Oak Park Lawyers

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.

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...

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...

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....

Chris is a savvy litigator and negotiator who specializes in workers’ compensation law and social security disability law. Over the course of his career, he has represented thousands of clients from all walks of life: from teachers to truck drivers and from factory workers to nurses, and union members from the UAW, IEA, INA, SEIU, Teamsters, and various building trades. He is a tireless fighter on behalf of his clients and will do whatever it takes to make sure his clients receive their benefits. He has obtained awards for disability benefits and penalties against employers for not paying disability benefits...

I graduated from the University of Kentucky as a philosophy and political science double-major. I then worked in the financial services department of a Fortune 500 company for two years prior to attending The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. After obtaining my Juris Doctor, I worked as an associate attorney at a general civil litigation firm with a focus on personal injury and insurance law. There I settled countless cases for my clients, both individual and corporate. As a litigator, I obtained favorable outcomes through mediation, arbitration hearings, and bench and jury trials. Building on that experience, in 2014...

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...

Plaintiff litigation firm concentrating in personal injury since 2009.

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...

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 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...

Chris Norem has recovered over $100 million dollars in complex personal injury and wrongful death cases resulting from transportation disasters, construction site accidents, medical negligence, dangerous property conditions and code violations, unsafe products, and many other cases.

With undergraduate training in both biology and chemistry, Christopher Norem is unafraid to rigorously cross-examine medical experts to prove the seriousness as well as the cause of a client’s injuries in any personal injury lawsuit. His legal work has helped change the policy of a national rail system and has served as a deterrent to numerous businesses and individuals who might be tempted to...

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...

LARRY WINS!
Chicago personal injury, disability, workers’ compensation and employment lawyers. Disparti Law Group has recovered over 1 Billion dollars for our clients and named one of the most influential law firms by Trial Lawyer Magazine. Our top-rated lawyers have represented those injured in car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, slip & fall, work injury and social security disability. No fee unless we win. Have you been injured? Call now Chicago (312) 600-6000. Tampa (727) 600-6000.

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...

Attorney David Bryant is a partner of the firm and has been named as a rising star in the areas of Employee Benefits and ERISA by Super Lawyers magazine. He is also proud to have been recognized by his peers with the coveted AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated SM by Martindale-Hubbell.

Kathleen C. Chavez, founding partner of Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil, LLC, earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1998 from Northwestern University School of Law. Chavez is a nationally recognized civil litigator with a reputation for obtaining exceptional results in challenging cases. She is a results-driven, highly focused “problem-solver” with an unmatched ability to strategically frame critical issues, develop innovative solutions and negotiate outstanding results for her clients. She is admitted to practice law in California, Illinois and Washington D.C., as well as various federal courts, the Federal Trial Bar and the United States Federal Court of Claims.

Keith concentrates on complex class action and individual suits involving unwanted robocalls to your cell phones under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Keith has been selected as a Illinois SuperLawyer for 2013-2018 and Rising Stars for 2008-2013. He was also named the 2015 Consumer Attorney of the Year by the National Association of Consumer Advocates. He has extensively lectured on the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

Brian LaCien, a founding partner at Smith LaCien LLP with Todd A. Smith, leads a Chicago-based personal injury law firm dedicated to serving clients throughout the metropolitan area. Brian specializes in cases involving aviation negligence, class actions and mass torts, medical malpractice, wrongful death, premises and product liability, professional negligence, and trucking litigation. With over 25 years of experience, Brian has a proven track record of resolving complex injury cases through both negotiation and litigation, working tirelessly to secure fair compensation for Illinois residents impacted by catastrophic injuries due to negligence. His commitment to exceptional representation and aggressive advocacy consistently yields...

Andrew Gable represents individuals arrested and charged with federal and state felony and misdemeanor crimes throughout the Chicago and Cook County area. He also handles state and federal criminal appeals. He has handled a wide range of cases from murder, felony sexual assault, and felony drug possession to DUI, marijuana possession, and domestic violence. He has represented alleged organized crime members, alleged gang members, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, lawyers, prosecutors, state and federal law enforcement officers, prison guards, military personnel, bus drivers, truck drivers, teachers, students, entertainers, and executives. ...

Gregg focuses his practice in the areas of probate administration and litigation, estate planning, elder law, and real estate. In addition, Gregg is a guardian ad litem appointed by the Circuit Court of Cook County, not only in the probate area, but other divisions including domestic relations division and law division.

Gregg is an active member of the legal community, where he is serving or has served in several leadership roles within the Illinois Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. Gregg is a past Chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Probate Practice Committee, where he served two years as Chair....

Dragan is an Illinois-licensed attorney with international reach and experience. Driven to study law to help people, Dragan is licensed to practice in the state court of Illinois, as well as the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. For his trademark clients, Dragan is authorized to represent them before the USPTO Trademark Office as well as the TTAB. He also is authorized to practice before the International Criminal Court, the United Nations International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals, and the State Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has been authorized to appear pro hac vice...

Dan is a litigator and trial attorney with over 30 years of experience dealing with the full range of complex personal injury cases, including construction injuries, medical mistakes, trucking, product defects, motorcycle, bicycle, and all vehicle injuries. Dan has proudly represented injured persons and the families of deceased all over the country and has secured over 100 million dollars in compensation for our clients. Dan was mentored by the legendary Leonard Ring and became a managing partner by the age of 30 overseeing the Personal Injury Department. Dan is known for his preparation, his persistence, and leaving no stone unturned, and...

Concentrates solely in Family Court Mediation. He is on the “List of Certified Mediators” with the Domestic Relations Division, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois

The Hon. Edmund Ponce de Leon (Ret.) gained a reputation as an eminently qualified and even-handed jurist, who was highly efffective with helping litigants resolve cases through the pre-trial mediation process. While on the bench, Judge Ponce de Leon helped facilitate hundreds of settlements.

He has an extensive 19+ years' experience presiding over a wide array of civil disputes, including divorce cases. He has a combined 33+ years' experience as...