Get Your Creditors Off Your Back Without Losing Your Shirt.

Ms. Kaplan has helped thousands of Chicago families save their homes, cars, and get a fresh start for over 15 years.

Ms. Kaplan is a member of...

Mr. Munninghoff graduated cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2011 after completing his undergraduate studies at the University of Notre Dame in 2007. While at Chicago-Kent, Mark was repeatedly named to the Dean’s Honor List. In addition, Mark was a member of Chicago-Kent’s Moot Court Competition Team and competed in several Moot Court competitions. In addition, Mark received multiple CALI Excellence for the Future Awards.

Since being admitted to practice law in Illinois, Mark has practiced in many areas of personal injury litigation including medical malpractice, premises liability and automobile and trucking negligence cases. Mark has successfully represented injured...

Unique to Ms. Taraska’s chosen career in personal injury law, she was the victim of a propane gas explosion, in which a commercial building collapsed on her, her mother, brother and a close family friend. The explosion left Taraska with extensive second and third degree burns early in her life. She was hospitalized for 3 months, during which she underwent skin grafting of her arms, legs, hands, and chest. Incredibly, a year prior to the explosion, Ms. Taraska’s father and a reconstructive surgeon opened the only downstate burn unit in Peoria where she was successfully treated despite the severity of...

Chicago Workers Compensation attorney with over 25 years of experience. Illinois workers compensation and related work injury claims in Chicago and surrounding areas in Northern Illinois.

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...

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...

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...

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.

Paul Ciesielski is dedicated to providing assistance to those that find themselves in need of help navigating the complicated area of personal injury law. Not everyone knows what to do following a Chicago car accident, truck crash, health care error, or other incident. Paul walks clients through the legal process step-by-step.

Paul received his B.S. from Indiana University. He earned his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School, where he gained valuable knowledge, as well as relevant experience outside of the classroom. While in school, he volunteered at JMLS Veterans Legal Support Center & Clinic. The veterans he helped...

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...

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...

I enjoy working with people to help bring better business ideas and technology into the world. I try to help people understand how the intellectual property legal system works and that it is a helpful tool, not an obstacle. I am committed to the long-term success of all my clients. I earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with high honors from the Illinois Institute of Technology. After working for over 5 years in software development and technology consulting, I earned a Juris Doctor degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago, Illinois....

Along with his years of experience, Lake County divorce attorney Van A. Schwab has a solid educational basis for his divorce and family law practice. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, he received his law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law. Because of recent, up-to-date training, Mr. Schwab is a certified divorce mediator, and is prepared to handle family law issues through collaborative law methods. He has published an article on cohabitation in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Licensed to practice family law in the states of Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey, he...

Elizabeth practiced civil and criminal litigation in the State of Illinois. She currently works for Lexis Nexis as a Practice Area Consultant in their Legal & Professional Division. Elizabeth earned her Bachelor's Degree with a double major in Spanish Language and English Literature, and her Master's degree from Cornell University's Africana Studies and Research Center. While in law school, Elizabeth was elected to serve as president of the Justinian Society of Lawyers. Upon graduation, she received Chicago-Kent's prestigious Bar and Gavel Award. She was heavily involved in the nationally-recognized Trial Team, the Public Interest Resource Center, and the Women in...

Habib Wardak is a business law attorney focusing on corporate law, commercial transactions, commercial real estate matters, and international business transactions. Habib counsels clients at all stages of business and real estate development, and helps clients develop strategy for optimizing business affairs and achieving business goals.

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...