Harvard Lawyers

Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Thompson earned his B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1984. In 1987 he graduated with his J.D. at the Northern Illinois University in Chicago. He is fluent in Spanish.

Mr. Thompson has 18 years of experience litigating Personal Injury claims, Workers' Compensation, Criminal Law, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy & Traffic cases. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Admission to Federal Trial Bar, and is a board member in good standing with multiple charitable organizations.

Mr. Thompson has been married for thirteen years and...

Mr. Gebhardt has extensive experience in the fields of criminal, traffic and real estate law. He has worked for the Cook County States Attorneys Office as a prosecutor and has broad experience in all facets of real estate law in Illinois.

I love working with my clients and I treat them as best as I can. My number one goal is to get them the compensation they deserve after they have been injured. I have won millions of dollars on behalf of my clients over the years.

I have dedicated my practice to family law matters since 2007. I am a certified mediator and a fellow of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals and the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois. I help people who want to work through their uncontested divorce with the guidance of legal counsel so they get it right the first time. I work diligently and efficiently to help my clients obtain the best possible outcome in their cases.

Stella Day is a seasoned litigation attorney with a focus on probate and guardianship matters. She brings her wealth of experience to Johnston Tomei Lenczycki & Goldberg, LLC, following a successful tenure at the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office. With over 16 years in the field, Stella has adeptly handled a variety of complex felony and misdemeanor cases, including DUI, Aggravated Battery, Sexual Assault, and Murder. Her track record includes successful litigation in numerous jury trials and evidentiary hearings across different courtrooms. Stella has also extensively dealt with cases involving mental health and competency issues. As a guest speaker on trial...

Attorney David P. Gonet comes to family law with a background in appellate law and intellectual property law. A business major in college, David went on to get his law degree from the University of Houston College of Law, where he participated in clinical work, researching and drafting state and federal appeals, and petitioning for writs of habeas corpus. Prior to practicing exclusively in the area of family law, David worked at a law firm concentrating in civil appeals, were be drafted appeals to the Illinois Court of Appeals, State of Illinois Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeals, and...

Dean Hedeker is a leading Chicago-area authority on estate and tax planning, business law and investments. A long-time resident of north suburban Lincolnshire, Dean has more than 25-years experience helping business owners and families grow, protect and pass on their hard-earned money through tax planning, estate planning and investment management services. Dean is among a rare breed of professionals because he possesses wide-ranging experience and certifications in the fields of law, estate, tax and financial planning and accounting. Over the past 10 years alone, Dean has created more than 2,000 estate plans and every year he handles more than 300 complex...

Karrsten Goettel concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and residential real estate, real estate development, leasing, zoning and land use, business, merger and acquisition transactions (sales and purchases of assets and/or stock), corporate and business law and estate planning and administration. He has practiced among our firm's attorneys since 1997 and as a partner since 2002.

Mr. Goettel currently serves on the Board of Commissioners of the St. Charles Park District (where he is President), as a member of the St. Charles Housing Commission and as a Board Member of the Celtic Sports Foundation. From 2000 to 2002, he...

Aaron J. Lytle is one of the firm's suburban Chicago attorneys who practices in several key areas: estate planning and wealth protection, wills and trusts, probate administration, trust administration, business planning, taxation, real estate and special needs planning for children with disabilities. Mr. Lytle has spent several years working in the business sector on corporate issues relating to succession planning, valuation, acquisitions and generating capital. Before joining AHR, he worked for companies such as American Express and Bank One (now JP Morgan Chase).

Mr. Lytle also previously served on the Board of Trustees for DayOne Reliance, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that...

-Former Assistant State's Attorney in Lake County from 2001 through 2004;
-Associate in private law firm from 2004 through 2014 practicing criminal defense, real estate law/closings and local village prosecutor for two municipalities;
-Partner in former law firm of Nutschnig & Cavanaugh Attorneys at Law P.C. from 2014 through 2019
-Current president and founder of the Law Offices of Jeffery J. Nutschnig LLC
-Almost 20 years legal experience;
-Member of the Lake County BAR Association;
-Illinois State Bar Association member;
-Member/Counselor of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois;
-Honest and truthful legal representation;

Hipple Law, P.C. specializes in bankruptcy and estate planning cases. We handle Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy cases throughout the Chicagoland area for individuals and small businesses. We serve clients located in Kane, DuPage, Cook, Will and Lake counties. BANKRUPTCY: Ms. Hipple's education and prior work experience sets her apart from other bankruptcy attorneys. She has extensive financial services industry experience, including working closely with numerous types of financially distressed small businesses. Ms. Hipple's education also includes an MBA, which is unique for the majority of attorneys. She has also handled numerous divorce cases which provides her...

