Louisville Lawyers

Member of Illinois Bar Association Member American Bar Association

Since my time in law school I have dedicated my legal career to serving, protecting and enforcing the rights of individuals harmed through the carelessness of others. I have tried cases throughout the counties of southern Illinois, before the Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission and argued successfully before the Illinois Appellate Courts. Regardless of the size of any given case, my full attention, effort and care is put into all the work I do. I understand that whatever situation the client comes into our office with, it is very important and the source of significant stress and anxiety. I ensure...

John’s legal experience includes Personal Injury, Real Estate, and Appellate Litigation.

I grew up in the small Southern-Illinois town of Mount Olive and have dedicated my time and efforts as a trial lawyer to representing my friends and neighbors during times when they've needed it most. I do not represent companies or their insurance companies and I am no stranger to injury cases taking on 6 more insurance-hired attorneys. As a past IHSA All-State athlete in my youth, competitiveness is in my blood and I strive to bring that same level of fight to each case I'm involved in.

I can personally tell you that our firm - Hassakis &...

Karl J. Wulff, (BA ’93, JD ’96) is the firm’s principal attorney. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Webster University in 1993. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1996. Prior to attending university Mr. Wulff served in the United States Navy on board the amphibious assault aircraft carrier U.S.S. Tripoli (LPH-10) in the air department from 1987 to 1989 and later on board the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Saratoga (CV-60) as a reservist, earning the Sea Service Ribbon and the National Defense Medal. Mr. Wulff is a member of the National...

Lindsay Rakers is a personal injury attorney located in St. Louis, Missouri. She handles injury cases all over the State of Missouri and in Metro-East Illinois. Lindsay handles the following cases: automobile accidents, truck accidents, pedestrian accidents, motorcycle accidents, bus and taxi accidents, dangerous property, burn injuries, animal attacks, defective products, dangerous drugs, medical malpractice and nursing home neglect.

Liz Nohren has been practicing law for over 20 years. Her first 5 years were spent at a commercial litigation firm in Chicago, where she thrived and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of a city practice. However, Liz felt a pull to return home to the family firm in Shelbyville and join her father in practice. She remained lead counsel on a couple trials, including a construction litigation jury trial, and completed that work by commuting to Chicago for approximately 8 months after her move at the firm's request. Since moving home to Shelby County, Liz...

I bring an ivory tower legal education from Washington University and over 35 years of legal experience to down to earth people. Since 2004 I have been the Illinois Downstate Chair for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Lawyers. And I am a founding member of the Bankruptcy Law Network legal blog. I also recognize that sometimes bad things happen to good people. When you get tired of abusive debt collectors call me for reasonable and respectable solutions to your financial problems.

Licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois and registered to practice before the US Patent and Trademark Office. Experienced with IP (patents, trademarks, trade secrets) law in both corporate environments (Blackberry, Conversant IP Management) as well as individual inventors. Well versed in Business Law, Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Commercial and Residential Contracts, Wills, Trusts, Mergers and Acquisitions. Has 22 issued US patents and 30 additional issued patents worldwide. Held the roles as General Counsel, Senior Patent Attorney at Conversant IP Management, Leading Patent Prosecution Litigation Management for Conversant, Senior Licensing Counsel at Blackberry focusing on prosecution with concentration...

Experienced intellectual property attorney handling patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, licensing and litigation. Registered patent attorney.

After graduation from Chicago-Kent School of Law in 1995, Tor Hoerman began working at the defense firm Bullaro, Carton & Stone until he got a call from a plaintiffs firm, Kralovec, Jambois & Schwartz that they may have an opening for a young associate. Tor jumped at the opportunity and learned about his passion to help injured people against those that he had previously represented.

In his years at K,J&S, Tor learned how to work the Courtroom at the Daley Center, spending most of his days either trying cases or running from floor to floor arguing motions on behalf of his...

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.

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,...

SK Walker Law, LLC in Marion, IL, is a Marine Corps Combat Veteran owned law firm with SIU School of Law Alum, attorney Scott Walker, who focuses his practice to the area of Personal Injury, Probate, Wills, Trust, Estates, Contract, Real Estate, Business and Mass Tort law. I use my military and mechanic background and training to troubleshoot, diagnose, and resolve our issues. I listen and relate to my clients through my real-world experience, which includes 14 years of military service, with combat tours during Desert Storm and Enduring Freedom, and over twenty years of managerial experience in the maintenance, mining, and...

Bill R. Tapella practices in the area of civil litigation, including medical malpractice, significant personal injuries, trucking accidents, railroad crossing accidents, wrongful death matters, product liability, and other tort litigation cases. Bill grew up in Herrin, Illinois and attended Eastern Illinois University and Southern Illinois University (SIU), Carbondale. He received his B.A. in Political Science from Southern Illinois University in 1981 and then went on to receive his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law. While there, he received numerous academic honors, including admission to the Order of Coif, designation as a Harno Scholar, and ultimately graduated Magna Cum...

Blake Behme Gilbreth Links, P.C. has offices in Belleville, Collinsville, Edwardsville, Carlyle and Effingham, Illinois. AREAS OF PRACTICE: Probate Law, Family Law, Real Estate Law, Tax Law and Estate Planning, including Business, Child Custody, Child Support, Collaborative Divorce, Commercial Real Estate, Consume Protection, Debt Settlement, Divorce, Divorce Mediation, Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Breaches of Fiduciary Duty, Family, Foreclosure, Landlord/Tenant, Legal Malpractice, Litigation, Civil Lawsuits, Military Divorce, Nursing Home, Personal Injury, Probate, Estate Settlement, Real Estate, Securities, DCFS, Tax, Internal Revenue Service, Illinois Department of Revenue, Illinois Department of Employment Security and White Collar Crime.

