Bridgeview Lawyers

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...

Jason Wapiennik was in the field of Customs law even prior to his graduation from Ave Maria School of Law in 2008. From January 2007 until September 2009, he clerked for Edmund Maciorowski, P.C., a customs law firm and since leaving there, has been in private practice at Great Lakes Customs Law. Before attending law school, Jason began his undergraduate education at Purdue University and later transferred to Loyola University Chicago. At Loyola, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science graduating magna cum laude, and with departmental honors in political science. He is a member of Alpha Sigma...

Joerika Stitt, Esq. is a dedicated and compassionate legal professional with a unique blend of expertise as a licensed attorney, social worker, and certified mediator. With a career rooted in advocacy and support, Joerika offers clients customized and collaborative solutions to amicably resolve divorce and family disputes. Starting off as a legal aid lawyer, Joerika represented survivors of domestic violence in divorce, family, and order of protection cases. This foundational experience shaped a deep commitment to providing empathetic and effective legal assistance. In private practice, Joerika continues to champion the needs of individuals and families, focusing on mediation and collaborative...

Margaret M. O'Connell is a Senior Partner at A. Traub & Associates. Margaret practices in all areas of family, criminal, traffic, and expungement law, and is a court-approved Guardian ad litem in DuPage, Kane and Kendall County. Margaret is a graduate of Bradley University 1986 and the John Marshall Law School 1991.

Margaret worked as an Assistant State's Attorney in DuPage County from 1991 to 1996. During her tenure as an Assistant State's Attorney, Margaret prosecuted cases involving domestic violence, child abuse, felonies, and misdemeanors. From 1996 to 2003, Margaret was a Senior Assistant Attorney General. During her tenure as a...

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.

Jessica Wollwage-Rymut graduated from Northwestern University in 2007 with a degree in Political Science. After working for a year at a commercial real estate firm, Jessica was offered admission to the Chicago-Kent College of Law Honors Scholar Program. As an Honors Scholar, Jessica and her classmates enjoyed many unique opportunities, including working with Illinoislegalaid.org to create online tutorials for victims of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault.

During law school, Jessica interned at the Chicago-Kent Taxpayer clinic helping taxpayers prepare returns and negotiate with the Internal Revenue Service. She also volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate with CASA of DuPage...

Mark Connolly is an experienced trial attorney in the areas of personal injury and workers’ compensation. He focuses his practices in motor vehicle accidents, construction negligence, slip and falls, work accidents, medical malpractice, and product liability, among others. He has handled cases in numerous counties of the Circuit Courts of Illinois, the Northern District of Illinois Federal Court and the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. He has also litigated and argued before the Illinois Appellate Court. Mark has always dedicated himself to his clients’ cases and provides the same devotion and intensity regardless of the case size. Mark...

Kent Sinson is a personal injury trial attorney in Chicago, Illinois. Since 2000, Mr. Sinson has proudly advocated for victims in personal injury cases throughout Northern Illinois and the surrounding areas. A native of Elmhurst, IL, Mr. Sinson received his undergraduate degree in Economics from Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. He also played varsity hockey and varsity football during each of his four years at Hamilton. Mr. Sinson went on to attend DePaul University College of Law where he was a member of the trial advocacy team, and he received his Juris Doctor in 1987. Upon his admission to the...

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...

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....

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...

Lisa Weinstein is a principal at Grant & Eisenhofer and leads the firm’s birth injury litigation division. Her practice primarily focuses on representing women and children in birth injury and birth trauma litigation. Prior to joining G&E, Ms. Weinstein founded The Weinstein Law Group, where she represented children who were victims of medical malpractice and birth injuries. In her practice as a plaintiffs’ trial lawyer, Ms. Weinstein has successfully litigated personal injury, medical malpractice and birth injury matters resulting in over $300 million in settlements and verdicts. Representative of Ms. Weinstein’s work is a $12.5 million settlement in which her...

William Moore is an associate at Grant & Eisenhofer where he focuses on representing families and children in birth injury and birth trauma litigation. Prior to joining G&E, Mr. Moore was an associate attorney at a civil litigation firm practicing personal injury, wrongful death, and other liability claims. From 2015-2018, Mr. Moore was selected for inclusion to Leading Lawyers’ list of Emerging Lawyers. In 2010 and 2011, Mr. Moore was selected to Illinois Super Lawyers’ list of Rising Stars. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and a Claims and Litigation Management Alliance Fellow.

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...

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...

Paul Connery, a Partner at Levin & Perconti, is a dedicated trial attorney who fights for justice on behalf of injured individuals and their families. A graduate of Loyola University Chicago School of Law (J.D., 2013) and the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (B.A., 2010), Paul brings a sharp legal mind and a deep commitment to advocacy. He began his legal career at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, first as a 7-11 Law Clerk in the Traffic and Felony Trial Divisions, where he litigated over 100 motions and bench trials. After law school, he became an Assistant State’s Attorney in the...

Mr. Thacker is an attorney at the law offices of GWC Injury Lawyers LLC. With more than 30 years of experience and a proven track record of success, Stephen is a valued asset to our law firm. If you require comprehensive legal counsel in Illinois, contact Mr. Thacker today at (312) 464-1234 or toll free at (800) 464-4772.