Marc Whipple grew up in Iowa and has a degree in Physics and Math from Drake University. After receiving his J.D. from John Marshall, he became the General Counsel for Meyer/Glass Design, a Chicago invention studio descended from legendary innovation firm Marvin Glass & Associates. When Meyer/Glass started an interactive division, he helped set up, grow, and eventually spin off the software studio, in the meantime negotiating development agreements with companies like Hasbro Interactive and Microsoft for PC and console titles.

After his work at Meyer/Glass, he became the General Counsel of Incredible Technologies, Inc., and helped it take its first...

Eric J. Vogel was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2008 after graduating from John Marshall Law School. He served as Assistant Public Defender in the McHenry County Public Defender’s Office for over 10 years. In his time at the Public Defender’s Officer, he handled cases in several areas of the law, including, misdemeanor and felony criminal, juvenile abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency and specialty courts. Mr. Vogel has extensive experience in all aspects of litigation. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and History from Arizona State University in 2002.

Attorney Vogel understands that every client’s...

Jordan has been practicing law for nearly 30 years, litigating hundreds of cases and 69 jury trials in state and federal courts. Jordan was named one of the 40 Illinois Attorneys under 40 to Watch by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, which praised him as "one of the city's most energetic and resourceful trial attorneys. The results he's gained have earned him the praise of judges, city officials and his fellow lawyers.” Jordan knows personal injury and civil rights law from both sides. He spent years defending the City of Chicago and its employees in personal injury and civil rights...

Julia A. Pucci, managing partner with Pucci Pirtle, focuses her practice in the areas of divorce and custody litigation. Ms. Pucci attended Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, Illinois where she received a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Sociology and Political Science. Ms. Pucci subsequently earned her Juris Doctor from St. Louis University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri. During her law school career, Julia taught legal research and writing as a teaching assistant and was also active in the mediation clinic where she obtained her mediation certification. As a certified mediator, she mediated court-ordered child custody matters and...

Amanda Brasfield is a highly experienced trial attorney with a focus on personal injury litigation. From medical malpractice to construction accident negligence, Amanda has obtained a number of multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts. Amanda has worked on dozens of complicated medical malpractice cases involving birth injuries, cerebral palsy, surgical mishaps, delayed diagnosis of cancer, and missed diagnosis of conditions. From depositions through trial, Amanda works tirelessly to uncover what proper medical practices were not followed and what steps could have been taken to prevent injuries and deaths related to medical care. In addition to her experience with medical malpractice cases, Amanda has...

Anthony (Tony) Perrelli is a partner of Hedeker & Perrelli and has provided his legal expertise to the firm since 2005. A resident of north suburban South Barrington, Tony specializes in estate planning, estate administration, and business and tax law. Clients rely on his smart, honest and compassionate approach to helping ensure their Hedeker & Perrelli LifePlan is protected from creditors, predators and the IRS. Tony is trusted by the hundreds of families and businesses who rely on Hedeker & Perrelli to plan and preserve their wealth. He has a deep understanding of tax laws and the estate planning process...

Since entering private practice, Attorney Smith has maintained a general practice with a concentration in family law. He has been a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and Winnebago County Bar Association for over forty years each. Attorney Smith is currently a member of the family law section of each of these associations. He is currently on an advisory panel for the American Bar Association. He has been a presenter to other attorneys locally on family law and child related topics.

For over forty years Attorney Michael J. Smith has provided experienced family law representation. Family law...

At R.F. Wittmeyer, Ltd., we care about all of our clients. Along with our experienced and dedicated staff, Mr. Wittmeyer will personally handle your case from start to finish. Your case will not be shuffled off to a junior level attorney. We strongly recommend to injured parties that they retain competent legal representation early on, so a qualified attorney, such as Mr. Wittmeyer, can manage every aspect of their case, from the beginning. Our reputation has been built on the trust that we will professionally and aggressively prosecute every case we accept.

Joshua E. Stern, Esq. is the managing partner of Stern Mendez. As a dedicated family law practitioner, his goal is to help families through difficult transitions and act as a source of stability throughout the legal process. Whether you are preparing to marry or are leaving your marriage behind, Joshua provides the legal expertise you need while lending an empathetic ear and remaining sensitive to the individual needs of each and every one of his clients. Because every matter is unique, Joshua takes the time to listen to what his clients want and outline their options, so they know what to...

Rina Infelise is currently a partner at Rohde and Infelise, PC where she practices in all areas of Criminal law, traffic offenses, domestic violence and orders of protection. Additionally, Rina defends parties that are the subject of Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigations. and abuse and neglect proceedings.

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...

When experience counts, count on me. My career as a young attorney began in commercial litigation and quickly grew into Corporate & Business Litigation; with a very strong accounting and tax background I began to do more business and corporate law, estate and trust planning and the garden variety practice from bankruptcy to taking a small company public to heading a group in the successful purchase of a bank, and so on for the first 20 years of my practice. When someone asked me to handle my first divorce, I approached it as a business dissolution: logical and...

