Merna Lawyers

Attorney Ronald L. Bell has extensive litigation and negotation experience and has held former positions such as the Assistant Illinois Attorney General and Chief Corporate Counsel to a $250 million dollar company. Ronald Bell has argued and/or presented cases before the United States Supreme Court, Illinois Supreme Court, 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and every Illinois appellate court. Attorney Bell has top academic credentials and he was the top student in his law school class at the age of 23, a former editor of the law review and graduated college at the age of 20.

I am a lifelong Chicagoland resident with a passion for helping families plan their estates so their loved ones are cared for upon their passing. I utilize wills, trusts, powers of attorney for property and healthcare, with the goal of both ensuring that assets pass to your intended loved ones and to make sure that the right people are acting on your behalf if you are unable to make decisions. For families with a recently deceased loved one, I will represent the appointed fiduciaries in administering the estate, be it probate administration or trust administration. I am licensed to practice in...

A former prosecutor, I gained insight into what the government looks at when prosecuting defendants. I have successfully conducted many jury trials (140+). From Murder to Drug Trafficking to DUI I have won my clients cases. Let my 33 years of trial experience work for you. My practice is primarily criminal defense oriented. Madison, St. Clair, Jersey, Macoupin, Monroe, Montgomery, Clinton, Calhoun, Fayette and Bond counties are the counties I concentrate in. Unlike other attorneys, we don't practice in other areas such as bankruptcy, collections, or small claims. We prefer to concentrate...

Attorney David R. Drwencke brings an aggressive, nuanced approach to every file that he works on and will do his best to find creative solutions to resolve clients’ legal matters. When you work with Attorney Drwencke, you will be working with an experienced professional who prioritizes his client-attorney relationship. He seeks to be an approachable and communicative advocate for his clients going through a tough time. As a “Rising Star” according to Super Lawyers Magazine in from 2018 to 2026 Attorney Drwencke has the skill and experience to defend you. He is licensed with the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State...

Laura J Hoover (formerly Smith) has come to the practice of law by a dedication for providing legal services to those that are in need. This means that clients will receive a quality service and zealous advocacy, but at a fee arrangement they can afford. Laura began her career at Legal Aid by representing low-income families in Detroit, Michigan. For two years, Laura aided Wayne County residents who were in need of help with their divorce, child custody and support issues. In addition, Laura assisted the elderly population of Detroit, Michigan by providing estate planning, foreclosure and...

I have been practicing law for over 35 years. I graduated 3rd in my class from law school, so I had the opportunity to work at one of Chicago's largest law firms on Michigan Avenue, Ross & Hardies, right out of law school. At that time my experience was mostly in the area of personal injury law having clerked during law school for one of the nations top personal injury lawyers, Leonard M. Ring & Associates. In April of 1991 I started my own firm that has continued to prosper under the philosophy of providing, "Quality,...

Clyde Guilamo is a trial lawyer with heart! He cares about his clients, he cares about his cases, and he cares about the result! When you aren't looking for a plea deal and want to take your case to trial, you want attorney Clyde Guilamo by your side. He is smart, he is good, and he is a lawyer that you can trust. Clyde Guilamo graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in Mathematics and Economics. He then attended Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he represented the school in its mock trial competition team, becoming the Midwest Champion in...

Gary Burger is managing partner of Burger Law, a St. Louis-based personal injury law firm. Gary has dedicated his 32+ year career to the rigorous pursuit of justice for injury victims and their families. His zealous representation has recovered over $200 million for clients so far. Gary's legal experience spans all personal injury, including motor vehicle crashes, wrongful death, medical malpractice, product liability, premise liability, workers' compensation and more. His wins have been featured in the media and he has hundreds of great reviews from clients. He is licensed to practice in Missouri and Illinois, the Missouri Supreme Court, the U.S....

Susan Guthrie has been nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of family law and mediation for more than 32 years. She currently works with high net worth individuals and families as a consultant to support them in navigating the divorce and separation process. Her knowledge and access to the top experts in divorce and all related fields, makes her the voice that people can trust in a difficult time. Her expertise in online mediation brought her to the forefront of the dispute resolution field during the pandemic as she provided training and programs to support more than...

Ms. Sarantakis is the Founding Attorney of Sarantakis Law Group, Ltd. in Oak Brook, IL. She concentrates her legal practice in domestic relations. In addition to her work in the courtroom, she is versed in alternative methods of dispute resolution as a mediator, Guardian ad Litem, and Fellow of the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois. She was recently recognized by the Illinois State Bar Association's Young Lawyer of the Year, the American Bar Association's Top 40 Lawyers in the United States with an On the Rise Award, Super Lawyers as a Rising Star, named as one of the Top 10...

