Gardner Lawyers

Jim Finegan attended the University of Illinois for undergraduate school and Northwestern University for Law School. He moved to Bloomington, Illinois after graduating law school and he has over 40 years experience. He specializes in bankruptcy, real estate, and civil litigation.

Nancy Shepard has spent almost her entire legal career protecting the rights of injured workers before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. She has won won numerous appeals at the Commission, Circuit Courts and the Illinois Appellate Courts and prides herself on providing expert guidance for her clients. Nancy works tirelessly to fight for maximum compensation for her clients.

After attending the University of Illinois for Undergraduate school I attended Northern Illinois University School of Law. I was a Prosecutor for the McLean County State's Attorney's office before leaving the office to practice with my father Jim Finegan. I specialize in Criminal Defense, including DUIs, felony cases, drug cases, orders of protection and expungements and will use my background as a Prosecutor to help you defend your case.

G. Edward Murphy is the Managing Partner of Murphy & Dunn, P.C. and has been one of the best divorce, custody and family law attorneys and lawyers in Peoria, Bloomington and Central Illinois for the past 36 years. He knows how to litigate your case when necessary, negotiate favorably if possible, and win your case for you and your children in court. He is a skilled trial attorney, but also a capable mediator and problem solver. He has been lead counsel running Murphy & Dunn, P.C. for the past 35 years since he was 26 years old and has been winning...

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...

Karrsten Goettel concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and residential real estate, real estate development, leasing, zoning and land use, business, merger and acquisition transactions (sales and purchases of assets and/or stock), corporate and business law and estate planning and administration. He has practiced among our firm's attorneys since 1997 and as a partner since 2002.

Mr. Goettel currently serves on the Board of Commissioners of the St. Charles Park District (where he is President), as a member of the St. Charles Housing Commission and as a Board Member of the Celtic Sports Foundation. From 2000 to 2002, he...

Aaron J. Lytle is one of the firm's suburban Chicago attorneys who practices in several key areas: estate planning and wealth protection, wills and trusts, probate administration, trust administration, business planning, taxation, real estate and special needs planning for children with disabilities. Mr. Lytle has spent several years working in the business sector on corporate issues relating to succession planning, valuation, acquisitions and generating capital. Before joining AHR, he worked for companies such as American Express and Bank One (now JP Morgan Chase).

Mr. Lytle also previously served on the Board of Trustees for DayOne Reliance, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that...

Welcome to the Law Office of Nirav S. Patel, P.C. We pride ourselves on being a different type of law firm; the kind of firm that focuses on the needs of its clients and understands their bottom line. We incorporate creative problem solving in order to achieve your goals. Our mission is to provide excellent legal services to each and every one of our clients. We are constantly in the pursuit of perfection while representing our clients. Each of you can expect highly personal service with regular interaction with an attorney.

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).

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Laura Canulli joined the Cogan & Power, P.C. the summer of 2023. Laura handles matters involving motor vehicle collisions, premises liability and medical malpractice. Laura is a 2012 graduate of Seton Hall University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in marketing. She went on to earn her law degree from the John Marshall Law School, now known as the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, in 2017. While attending law school, she received academic honors and was a finalist in the Dean Fred F. Herzog Moot Court Competition. After passing the Illinois bar examination, Laura obtained her license to practice law...

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...

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...

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...

Kristen M. Stoicescu is an attorney at Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard, joining the firm in 2024. She focuses her practice on mass torts, medical malpractice, personal injury, and products liability cases. Prior to her role at the firm, she clerked for Judge Karen LeCraft Henderson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia and worked as a litigation associate at leading defense firms, where she represented corporate clients in complex mass torts, intellectual property litigation, and other high-stakes legal matters. Ms. Stoicescu earned her Juris Doctor with honors from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in 2020. During law...

At Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, Loren handles personal injury and wrongful death cases arising out of medical malpractice, product defects, trucking and motor vehicle collisions, and dangerous construction and premises conditions.

Prior to joining Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, Loren worked as a trial attorney at another Chicago personal injury firm, where he was part of trial teams that obtained millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements on behalf of clients wrongfully killed or injured, including a $5.97 million record verdict in DeKalb County for an injured worker who fell 30 feet from a bucket truck after the support arm of a boom lift...

I am an immigration attorney that practices exclusively U.S. Immigration and Nationality Law. As an Associate Immigration Attorney, I handle a variety of immigration matters from Waivers for Undocumented Immigrants, VAWA/other Humanitarian Relief Petitions to Employment based Petitions. We have an extremely high approve rate due to our focus on building personalized and approvable immigration strategies for our clients' unique situation.

James Oberholtzer has provided legal services to clients for over 35 years. He has provided legal representation to: Families. Estate planning, family wealth planning, wills and trusts, taxation of wills and trusts, guardianship and conservatorships, creation and administration of trusts, and probate of estates. Entrepreneurs. Closely held companies, family partnerships and individual entrepreneurs in formation and finance of enterprises, acquisitions and joint ventures, strategic planning and executive compensation, entity governance, integration of tax, legal and business objectives, protection of intellectual property and selection and supervision of local counsel. Senior Housing. Senior housing owners and operators...

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...

I have nine years of experience as an Immigration Attorney. Additionally, I have a very strong knowledge of employment law and the connection between immigration and Federal and State employment regulations. While I have not counted exactly how many immigration cases I have handled, reviewed, consulted with or been associated with, I estimate that the number is easily in the thousands. Based on this experience there is rarely a situation that I have not seen before. I am AV rated perfect “5.0”, Avvo rated “Superb”, Avvo Client choice awards 2011, 2012, 2013, “Rising Star” Orlando Style Magazine, Lead Counsel Rated...

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...

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Jim Kane is a seasoned tax professional with more than 30 years of experience working with large and mid-sized companies on tax and incentive matters throughout the United States. Throughout his career, Jim has worked collaboratively with his clients to help them achieve significant financial benefits. Early in his career, Kane benefited from a long career with Arthur Andersen, gaining great training and experience, and developing a strong focus on developing and implementing processes to ensure service delivery quality and consistency. After launching Andersen’s Chicago property tax practice, Kane was instrumental in developing standards and processes for Andersen’s...

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.

Tracy Robb joined Curcio Law Offices in 2001 and was named managing partner in 2016. She concentrates her practice predominantly on appellate law. Tracy has also established herself as a strategist for brainstorming with the trial team at the firm. She provides support at the trial court level with her research and writing skills which has served as the foundation for victory on many dispositive motions including motions in limine successfully barring defendants’ key evidence and experts from the trial. Ms. Robb has successfully defended the firm’s verdicts appealed by the defense firms and insurance companies both at the appellate...

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...

Nicole Sommerfeld has focused her law practice on workers’ compensation and personal injury law ever since passing the Illinois bar exam and getting licensed in 1994, so she now has over 25 years of experience on the job. Nicole grew up in the Chicago area, attending Highland Park High School. She went to college at University of Wisconsin - Madison and earned her juris doctorate from the John Marshall Law School in Chicago. When she first started practicing law it was a family affair, going to work at her father and brother’s law firm where she focused on helping workers...

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 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....

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...

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...