Shelby County Lawyers

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,...

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...

Shawn Barnett is a skilled litigator and trial attorney who is dedicated to helping those who have been victimized by law enforcement or correctional officers. He has received multiple million-dollar settlements for his clients and has been recognized as an Illinois Rising Star multiple times. During his time as an attorney, Shawn has represented numerous clients who have been injured by those who have abused their authority. He has vigorously pursued a wide variety of claims on behalf of his clients, including false arrest, malicious prosecution, excessive force, wrongful death, and sexual assault. Shawn has a particular focus on police involved...

Since obtaining my license in 2008, I have dedicated my career to representing numerous financial institutions, focusing on enforcing their security interests. Over the last decade, I have supported community banks through complex commercial workouts, dealing with sophisticated financial products. My litigation experience extends to contested contract cases based on various legal theories. I have been recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and an Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers since 2015. My practice primarily involves representing secured creditors in all facets of commercial loan enforcement, from initiating commercial workouts to enforcing judgments. I frequently write on these subjects and...

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.

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...

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...

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...

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...

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,...

Jeffrey D. Frederick, Esq. is a partner of Frederick & Hagle. Mr. Frederick graduated with high honors from Chicago Kent College of Law in 1982, where he consistently achieved academic excellence and was in the top 10% percent of his class.

Jeffrey D. Frederick became a member of this law firm in 1982. He limits his practice to personal injury and consequently has been able to focus his practice of law on representing those individuals who have been injured as a result of an automobile collision, a defective product or while working in construction. Additionally, Jeffrey Frederick also handles workers compensation...

Genavieve Perino is an experienced trial attorney and negotiator. In over 10 years of service to the injured in Missouri and Illinois, she has secured numerous settlements and judgments to get people the compensation they need to recover. She has obtained plaintiff verdicts in St. Louis City and County, St. Clair County, the Missouri Court of Appeals and the Missouri Supreme Court. She has served as lead counsel in a variety of personal injury practice areas, including auto accidents, product liability, medical malpractice, premises liability, dog bites and workers' compensation. Genavieve focuses her representation on positive client outcomes and fighting...

Steven Seidman, the founding member of Seidman, Margulis and Fairman, has been practicing Personal Injury law for 40 years. During that time he has tried thousands of cases to successful award or verdict. Seidman has many multimillion dollar verdicts, and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for his clients. His high gross jury verdict for a personal injury case was $26.1 million for a seriously injured truck driver. His verdict of $3.8 million, for an attorney who contracted Legionnaire disease at the JW Marriott, in Chicago, was the highest reported verdict for that type of injury in...

Ms. Hicks has been practicing law in St. Clair and Monroe Counties for more than 18 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.

Experienced professional legal representation for criminal defense, drug cases, divorce, child custody and support, adoption, domestic violence, DUI/DWI, lawsuits, trials and appeals. Gary Wangler is an experienced attorney practicing in the Metro East and greater Southern Illinois area. Contact Gary Wangler with your legal questions or concerns at (618) 206-6232 or at (618) 514-3286 or by email at:garywanglerlaw@gmail.com. Gary Wangler is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law. He is licensed to practice before the Illinois Supreme Court, the Fifth District Appellate Court and the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. He has...

Respect for working men and women is the driving force behind Jay Johnson's commitment to workers' compensation law. It is a respect that runs deep. One of Jay's grandfathers was a Kentucky coal miner; the other, a member of the United Rubber Workers. Because both his grandfathers worked extremely hard in less-than-ideal environments, Jay has great empathy for those who get hurt on the job. Over the years, Jay Johnson has recovered millions of dollars for people suffering from a variety of work-related injuries. He prides himself on thoroughly preparing for each case and staying in close, personal contact with clients....

Alison Kimble joined the Spiros Law team in 2018 after graduating from Michigan State University College of Law. While in law school, she earned a concentration in trial practice from the school's nationally recognized Geoffrey Fieger Trial Practice Institute. Alison has earned a reputation of being eager to serve clients in the area of personal injury and wanting to provide justice and compassion for her clients. Her practice focuses on Motor Vehicle Accidents, Workers' Compensation, and other personal injury matters. When not in the office, Alison enjoys reading, attending sporting events, and spending time with her family.

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...

Ryan Bradley has extensive legal and business experience across a wide array of practice areas and business sectors. Based in the firm's Champaign office, he focuses his practice on business and financial litigation, commercial transactions, real estate, and agricultural law. Ryan also works with individuals and businesses on estate, wealth, and succession planning. As a pragmatic counselor to business and individual entrepreneurs, Ryan has played a pivotal role in multi-million-dollar transactions. He has also served as a trusted advisor to businesses throughout their journeys, from formation to exit. As a litigator, Ryan has represented both individual plaintiffs and corporations. While he...

Jon Walker is an associate attorney at Woodruff Johnson & Evans where he focuses his practice on personal injury, workers’ compensation, and Social Security Disability claims. With more than a decade of legal experience, Mr. Walker has successfully recovered millions of dollars for his injured clients. He is particularly experienced in handling workers’ compensation claims for auto industry workers. He is one of only a few attorneys in the entire state of Illinois currently helping injured workers secure expedited trial and appellate review by filing emergency hearings under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, Section 19(b-1). Call for a free consultation.

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...