Rich Fonfrias is a respected Financial Rescue and Bankruptcy Lawyer based in Chicago, Illinois. He has practiced law since 1996 and has in-depth experience helping families and business owners overcome serious financial problems. Rich represents clients in all types of financial emergencies, including creditor lawsuit defense – credit card defense – foreclosure defense – debt elimination, reduction and settlement – tax elimination, reduction and settlement – and loan and mortgage modifications, as well as chapter 7, 11 and 13 bankruptcies. In 1990, Rich graduated from State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in...

Attorney Mark DeBofsky is the founding partner of DeBofsky Law as well as an adjunct professor of law at UIC Law School. He has also lectured at conferences sponsored by the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and LexisNexis/Mealey's. He is a regular writer for Law 360 and other industry publications. Many of his cases have resulted in precedent-setting decisions that have been published by the federal appellate courts. In 2008, he was nominated as a finalist for LexisNexis' Insurance Law Center Policyholder Attorney of the Year award. Attorney DeBofsky is proud to have been recognized...

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...

Welcome to the Chicago, Illinois, Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C., a premier Chicago criminal law attorney who knows how the system works and when to negotiate or simply take the gloves off and fight it out in court.

We pride ourselves on providing our clients the most powerful and aggressive criminal defense available in the Chicagoland area. We handle all criminal cases, including drug offenses, rape, assault and murder.

Experienced, Compassionate, Aggressive Criminal Defense

If you have been charged with a crime, you want to know your attorney will take a sincere interest in your case and do...

Ms. Sexauer focuses her practice on probate matters, including: elder law, guardianship, estate planning, wills, trusts, and will contests. She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. Stephanie speaks Spanish fluently and is regularly selected by Cook County judges to serve as a court-appointed Guardian ad Litem for disabled adults. Stephanie also serves on the Judicial Evaluation Committee of the Chicago Bar Association.

Michael Leonard has a well-earned reputation as one of Chicago's best criminal defense and trial lawyers. Michael is known for obtaining not guilty jury verdicts for his clients in State and Federal criminal prosecutions. He and his Firm, Leonard Trial Lawyers, regularly represent clients facing serious felony charges in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, Winnebago, LaSalle, and McLean counties. They have obtained successful outcomes for their clients in virtually every type of State criminal charge, ranging from murder and attempted murder, to UUW and gun crimes, to drug crimes, to car jacking, assault and battery and sex crimes, to "White Collar"...

I am a divorce attorney with a very strong financial background as a CPA with a LLM which is a Master of Tax Law degree. I am Partner at the firm Harrison & Held, LLP and our offices in downtown Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. I am consistently recognized as one of the best family lawyers in Illinois by my peers and have been named as an Illinois Super Lawyer and recognized by the Leading Lawyers Network every year since 2009. I am proud to have been selected by my peers for inclusion in the 21st Edition of The Best...

Chicago criminal defense attorney Darryl A. Goldberg is an aggressive advocate who is no stranger to high profile cases or the high stakes world of federal court. In his federal criminal defense practice, Mr. Goldberg assists individuals throughout the United States who are or may be the focus of federal criminal investigations (pre-indictment), and individuals who have already been formally indicted or charged and are facing prosecution in any of our nation's federal district courts. Although Mr. Goldberg offers effective criminal defense representation against any type of federal charge, his primary focus is on defending individuals charged with white collar crimes such...

Before pursuing his law degree at the University of Iowa, Aaron B. Maduff dedicated himself to advocacy for rape victims, a role that naturally segued into a legal career focused on sexual harassment, employment discrimination, and other civil rights and employment law issues. While Aaron's practice encompasses a broad spectrum of legal areas, he particularly excels in appellate work, handling cases spanning Constitutional, Criminal, Military, and employment law. In his employment practice, Aaron handles a diverse range of cases, from sexual harassment and employment discrimination to matters involving overtime, unpaid wages, and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims. He also...

Attorney Charles N. Therman is an effective, experienced, compassionate advocate. He represents clients in personal injury, workers' compensation, nursing home abuse, bankruptcy and foreclosure defense matters. He provides straightforward answers and solutions for his clients. Contact Charles for a free consultation!

Daniel A. Goldfaden was hired as an associate attorney at Levin & Perconti in June 2014. Prior to his hiring, Daniel worked at a plaintiff’s class action litigation firm following his admission into the Illinois Bar on October 2013. In September 2019, Daniel was named to the Law Bulletin's list of “40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch.” Daniel focuses his practice on nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death matters. Daniel chose a career in personal injury law because he wanted to be able to help people who were going through difficult periods of...

Seth L. Cardeli is a Partner at Levin & Perconti in Chicago. With more than a decade of experience, he is a skilled trial attorney who represents families across the U.S. affected by medical negligence and malpractice, particularly those involving birth-injured children. Seth has expertise in the complex medical and legal challenges of birth-injury litigation. He regularly delivers educational seminars for fellow attorneys on topics such as depositions and overcoming discovery obstacles. He recently taught “Basic Fetal Heart Rate Patterns, Nomenclature, and Etiology,” helping lawyers interpret electronic fetal heart study data. He has also authored articles in legal journals examining issues...

