Mason Lawyers

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...

Ryan Bradley focuses his practice primarily on civil litigation including mass torts, especially defective medical devices and drugs, automobile accidents, wrongful death, medical negligence, products liability, and general personal injury. He is also involved in class action litigation as well as business litigation. He is leading the Syngenta Corn and Invokana litigation for Koester & Bradley, LLP and is developing the Firm's business consulting practice. Ryan leads the firm's mass tort and business litigation team and has been devoting much of his time to pursuing claims arising out of the defective metal hip prosthesis system. He...

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,...

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...

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...

After graduation from Chicago-Kent School of Law in 1995, Tor Hoerman began working at the defense firm Bullaro, Carton & Stone until he got a call from a plaintiffs firm, Kralovec, Jambois & Schwartz that they may have an opening for a young associate. Tor jumped at the opportunity and learned about his passion to help injured people against those that he had previously represented.

In his years at K,J&S, Tor learned how to work the Courtroom at the Daley Center, spending most of his days either trying cases or running from floor to floor arguing motions on behalf of his...

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...

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.

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...

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...

Jonathan T. Nessler began his legal career with Nessler & Associates in 2007. His practice is focused on personal injury claims, including catastrophic automobile accidents, nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, and wrongful death. Mr. Nessler has dedicated his entire legal career to helping injured people recover for their loss. He is recognized by the National Trial Lawyers as a Top 100 Trial Lawyer and a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyer in Illinois. He is also recognized by The Law Bulletin Publishing Company Leading Lawyers as an Emerging Lawyer. - Education Bachelor of Science...

Jeremy Sackett is a former prosecutor with over 15 years of courtroom intensive experience. He now represents clients in matters of criminal defense, personal injury, traffic violations, DUI's, evictions, orders of protection, and expungements.

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...

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...

Mr. Harrington joined the firm of Kanoski Bresney in November of 2014. Prior to making the move, he was a personal injury defense attorney for more than 20 years. This background and experience allow him to anticipate the defenses the insurance companies will use and stop them from wrongly denying your claims.

Suffering an unexpected personal injury can be frightening and traumatic. The most gratifying part of his job is the initial meeting with clients, where he can answer all their questions, explain exactly what to expect, and alleviate their concerns in their time of need. His practice includes all types...

Jordan joined the Spiros Law team in 2018 with eagerness to fight for innocent victims in his role as an Associate Attorney. Jordan's practice focuses on Nursing Home Abuse, Medical Malpractice, Defective Drugs and Devices, and other personal injury matters. Prior to joining Spiros Law, P.C., Jordan gained experience working as a legal advocate assisting with complex healthcare litigation in the General Counsel's Office for the United States Department of Health and Human Services. He also has served as a law clerk in the private sector and at the Missouri Public Defenders office. Most recently, Jordan has been awarded the...

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...

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...

Attorney Michael Throneberry has been pursuing cases on behalf of mesothelioma and asbestos lung cancer victims for nearly two decades. He is involved in every case the Firm takes on and is involved preparing clients for depositions, directing discovery, and negotiating the best outcome for the clients. Attorney Throneberry began practicing law at a large firm in St. Louis where he focused on commercial litigation litigating cases on behalf of individuals, small businesses and multi-national companies. After losing his father-in-law to mesothelioma, Attorney Throneberry began to focus exclusively on helping the victims of asbestos exposure, which primarily...

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...

Amy F. Spector is a managing partner with Hicks & Spector, L.L.C. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois . Ms. Spector holds a B.S. in Business Administration from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she majored in Marketing and minored in Psychology. Ms. Spector received her Juris Doctorate Degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law in Carbondale, Illinois, where she was an active member of the Phi Alpha Delta legal fraternity, as well as the student division of the American Bar Association.

After law school, Ms. Spector went on...

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.

Ms. Hicks has been practicing law in St. Clair and Monroe Counties for more than 10 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.

Sandra is a partner at Spiros Law, P.C. She devotes her legal career to representing injured persons in worker's compensation and personal injury matters throughout Central Illinois. Sandra has successfully tried cases in front of juries and has secured millions of dollars in settlements for clients throughout Illinois. Sandra is a member of the Bar Associations for Champaign and Vermilion Counties, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, and the Illinois Bar Association. She is a past president of the East Central Illinois Women Attorneys Association and currently serves on its program committee where she helps to design and facilitate continuing legal education...