When faced with the hard times and decisions that come with a family law matter, the most comforting aspect is having an attorney that cares about the situation and how the best way it can be handled. Andrew Rankin always has the best interest of the client in mind, and manages the family law situation with authentic care. Drew is originally from Highland, Illinois. Drew is a Partner at Stange Law Firm, who manages the East Region of the Firm, including all of the Illinois offices and the Arnold, Missouri office of the firm. Drew has been with Stange Law Firm...

native of central Illinois, Attorney, Jerry A. Tuffentsamer, was raised in the local small community of Manito, Illinois. Prior to attending law school, Jerry worked for several years in the central Illinois as union construction laborer out of the Laborers’ International Union, Local 231. As a union laborer, Jerry worked several years for a local commercial concrete and masonry company.

Jerry received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Paralegal Studies/Pre-law from Southern Illinois University in 2008. Jerry then received his Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2011. While in law school, Jerry was a member of...

Brian Monico is a skilled litigator who is dedicated to serving those in wrongful death, professional malpractice, personal injury, and civil rights cases.

He graduated from the Loyola University School of Law and has since become a leader in the development and use of computer-generated graphics and electronic presentations to juries. He has been recognized by the Illinois Super Lawyers and Leading Lawyers multiple times, as well as being the #1 Lawyer Under 40 by Emerging Lawyers in 2016.

He has extensive experience doing plaintiff's personal injury work and has used this experience to help those in all types of personal injury...

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...

P.K. Johnson V, born in 1970, gained admission to the Illinois Bar in 1995 and the Missouri Bar in 1996. He earned a Bachelor of Science Degree with honors from the University of Illinois in 1992 and attained his Juris Doctor degree with honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1995. During his leisure hours, P.K. finds joy in quality time with his wife and two sons, indulging in golf, and exploring new destinations. Beyond his personal pursuits, P.K. contributes actively as a member of the Swansea, Illinois Board of Police Commissioners and holds a position on the Wolf Branch School District...

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...

Joel Beckwith obtained his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2009, where he studied philosophy and political science. He later attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale where he obtained his law degree. As a student in his third year of law school his legal commentary was selected and published in the Journal of Legal Medicine. He has since practiced in the areas of personal injury, insurance defense, class actions and traffic law. He is an experienced jury trial lawyer. Mr. Beckwith is licensed to practice law in both Illinois and Missouri, and is a current associate attorney at Rynearson,...

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...

At a very young age, Dexter John Evans envisioned himself as an advocate for the sick and injured. The grandson of a Chicago union worker, he has always felt a strong urge to help those trying to protect their rights. It is from this foundation that Dexter established himself as an aggressive advocate for the rights of his clients. “The greatest satisfaction in my profession is the gratitude of my clients. There is no better feeling than to get a hug from a client who is in tears because they finally received the justice they deserve. The thank you letters...

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...

I am an attorney licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois since 2017. I have been continuously licensed in Illinois since 2017. I am admitted to practice in all state courts in Illinois. I have been continuously licensed in Wisconsin since 2021. I am admitted to practice in all state courts in Wisconsin.

Following in his father’s footsteps as a legal advocate, Springfield personal injury lawyer James Ackerman established his practice in 1989.

Our approach to the law and to meeting our clients' needs comes from Jim Ackerman's belief that clients are best served when they are fully informed and engaged in every aspect of their case. Jim is a former prosecutor who handles injury claims and who coaches other attorneys on the finer points of case preparation, taking a case to trial, and the art of handling juries. Jim brings years of legal and courtroom experience to bear on every case.

Jim Ackerman...

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

Bill was born and raised in Peoria, IL. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. degree in Government. He received his law degree (JD) at the University of Iowa graduating with honors. He has been practicing law in Central Illinois since his graduation and admission into the Illinois Bar. Legal ability and ethical standards ratings are published each year by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.Bill has the highest possible rating of AV. The legal ability rating is "A" which means he is rated as very high to preeminent. The "V" rating means that he embraces faithful adherence...

Melanie K. Fairman is an experienced trial attorney who has represented plaintiffs in personal injury and wrongful death actions since 1994. Over the years, she has obtained millions for clients through settlement and trial. A large percentage of her practice involves cases arising from medical malpractice and nursing home negligence, but over the years she has litigated quite a few significant vehicular collision and premises liability cases, including a $3.8 million verdict in a case tried by Melanie and her partner, Steve Seidman, against JW Marriott based on exposing a guest who was an attorney to Legionella bacteria, causing him...

Attorney Charles Armbruster has 25 years of experience traveling the country and representing the rights of injured individuals. His outstanding track record includes 17 cases that reached a recovery of at least $1 million. He has obtained millions of dollars in verdicts for personal injury clients in 22 different states. Other law firms have asked him to serve as lead trial counsel in their cases due to his extensive and successful skills and experience inside the courtroom. Attorney Charles Armbruster has 25 years of experience traveling the country and representing the rights of injured individuals. His outstanding track record includes 17...

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,...

I bring an ivory tower legal education from Washington University and over 44 years of courtroom experience to down to earth people. In 2004 I was named the Illinois Downstate Chairperson for the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Lawyers. I am also a founding member of the Bankruptcy Law Network legal blog along with about 20some attorney friends. We wrote a free legal blog containing hundreds of pages of articles about bankruptcy, but blogs got boring, so I pivoted to my free JustAMinit Law You Tube video channel, where I post minute, or so, videos about ways you...