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...

Todd is the Senior Partner of Kanoski Bresney. He is also the Senior Trial Attorney who manages the complex litigation division of the law firm. Kanoski Bresney was established over 40 years ago and is a full service personal injury law firm that has 8 central Illinois office locations and a litigation practice that spans throughout the State of Illinois.

He has worked at the Federal Trade Commission and the States Attorney for Cook County. However, he spent the majority of his early career in Chicago representing and defending some of the largest insurers and corporations in the country.

Since 2002,...

Brandon C. Mayberry grew up in Jonesboro, Illinois. After high school, Brandon attended Shawnee Community College where he earned an Associates of Arts degree. He then attended Southern Illinois University, where he earned a B.A. in Paralegal Studies with a specialization in Pre-Law graduating Cum Laude. From there, Brandon went on to attend Southern Illinois University School of Law. Brandon graduated from the SIU School of Law. While in law school, Brandon was a member and marshal of the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity. While attending SIU School of Law Brandon began working as a law clerk for the Law...

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...

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...

Larry joined the Springfield office of Kanoski Bresney in 1989 and opened the firm's Bloomington office in 1995. Along with his staff of dedicated legal assistants in Bloomington and Champaign, Larry has successfully represented thousands of personal injury and workers’ compensation clients throughout central Illinois for more than 30 years.

Larry was born in Freeport, Illinois, and raised in the Chicago area with three brothers. After graduating from Illinois State University in 1983 with a Bachelor of Science degree focusing on business administration and accounting, he attended the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana-Champaign, earning his Juris Doctor degree...

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...

Attorney Michael Sheldon started his legal career as a law clerk with Burger Law in 2019 while pursuing his Juris Doctor degree at St. Louis University School of Law. In 2021, Michael received his Missouri law license and has since specialized in personal injury claims, including product liability, premises liability, dog bites, medical malpractice and workers' compensation. He has gotten great results in multiple bench trials and has recovered innumerable large settlements for his clients. He firmly believes that those injured through the negligence of another receive full compensation and a lasting sense of justice. Before joining Burger Law, Michael worked...

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...

Gary K. Burger, Jr. devotes his practice to helping injury victims and their families, providing financial recovery and protecting the future of those injured, and making our community safer through advocacy and volunteer work. ~ Chosen as a Superlawyer and a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum ~AV rated lawyer by LexisNexis and Martindale-Hubbell, “The preeminent Rating … indicating the highest level of legal ability and ethics. The pinnacle of professional excellence.” ~Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy and Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy ~Admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois, and...

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...

Jonathan T. Nessler began his legal career with Nessler & Associates in 2007. His practice is focused on personal injury claims, including catastrophic automobile accidents, nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. Mr. Nessler has dedicated his entire legal career to helping injured people recover for their loss. He is recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyer in Illinois. He is also recognized by The Law Bulletin Publishing Company Leading Lawyers as an Emerging Lawyer. - Education Bachelor of Science...

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...

Sandra is a partner at Spiros Law, P.C. She devotes her legal career to representing injured persons in worker's compensation and personal injury matters throughout Central Illinois. Sandra has successfully tried cases in front of juries and has secured millions of dollars in settlements for clients throughout Illinois. 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...

We are rooted in Montgomery County with two offices to better serve the area. Our firm handles many cases in the surrounding counties (Macoupin, Bond, Fayette, Christian, and Shelby County) as well. We have experience handling many areas of law, including personal injury (car wrecks/dog bites/slip or trip & falls/wrongful deaths/malpractice), traffic/DUI/criminal defense cases, bankruptcy, family law (custody/child support/adoption/divorce), estate planning (wills/POAs/trusts), and estate administration (non-probate and probate), and general civil practice. I grew up Nokomis (Montgomery County), where my family and I reside. My degrees are from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Thomas M. Cooley...

About Bill

Bill is a Southern Illinois native. He and his wife live in the Carbondale area with their five children. He attended Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He later earned Masters’ degrees in Special Education and Counseling Psychology, from McKendree University. He in Special Education classrooms in public and private schools.

Later, Bill worked as a counselor-intern for St. Elizabeth’s Hospital, and as a clinician for Chestnut Health Systems. He provided mental health and addiction recovery services, clinical analysis, and employee assistance support. His clients included Federal and State probation,...

Kathy has spent her entire legal career advocating for fair compensation to those who are injured and believes in the mission to do the right thing, not the convenient thing on behalf of Kanoski Bresney's clients. Kathy believes the greatest accomplishments she has received are the words of appreciation and gratefulness from those she has represented.

Kathy was born in Spring Valley, Illinois, and grew up in a small town in Peoria County, Illinois. Kathy attended the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana, and she was on the Dean's List several semesters and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts...

Ms. Hicks has been practicing law in St. Clair and Monroe Counties for more than 10 years. She has successfully tried numerous divorce and custody cases. She is also an experienced mediator. Ms. Hicks grew up in a small town in Monroe County and returned to the area to practice law. She resides with her husband and son in Columbia.

Bridget Lawler is an experienced and knowledgeable Attorney at Lawler & Lawler Injury Law Firm. Her practice areas include Personal Injury and Workers’ Compensation, as well as Motor Vehicle Accidents, Slip and Fall Accidents, Dog Bites, and Wrongful Death.

Bridget received her B.A. from St. Louis University, and her J.D. from Southern Illinois University Law School. She was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 2000 and in Kentucky in 2001. Bridget is a member of the Illinois State Bar, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the American Inns of Court. In addition, she was Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell in 2017....