Hindsboro Lawyers

Karl J. Wulff, (BA ’93, JD ’96) is the firm’s principal attorney. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Webster University in 1993. He received his Juris Doctor degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law in 1996. Prior to attending university Mr. Wulff served in the United States Navy on board the amphibious assault aircraft carrier U.S.S. Tripoli (LPH-10) in the air department from 1987 to 1989 and later on board the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Saratoga (CV-60) as a reservist, earning the Sea Service Ribbon and the National Defense Medal. Mr. Wulff is a member of the National...

Attorney Lauren A. Anaya has over 20 years' experience in the practice of law and is ready to put her experience to work for you. Dr. Anaya began her legal career with the United States Department of Justice after being hired pursuant to the Attorney General's Honors Program, the largest and most prestigious federal entry-level attorney hiring program of its kind. She served with the Executive Office for Immigration Review and subsequently went to work for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in the Office of the General Counsel. She knows immigration law and can assist...

LEANDRO A. ALHAMBRA
Respect, Compassion and Zealous Advocacy
Mr. Alhambra prides himself in providing each client with respect, compassion and zealous advocacy. Prior to pursuing his ambition of becoming a lawyer, Mr. Alhambra spent two years administering UAW disability benefits for a major insurance company. Seeing first hand some of the injustices done to working men and women, Mr. Alhambra made the decision to focus his talents representing the injured worker. His thorough knowledge and understanding of the insurance industry’s policies and procedures have proven to be a tremendous asset in obtaining maximum recovery for his clients. Since joining the firm...

Liz Nohren has been practicing law for over 20 years. Her first 5 years were spent at a commercial litigation firm in Chicago, where she thrived and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of a city practice. However, Liz felt a pull to return home to the family firm in Shelbyville and join her father in practice. She remained lead counsel on a couple trials, including a construction litigation jury trial, and completed that work by commuting to Chicago for approximately 8 months after her move at the firm's request. Since moving home to Shelby County, Liz...

I help clients protect their most valuable business assets: their ideas and inventions, their purpose, and their products. I help clients protect themselves and their assets through a combination of intellectual property management, business planning, and estate planning. I help business owners start and run their businesses successfully. I help clients keep their focus on the core parts of the business, the things that made them want to do it in the first place, by making sure their foundations and legal strategies are strong and tailored to their unique needs. My focus on clients’ legal issues takes that off their list...

Jon Erickson, known formally as Jonathan Parker Erickson, is a Decatur native and attended Decatur public schools through 12th grade. He graduated from Eisenhower High School in 1991 and completed his undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State University in 1995. He received his Juris Doctorate from Southern Illinois University in 1999. He was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois in 2000.

Jon worked as an Assistant State's Attorney for Macon County from Spring 2000 until December 2000 at which time...

Frank H Byers, II, has practiced law in Macon County Illinois since 1977. Frank started practice with his father in the firm Byers & Byers. The firm later became known as Byers, Byers & Greenleaf. After his father retired, Frank was a partner in the law firm Fuller, Hopp, McCarthy, Quigg & Byers before he began practicing law in the firm Frank H. Byers, II, Ltd., in 1995. Frank H. Byers, II, Ltd., is a full service litigation firm appearing in state and federal courts in Illinois. The firm represents both individuals and businesses in litigation in...

Dan Reynolds tells bad jokes and finds humor in the antics of poorly-behaved dogs. Dan is a lawyer serving Macon County and surrounding areas. His primary areas of practice are DUI, criminal law, divorce and family law, civil litigation, and FOID appeals.

Shayla Maatuka transitioned her private practice into the partnership of Dodd & Maatuka. She currently serves as managing partner for Maatuka Al-Heeti Emkes LLC. She combines her expertise as an entrepreneur - successfully establishing four businesses - with the practice of law, concentrating on civil and commercial litigation, personal injury, as well as business litigation. Her passion for the community helps others achieve their goals through entrepreneurship. She currently sits on the boards of Visit Champaign County and Mettler Studios, Inc. and formerly sat on the boards of the East Central Illinois Women Attorneys Association, the Executive Club...