Brandon C. Mayberry grew up in Jonesboro, Illinois. After high school, Brandon attended Shawnee Community College where he earned an Associates of Arts degree. He then attended Southern Illinois University, where he earned a B.A. in Paralegal Studies with a specialization in Pre-Law graduating Cum Laude. From there, Brandon went on to attend Southern Illinois University School of Law. Brandon graduated from the SIU School of Law. While in law school, Brandon was a member and marshal of the Phi Alpha Delta law fraternity. While attending SIU School of Law Brandon began working as a law clerk for the Law...

Roby Javoronok joined Kanoski Bresney as an associate in October 2020 with over 14 years of workers’ compensation experience. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he spent his childhood in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Roby graduated cum laude at Western Illinois University and Illinois Centennial Honors College before attending law school at Southern Illinois University. He enjoys traveling and working throughout Illinois. After law school, he has happily resided in Central Illinois.
Roby concentrates his practice in workers’ compensation and civil litigation. Roby has litigated cases on behalf of petitioners and respondents in each Illinois Workers Compensation Commission venue, giving...

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...

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,...

Chuck enjoys representing injured workers against large insurance companies and employers, working to assure that they receive the medical care that they need to recover and the benefits that they and their families require during the recovery process, as well as a fair settlement or award after treatment is complete.

He enjoys the unique challenges that each case presents and assisting clients with understanding and maneuvering through the always evolving worker's compensation law and procedure.

Charles (Chuck) Edmiston grew up in the small town of Abingdon, Illinois and attended the University of Illinois, graduating with high honors and a degree in Journalism...

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...

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.

Gina received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Illinois and Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University School of Law. During her law school career, Gina served as the Assistant Managing Editor of the Journal of Legal Medicine's Legal Medicine Perspectives.

Additionally, she interned at the St. Clair County State's Attorney's Office. Following graduation from law school, Gina worked for a large general practice defense firm in Springfield, Illinois. In 2018, Gina decided to focus her career on helping the injured and joined Kanoski Bresney.

Gina's pro bono activities are as follows:
Prairie State Legal Services, Volunteer Attorney, 2016 – present

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...

Seth A. Albin focuses his practice on the areas of Bankruptcy, including representing individuals and businesses, Creditor’s Rights, Family Law, including all aspects of divorce and adoption, including child custody, child support, maintenance, spousal support, and modifications, Enforcement and Collection of Judgments including replevin, garnishments and executions, Secured Transactions, Arbitration, Litigation, and Municipal Law.

Before joining Summers Compton Wells, Seth worked at one of the largest law firms in St. Louis and served as in-house counsel for a commercial lender. He has represented secured and unsecured creditors and debtors in all aspects of the debtor-creditor relationship, including work outs, debt...

A lifelong resident of Illinois, John Waldman raised his family in the Pekin/Peoria area, where he resides today. John attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, graduating with University Honors with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science and Paralegal Studies. He began practicing law after graduating from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1988.

After law school, John began working for a law firm that primarily did work for insurance companies, defending personal injury and workers' compensation claims. Trying to save insurance companies money at the expense of innocent accident victims was not very rewarding. He joined Kanoski Bresney in...

Gary K. Burger, Jr. devotes his practice to helping injury victims and their families, providing financial recovery and protecting the future of those injured, and making our community safer through advocacy and volunteer work. Chosen as a Superlawyer and a member of the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum ~AV rated lawyer by LexisNexis and Martindale-Hubbell, “The preeminent Rating … indicating the highest level of legal ability and ethics. The pinnacle of professional excellence.” ~Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy and Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy ~Admitted to practice in Missouri and Illinois, and in...

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....

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...

Megan M. Nolan was born in 1983 in Belleville, Illinois. Ms. Nolan received a B.A., Honors Diploma, from Murray State University, in 2006, where she majored in Psychology and minored in Criminal Justice. Ms. Nolan received her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law in 2009, where she pursued a concentration in Civil Litigation. She was admitted to the Missouri Bar in 2009, and the Illinois Bar in 2010.

I grew up in Southwest Missouri and was awarded the President’s Scholarship from Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) as well as a Bright Flight Scholarship. I graduated MSU cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. I was awarded the Lincoln-Harno Scholarship for the University of Illinois, College of Law. I wrote onto Law Review and served as an editor for that publication. I graduated from U of I, College of Law, cum laude.

My entire practice has been spent in private practice and I owned and operated my own firm, Law Offices of Sara M....