Congerville Lawyers

Trisha focuses her private practice on individual and small business transactional and compliance matters. She handles all areas of real estate law, estate planning and probate matters, and business transactions and compliance. She believes in actively listening and communicating with her clients in order to help them accomplish their goals. Before starting her own practice, Trisha worked in both a large law firm and as general counsel for a small business. While working for one of the largest labor and employment law firms in the country, Trisha gained experience counseling employers on benefit law compliance and transactions....

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...

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.

Moises Barraza's passion for immigration law developed through personal experience and faith conviction. His parents are immigrants, so he knows firsthand the work necessary to become a part of America. He also understands Christ's special concern for immigrants (Mt 25:35). Moises is fully bilingual in English and Spanish, and, in addition to practicing immigration law, he enjoys spending time with his family, writing and recording music, traveling, and learning about other cultures.

La pasión de Moises Barraza por la ley de inmigración es una combinación de su experiencia personal y su convicción de fe. Sus padres son inmigrantes, y él...

A Legacy of Legal Excellence With a distinguished career spanning over three decades, Peter A. Buh has cemented his reputation as a leading Criminal Prosecution Attorney known for his unwavering commitment to justice and unparalleled success in representing Counties and Municipalities. His legal acumen and dedication have made him a beacon of excellence in the legal community. Leadership and Unmatched Record Ascending to the role of Chief of Felony Assistant State’s Attorney in Lee County, Peter continued to demonstrate his legal expertise. In this capacity, he achieved an extraordinary 100% success rate in prosecuting murder and reckless homicide cases, a testament to his...

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

Jacqueline M. Aldrich, born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. During her undergraduate studies, she majored in Political Science and competed on North Central College’s Mock Trial team taking 3rd place in the 2003 Regional Competition and competing in the 2003 National Competition. Upon graduating with honors, Jacqueline attended The John Marshall Law School, where she participated in The John Marshall Law Review and was appointed Associate Justice of the Moot Court Executive Board in 2005. She also competed in the Fred F. Herzog Moot Court Competition and...

Emily Rapp is a partner at McSwain Rapp Law, LLC. Emily practices in Kane, DuPage and Kendall counties and additionally practices at the appellate court level. Emily is a past President of the Kane County Bar Association, and Past Chair of the Family Law Section for DuPage County Bar Association. She has presented at Illinois State Bar Association, DuPage County Bar Association and Kane County Bar Association seminars speaking on topics relating to family law. In addition to her speaking engagements, Emily has authored legal articles including a chapter on the Parentage Act for Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education. Since 2022,...

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...

With his accumulated knowledge of Health Care Law and Litigation Services, Keith Emmons offers a unique perspective on the legal issues important to the professional clients of Meyer Capel.

Mr. Emmons has been recognized as both an Illinois Leading Lawyer and an Illinois Super Lawyer in the Health Care Law field. His practice includes the general representation of health care providers and their professional practices, general litigation, and alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") as a mediator and arbitrator. Mr. Emmons also represents health care professionals in proceedings before the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, Division of Professional Regulation (IDFPR). He...

Randy Green is a shareholder in Meyer Capel’s Business and Real Estate Practice Groups. His unique experience allows him to serve not only as legal counsel, but as a trusted business advisor to his clients. Experience Mr. Green has represented both public and private companies ranging from top U.S. financial institutions to single-member LLCs in a variety of transactions such as mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, private equity investments, financing, entity formation, franchising, and leasing. He has also helped organizational and individual clients sell, purchase and lease various types of real estate across the U.S. Before he began his legal career, Mr....

I am Jack G. Schuler, a detail-oriented attorney with a robust background in legal research, writing, and appellate practice. I am adept at drafting persuasive briefs, analyzing complex legal issues, and presenting effective oral arguments. My dedication to providing exceptional representation is particularly focused on underserved clients, whom I serve with creativity and empathy. I am licensed to practice in Illinois and am deeply committed to advancing justice through collaborative teamwork. I earned my Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School in Des Moines, IA, in May 2023. During my time at law school, I was honored to be on the...

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...

Rebecca concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, tax planning, estate administration, probate, wills, trusts and trust administration. She counsels clients on a variety of estate planning, estate administration and trust administration issues and has significant experience in drafting both basic and complex estate plans that include wills, revocable trusts (or "living trusts"), irrevocable life insurance trusts, living wills, advanced directives, powers of attorney for health care and powers of attorney for property. In addition to preparing basic estate plans and counseling clients regarding a broad array of issues such as the importance of choosing an appropriate guardian for...

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...

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...

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...

Since joining the firm in 1970, Francis J. (Jerry) Jahn has been responsible for building and expanding the business practice of Meyer Capel. He served as President of the firm from January 1999 until December 2010. A 1967 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Jerry was winner of the Frederick M. Green Moot Court Competition and the Horner Cup and Waterman Prize for Excellence in Moot Court Competition as a law student. He was also recipient of the Harno Scholarship. Jerry is a member of the Illinois State and Champaign County Bar Associations. He served on CCBA's board of...

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...

Lorna Geiler brings Meyer Capel the benefits of a distinguished academic career. A 1986 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law and a 1983 cum laude graduate of Illinois State University, she joined the firm in 1988. Ms. Geiler is a member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the American, Illinois State and Champaign County Bar Associations. She is also involved in the employment and labor law section of the Illinois State Bar Association and was listed in Who's Who Among Rising Young Americans in 1992. Lorna has represented employers before the Illinois...

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...

Planning and Estate

John H. Elder brings a special degree of experience to the clients of Meyer Capel. John works with his clients to deal with the tax issues of estate planning, but has always realized that this is only one component of the planning process. It is very important that an attorney work with the family members to learn about the needs and personalities of the various individuals and to develop a plan that meets the family goals and objectives. Some of the greatest qualities of an estate planning attorney are compassion, trust, and communication skills and it is only...

Brooke A. Didier Starks is an estate planning lawyer concentrating her wills, trusts and probate practice in east-central Illinois. She enjoys counseling a wide variety of clients on all matters related to estate planning and estate administration. Brooke welcomes the opportunity to assist clients who are providing for their children, whether it is counseling them through the decision of whom to appoint as guardian for a minor child, establishing a trust for a special-needs child, or planning for college education. She especially enjoys working with farm families to preserve the family business and pass it on to...

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,...

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...