Axel R. Cerny grew up in the DuPage County community, attending Wheaton Academy in West Chicago. Following graduation in 2006, Axel attended Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications/ Journalism studies in 2010. From there, Axel returned to the area to study at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. He earned a Juris Doctorate degree in 2013, and after passing the bar exam was promptly hired to the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office as an Assistant State’s Attorney. There he worked for two years under DuPage County State’s Attorney, Bob Berlin, prosecuting...

Bobby Shulman is the co-managing partner of Stein & Shulman and specializes in representing individuals who have sustained serious personal injuries. Bobby has achieved more than 30 million dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients over his 20 plus years of practicing law. His practice area specialties include auto accidents, slip and falls, bicycle accidents, medical and nursing home negligence, and work-related injuries. The majority of Bobby’s litigation files involve the retention and usage of expert witnesses, especially in the premises liability area where expert testimony is critical to framing the theory of liability and proving your case. His background...

Cary M. Stein is the co-managing partner of Stein & Shulman, LLC and specializes in representing individuals who have sustained serious personal injuries. Recently he has been concentrating in representing individuals who have sustained injuries after accidents with uninsured and underinsured motorists. Cary has collected multiple millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for his clients over his 28 plus years of practicing law. He has tried 25 jury cases to verdict and has arbitrated over 500 mandatory and uninsured motorist cases. His practice areas include auto accidents, slip and falls, bicycle accidents, medical and nursing home negligence, and work related...

Welcome to the Law Office of Nirav S. Patel, P.C. We pride ourselves on being a different type of law firm; the kind of firm that focuses on the needs of its clients and understands their bottom line. We incorporate creative problem solving in order to achieve your goals. Our mission is to provide excellent legal services to each and every one of our clients. We are constantly in the pursuit of perfection while representing our clients. Each of you can expect highly personal service with regular interaction with an attorney.

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.

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...

Steve McCollum has extensive experience in Criminal, DUI, and Juvenile cases, including 16 years as a prosecutor and 20 years as a defense attorney. Formerly the Chief Deputy State's Attorney for Lake County, Steve is a member of the Board of the Lake County Bar Foundation, the past President of the Lake County Bar Association, and has been the Chairperson of the Criminal Law Committee for the Bar Association. He was previously selected by the Illinois Supreme Court to the screening committee for the Capital Litigation Trial Bar for the 19th Judicial Circuit. As an Assistant State's Attorney and...

Graduated university of Wisconsin 1977. John Marshall Law school 1980 work in the Lake County states Atty.'s office as a prosecutor for five years up until 1985. Handled all prosecutions from traffic cases to misdemeanors then onto felonies and everything including armedrobbery ,drug charges,murder sexual assault. Since 1985 I have been vigorously defending clients for the last 30 years on all types of criminal and traffic matters in Lake Cook Mckenry counties, and Kenosha county in Wisconsin. I have the knowledge and experience of dealing with all these prosecutors and judges in this area for a long time , which...

Nichole’s understanding of the great emotional toll family law disputes have on her clients helps her to assist her clients during a very difficult time. Nichole’s approach to her client’s matters is to advocate for her clients and find legally reasonable solutions which don’t exacerbate the financial toll divorce often takes on families, while also keeping her client’s best interests at the forefront. To help achieve this goal for her clients, Nichole has had extensive training with the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago, Illinois where she further developed her skills in the art of mediation. Nichole also trained in...

Owner and Principal Attorney at DLAW, PC As an attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience, Deanna Aguinaga Walker enjoys the flexibility that having her own law practice gives her. She is able to become personally involved with each of her clients, and she appreciates the opportunity to assist them on a wide range of legal matters. Deanna earned her Juris Doctorate degree from the Northern Illinois University School of Law in 1995. Since then, she has dedicated her career to meeting the needs of her clients. When you work with Deanna, you can expect her to provide legal advice...

Mr. Sowa was a Special Agent in the Illinois Bureau of Investigation, the State Police agency for investigating narcotics and organized crime, and later became an Assistant State's Attorney in DuPage County. Prominently active in the Kane County Bar, he is a member of its Criminal Law Committee and Courthouse Design Committee, and a lecturer on ethics and criminal law for the Kane County Bar Association Criminal Law Committee Seminars. Mr. Sowa is the past Chairman of the Criminal Law Committee.

Mr. Sowa manages our office in Geneva, handling cases in Kane, DeKalb, Kendall and outlying counties.

Mr. Sowa has extensive experience...

Diana Taylor focuses her practice on solving employment-related disputes for her clients. Whether assisting an employee or employer, Diana seeks to address these disputes from an approachable perspective. However, she has also successfully litigated and defended matters before various state courts, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and employment-related administrative agencies.

Having begun her legal career in a litigation practice focusing on personal injury and contract disputes, she led litigation against individuals, small businesses, and professionals and served as a key contributor in multi-faceted litigation and disputes against corporate defendants including insurance carriers, car...

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...