Minier Lawyers

Brian is proud to continue the tradition of personal services performed by Brainard Law Offices LLC, the oldest law firm in Charleston. We have the advantage of years of experience, both from debtor, creditor, and trustee perspectives, which enables our firm to provide superior bankruptcy services for our clients. We believe each client deserves individual attention.

I provide caring and compassionate representation for people who have been injured and the families of those who have been killed. After starting practice on the defense side of civil law, I have been a plaintiff's lawyer since 2006 and have obtained millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts. We handle all types of injury, workers compensation, nursing home and medical malpractice cases in Iowa and Illinois.

Thomas A. Kelliher is an expert litigator who has first-chaired 30 trials during the course of his profession. When involved in defense work for the city of Chicago, Tom won 90 percent of the 29 cases he tried to jury verdict. And since Tom started representing injured plaintiffs, he has won many jury verdicts in excess of $1 million for his clients. Born in Santa Monica, Calif., Tom graduated from high school in Arlington, Va., before going to the University of Virginia and The John Marshall Law School. He now resides in Westchester and enjoys golf, barbecuing and spending time with...

Dan DeBias started with Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates in 2007. He finished his Juris Doctor degree at The John Marshall Law School, and received his undergraduate degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dan was published in the John Marshall Law Review in 2017 for a Comment he authored about protecting injured workers in Illinois. He also was an editor for The John Marshall Law Review. Dan now devotes 100% of his legal practice to assisting injured workers.

A graduate from the Drake University School of Law, Mr. Vacco's practice is concentrated in the areas of real estate and estate planning. Mr. Vacco is also a licensed Illinois Real Estate Managing Broker and a member of the Illinois Association of Realtors®. He is an active member with the IL and Will County Bar Associations, where he serves on both the Will County Real Estate Law Committee and the Illinois State Bar Real Estate Section Committee. He is also a Member of the Illinois Real Estate Lawyers Association. As a member of the Will County...

Mitchell Horwitz has devoted his entire working career to workers’ compensation matters, including arbitrations and settlement. As the head of the workers’ compensation practice at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates, Mitch has handled thousands of cases from arbitration through the appellate courts. Over the course of his career he has obtained many scores of millions of dollars for his clients.

My entire practice has been dedicated to injury litigation. I have represented both plaintiffs and defendants in fender benders with minor soft tissue injuries all the way up to multi-million dollar cases involving catastrophic injury and death. Let me put my experience to work for you.

John is an aggressive personal injury attorney from Chicago. If you or a loved one has been hurt, visit his website to learn more about your case and to begin your free consultation.

Irubiel Ferrer was born in Winfield, IL and raised in West Chicago, IL. Irubiel received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminology, Law, and Justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Irubiel then received his Juris Doctor from Northern Illinois University College of Law.

Prior to attending law school, Irubiel worked as a paralegal in Chicago primarily in the areas of consumer bankruptcy and family law litigation. During law school, Irubiel clerked (Judicial Externship) for the Honorable Thomas M. Lynch of the United States Bankruptcy Court for Northern District of Illinois. He graduated with honors, was awarded Dean’s List recognition,...

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.

Paul is an experienced civil litigation attorney. With a strong background in the insurance defense field for 30+ years, he is a knowledgeable and experienced trial and defense attorney. As well as being a litigator in trial courts, Paul has also argued cases before the Third District Appellate Court and the Supreme Court of Illinois.
He is currently a member of the LaSalle County, Illinois State Bar Assocation and the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. Paul served on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility from 2006 to 2015; and served as a special assistant Attorney General from...

Occurrences with family and friends have cultivated Gabe’s deep-seated devotion to helping the injured. The son of a doctor and occupational therapist, Gabe received his parents’ work ethic, moral compass, and sense of duty towards the sick and injured. He began putting those traits to good use at UW-Madison. After graduating from college in 2014, Gabe landed a job as the Director of Business Development at Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates. He didn’t yet realize his capacity for law, but during this role Gabe witnessed the vast effect that a personal injury attorney can have on injured clients. Gabe continued to work full...

Any Chicago-area resident who is suspected of a serious crime should have an experienced and aggressive criminal defense attorney working for them. A criminal conviction can carry life-changing consequences, including enormous fines, hours of community service, a permanent blot on your record, and even years in prison. Because of the seriousness of a conviction, you will want a lawyer who is very familiar with criminal law and is dedicated to an aggressive and clever defense for clients. Neil Adams, a criminal defense attorney in Joliet, IL, is just such an attorney. He has been practicing law in Illinois for 20...