As a native of Chicago, Mr. Nawrocki was distinguished as the top U.S Navy criminal defense counsel from 1989 to 1990. He joined the law offices of GWC Injury Lawyers LLC in 1995 and regularly represents injury victims and their families throughout Illinois. Attention to detail and persistence are hallmarks of Jim's character, which has resulted in numerous successes in the courtroom. If you or a loved one has been injured at work and requires the assistance of a highly skilled lawyer, contact Mr. Nawrocki today at (312) 464-1234.

Ms. Kirwan is a personal injury lawyer at the law offices of GWC Injury Lawyers LLC. Kate is licensed to practice law in the state of Illinois and is also a member of the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution and also the Chicago Bar Association. If you or someone that you love has been injured and requires the services of a highly trained accident injury attorney, contact Ms. Kirwan today at (312) 464-1234.

Mr. David Caplan is a partner at the law offices of GWC Injury Lawyers LLC and focuses his practice in the area of workers' compensation. With more than 30 years of experience helping to represent injury victims throughout Illinois, David co-manages the workers' compensation section of our law firm and provides comprehensive legal solutions to his clients. If you or someone that you love has been injured at work, contact Mr. Caplan today by calling (312) 464-1234 or toll free at (800) 464-4772.

Mr. Keiser is an Illinois personal injury attorney at the law offices of GWC Injury Lawyers LLC. Timothy is dedicated to fighting for the rights of his clients and focuses his practice in the areas of automotive accidents, construction negligence, product liability and also premises liability. If you or someone that you love has been injured in an accident that was caused by the negligence of another person or defective product, contact Timothy today at (312) 464-1234.

Mr. Jacobs is a personal injury attorney in the Chicago office of GWC Injury Lawyers LLC. After graduating from The John Marshall Law School, Geoffrey has dedicated himself to the pursuit of justice for injury victims throughout Illinois. Highly regarded by his peers, Geoff is an asset to our law firm. If you have been injured in an accident that was not your fault, contact Mr. Jacobs today at (312) 464-1234 for your free consultation.

Laureen Anderson-Stepanek has concentrated her practice in complex immigration matters since 2002. A graduate of Illinois State University with a degree in History and Political Science, Ms. Anderson-Stepanek did post graduate work in International Relations at the University of Wisconsin, Parkside and eventually obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University Of Iowa College Of Law. Ms. Anderson-Stepanek practices all areas of immigration law; she started her career on the corporate side where she advised internal and external clients on matters related to non-immigrant employment based visas, PERM, international relocation as well as general employment matters related to foreign...

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...

The foundation of effective legal representation is a strong underlying attorney-client relationship. I engage with clients with one intention in mind: the best possible outcome for each client. I build a relationship of understanding and trust with each client from the very first consultation. Aggressive representation requires a thorough investigation of the facts. I work diligently to craft the strongest possible defense, including collection and thorough review of supporting material such as discovery from the prosecution, interviews of any witnesses, and gathering of transcripts, documents, video footage or any other material. Armed with a robust understanding of the unique facts...

Jack Terran is a skilled personal injury and medical malpractice attorney at Levin & Perconti in Chicago. He began his career at the firm as a law clerk in 2018 while attending The John Marshall Law School, and joined as a full-time associate in 2019 after earning his J.D. Jack is passionate about advocating for individuals and families harmed by negligence, particularly in cases involving nursing home abuse, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. He plays a hands-on role in every phase of a case, from investigation and litigation strategy to negotiation and resolution. Before joining Levin & Perconti, Jack clerked at...

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.

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....

I've been a trial lawyer for over 30 years. I graduated from Yale and NYU Law School, and my legal career began as a criminal prosecutor in New York City. Then I moved to Chicago and became a partner with a mid-sized litigation firm for 10 years, receiving litigation training from some of the best trial lawyers in the city. I opened my current law office in Chicago in 1998. In addition to practicing law full time, I've also been teaching trial skills to practicing lawyers every year since 1994 as a faculty member with The National Institute for Trial...

Attorney Vincent A. Luisi, Jr. was born and raised in the Chicagoland Area. He attended Niles West High School located in the Northern Suburbs. He graduated from Roosevelt University located in Downtown Chicago in 1996. Vincent attended a University in Miami, Florida where he obtained his Juris Doctor in 1999. He is the president and founding member of Luisi Legal Group. Vincent has more than a decade of professional experience working in the areas of criminal law and traffic violations. He is in Chicago criminal courts on a daily basis and for the past 16 years has developed a...

Russell Knight was born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. His family moved to the United States in 1991.

Russell Knight attended Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois and graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Computers Systems.

After two years working as a computer programmer for a Fortune 50 company, Russell Knight decided that he’d rather work with people than machines and he enrolled in the University of Illinois College of Law in Urbana, Illinois.

Upon graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2006, Russell Knight began working for a small general practice law firm in Chicago,...

John ("Jack") Kennedy is one of the founding partners of Kennedy Watkins LLC. Kennedy Watkins is an injury law firm that advocates for its clients by working every day to make things right.

Patrick A. Salvi II joined Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. in 2007. He concentrates his legal practice on cases concerning personal injury, medical malpractice and product liability. During his first trial as lead attorney, Mr. Salvi secured a $1.28 million verdict on behalf of a teen who had her leg and knee cap broken in an accident. Mr. Salvi also achieved a record breaking jury verdict on behalf of one of his clients in excess of $33 million. The case involved a teenager who was paralyzed in a motor vehicle collision. Additionally, he has secured a $29.1 million medical malpractice...