Colby is an associate attorney at Meyer Capel, A Professional Corporation. Awarded his juris doctorate with honors (magna cum laude) by Northern Illinois University in 2012, Colby demonstrated excellence though his academic endeavors and by his participation as the Symposium Editor for the Board of Editors of the Northern Illinois University Law Review and as an accomplished moot court competitor. Colby was a Semi-finalist at the 29th Annual NIU Prize Moot Court Competition and an Octofinalist at the 30th Annual John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition in Information Technology and Privacy Law. Colby has...

I'm a lawyer in Decatur, Illinois at a full-service law firm. Before attending law school at the University of Illinois, I spent many years in the construction industry. This experience allows me to solve construction and real estate issues for my clients by applying a practical approach that many lawyers cannot. In addition, I'm one of the only lawyers in the Decatur area who assists social security claimants. I also take great pride in assisting injury victims in cases involving car accidents, slip and falls, dog bites, and work-injuries.

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,...

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...

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...

Top Criminal Defense and Personal Injury Lawyer - Attorney Baku N. Patel is lead counsel in all felony criminal defense cases and personal injury/wrongful death matters at Patel Law, P.C. Mr. Patel was born in 1969 in Baroda, Gujarat, India. He was raised in the United States when his parents arrived from India in 1970. Mr. Patel received two bachelor degrees from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1991, one in economics and one in political science. After graduating from college, he attended the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1994. U.S....

As a former teacher and school administrator, Jim Mullady brings a unique perspective to the practice of law at Meyer Capel. Mr. Mullady is a 1991 graduate of Indiana University School of Law at Indianapolis, which he attended on a fellowship. In addition to coursework at IU, his legal education included a year at the University of Illinois as a visiting scholar. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Mullady taught social studies in the central Illinois communities of Arcola and Fisher, and served as principal of the National Academy of Arts High School in Champaign for four years. Mr. Mullady was an...

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...

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...

Joseph D. Murphy is currently the president of Meyer Capel. Following law school and a two-year clerkship with a federal district court judge, Mr. Murphy began his practice with a Wall Street law firm, gaining substantial experience in trademark licensing and intellectual property litigation. Subsequently, he moved to a Washington, D.C.-based firm, where his practice concentrated in franchise litigation and counseling. Since returning to Champaign-Urbana in 1994 to join Meyer Capel, he has focused his practice on a combination of intellectual property (including franchise licensing) and telecommunications.

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...

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....

Steven A. Amjad brings extensive experience in many aspects of legal practice to the clients of Meyer Capel. Over the last several years he has practiced litigation including complicated commercial litigation, personal injury, toxic tort defense and criminal defense.

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...

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...

General practice solo law firm, with emphasis on criminal & DUI law, family law, real estate, and wills, estates & trusts.

With a focus on estate planning and administration, Marjorie A. Harris works closely with individuals and families who are seeking ways to provide financial security for today and protect their assets for the next generation. In addition to advising clients on trust and estates and tax planning matters, Marjorie's practice also includes the establishment and representation of nonprofit and charitable organizations, and charitable gift planning. A magna cum laude graduate of Brown University, Marjorie earned a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in applied mathematics and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. She went on to earn...

As a former senior tax consultant for a former Big Eight accounting firm, and as a business school graduate, Todd Black is uniquely qualified to advise clients on legal matters pertaining to estate planning and administration and corporate/business planning. A practicing attorney in Champaign-Urbana since 1987, Mr. Black joined Meyer Capel in 1993. Mr. Black received a bachelor of science in finance from the University of Illinois in 1983. He attended the University of Illinois on a full athletic scholarship and served as co-captain of the U of I's varsity tennis team. He was the recipient of numerous undergraduate honors, including...

Experienced intellectual property attorney handling patents, trademarks, trade secrets, copyrights, licensing and litigation. Registered patent attorney.