For most people, the purchase of a home is the largest single investment they will ever make, and naturally, they're nervous about it. They want someone trustworthy to lean on, someone knowledgeable to handle the paperwork, someone well-versed in legal matters to represent them at the closing. They want someone like Harold Adams. With his dual background in finance and law, Harold brings a unique combination of skills to the table. In addition to a solid foundation in residential and commercial real estate transactions, Harold is well-grounded in general business matters, including the foundation of new corporations and partnerships and the...

Grant Gulovsen, Esq. has been advising and representing technology startups since late 2017. The work he regularly performs in this role includes the following: • Managing clients’ day-to-day legal operations (e.g., corporate filings, SEC filings, USPTO filings, drafting and negotiating employment agreements, software license agreements, NDAs, etc.) • Handling compliance and regulatory questions/issues as they arise, including communicating with U.S. regulators (and occasionally regulators in other jurisdictions such as the FCA in the U.K. as appropriate); • Managing relationships with outside counsel for issues that are outside his wheelhouse (especially in non-U.S. jurisdictions); and • Constantly researching laws and regulations in the U.S. and...

Nicole’s experience involves cases having injuries such as bedsores, fractures from falls, malnutrition, dehydration, infection, aspiration, and sexual abuse. She takes great joy in forming relationships with the residents and their families, hearing their stories and concerns, and advocating for their rights. Nicole Morrison gives her entire legal practice to the representation of injured nursing home residents and their families. After joining Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates in 2008, as a law clerk, Nicole established a passion for representing nursing home residents and their families. She veiws each resident not just as a client, but as someone’s beloved relative or friend. This passion...

Attorney focusing on all types of criminal and civil litigation throughout East Central Illinois.

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

David graduated from Kansas State University where he was not only a member of the school’s first national-qualifying Trial Team but also the head of the university’s judicial system. As the head of the judicial system, David represented victims of sexual harassment, theft, and property damage and advocated for their rights before student and faculty judicial review boards. After college, David moved to Chicago, where he went to the Chicago-Kent College of Law and earned his Juris Doctor, cum laude. While at Chicago-Kent, David competed nationally on the school’s Moot Court team. A finalist or semi-finalist in all of his prior...

As a former senior tax consultant for a former Big Eight accounting firm, and as a business school graduate, Todd Black is uniquely qualified to advise clients on legal matters pertaining to estate planning and administration and corporate/business planning. A practicing attorney in Champaign-Urbana since 1987, Mr. Black joined Meyer Capel in 1993. Mr. Black received a bachelor of science in finance from the University of Illinois in 1983. He attended the University of Illinois on a full athletic scholarship and served as co-captain of the U of I's varsity tennis team. He was the recipient of numerous undergraduate honors, including...

Tyler Berberich dedicates his entire legal practice to representing and defending the rights of injured workers to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. Tyler was raised in southern Michigan, then attended Michigan State University. After college, he moved to Illinois to go to law school at Chicago-Kent College of Law. After graduation, Tyler started his legal career practicing workers’ compensation law in Springfield, Illinois before moving back to Chicago to join Horwitz, Horwitz & Associates, Ltd.

Steven A. Amjad brings extensive experience in many aspects of legal practice to the clients of Meyer Capel. Over the last several years he has practiced litigation including complicated commercial litigation, personal injury, toxic tort defense and criminal defense.

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...

EXPERIENCE Mr. Davis’ experience ranges from helping clients with all issues surrounding their start-up venture to assisting clients with the purchase or sale of multi-million dollar businesses. Mr. Davis concentrates his legal practice in the following areas: •representing corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships in connection with the legal matters these entities may face, including initial incorporation/organization, corporate governance issues, drafting and review of contracts and leases, licensing issues, securities issuances and debt financing transactions •representing clients with the sale or purchase of a business, including due diligence matters and the negotiation and documentation of the transaction •representing clients, both lenders and borrowers, in debt...

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...

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...

Large corporations and small companies alike need sound legal advice from attorneys who understand the demands and dynamics of the business environment. Clients of Meyer Capel will find these skills in Matt C. Deering. A native of Champaign-Urbana and a graduate of Champaign Central High School, Mr. Deering holds a bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Kentucky and a juris doctorate from Ohio Northern University. He joined the firm in 1994 as a law clerk and became a full-time associate in 1996 and a shareholder on January 1, 2003. In addition to handling general corporate and business law concerns,...

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...

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...