Michael F. Bonamarte IV was hired as an associate attorney in August 2005 after graduating from John Marshall Law School. Mike is well-known and respected by his peers, clients and opposing lawyers for his diligent and passionate work on behalf of those who have been harmed as a result of wrongful conduct. Mike has achieved outstanding results in a number of high-profile nursing home, wrongful death, medical malpractice and personal injury lawsuits. In March 2014, he was named Partner at Levin & Perconti.

Mike is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Illinois Trial...

Margaret P. Battersby Black is the Managing Partner at Levin & Perconti, where she handles complex cases involving medical malpractice, birth injuries, nursing home negligence, and serious personal injury. Known for her trial experience and leadership, Margaret has helped secure numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for her clients, including a $29 million birth injury settlement and a $20 million verdict in a preventable HIE case. Since joining the firm as a law clerk in 2006, Margaret has played a key role in shaping Illinois law to protect injury victims. She won a landmark appellate case that ensured nursing home residents could...

Recognized for his national reputation and success as a child advocate, Dov Apfel has investigated and litigated birth trauma and obstetrical malpractice claims involving children with cerebral palsy and other neurological and intellectual disabilities throughout the United States for over forty years. Mr. Apfel’s lifetime of achievements in birth injury litigation, education and advocacy was recognized by the Executive Board of the Birth Trauma Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice in 2011, an organization consisting of thousands of trial lawyers throughout the United States, when he received the Dan Cullan Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award. Judges, too, have recognized Mr....

Bruce Pfaff dedicates 100% of his practice to representing plaintiffs in product liability, medical malpractice, and all other types of personal injury and wrongful death cases. Bruce Pfaff has been a trial lawyer since 1979, representing people injured or killed by wrongful conduct. He received excellent training from two premier law firms before starting his own practice in 1991. Bruce has succeeded for clients in cases including those hurt by unsafe or defective products, medical malpractice by obstetricians, anesthesiologists, cardiologists, neurosurgeons, other doctors and hospital personnel, careless driving, poor maintenance of property, sexual assault, legal malpractice, and other forms...

Lisa A. Copland has significant experience in several areas of the law including domestic relations, civil litigation, probate, breach of contract and real estate law. She represents men and women in divorce cases, which includes division of property, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support and parenting time. Lisa routinely represents buyers and sellers in residential and commercial real estate transactions. Through the firm's full service approach, attorneys also assist clients in estate planning and civil litigation.

William Wolf has been a criminal defense lawyer for over 28 years. He has an extensive amount of experience handling all kinds of cases ranging from homicide to sex crimes to narcotics. Mr. Wolf excels in strategic thinking which has helped him serve thousands of people to win at trial or get the best deal possible. He has vast experience in jury trials, bench trials, and motion hearings to protect his clients from overzealous law enforcement and prosecutors. He has been published in the State of Illinois and nationally on topics including defending homicide cases, cross-examining expert witnesses, and Confrontation...

Larry A. Davis graduated from Northwestern University (B.A. cum laude, 1973) and DePaul University (J.D. 1976). He is currently the principal of The Davis Law Group, P.C. in Northfield, IL . His practice is now concentrated in the area of DUI Defense and administrative hearings before the Secretary of State. He was a co-drafter of the original Illinois Summary Suspension Law and drafted revisions to the current Illinois MDDP law on behalf of the ISBA. He is a member of the legislative subcommittee for the ISBA Traffic Laws and Courts Section Council. He is a chapter author...

For over 30 years, Joseph M. Lucas has provided legal services that can't be matched in personal injury, real estate, and business law. Through Joseph's guidance, many of his clients have avoided serious personal, financial, and legal problems. Please contact Joseph at Lucas Law online or by phone at 847-381-8700.

I enjoy working on a variety of legal matters for our firm.

Some of the more regular tasks include representation of clients in an array of tax disputes before the IRS and the Illinois Department of Revenue. These cases often work there way through the administrative level, up through appeals, and often to the United States Tax Court. My clients have scored significant victories in Audit Defense, Offer in Compromise and Innocent Spouse cases.

I am also experienced in drafting employment contracts such as employment and separation and termination agreements as well as restrictive covenants.

I represent buyers and sellers in residential real...

Illinois Attorney that concentrates in Appeals. Licensed to practice in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

For almost two decades, Mario Iveljic has represented a wide variety of clients in cases all around the country. Since founding Mag Mile Law with his law partners, Mario has focused his law practice on insurance claims and litigation, real estate transactions and litigation, and sports law. He personally handles all of his matters without any paralegals and his clients appreciate the personal attention they receive. He is extremely detail oriented, able to explain complicated legal matters to clients in a way that they can understand, and someone who will not shy away from a fight. Mario is also a...

Attorney Carbide provides remote counsel services for startups in need of corporate documents, corporate governance, licensing, and BSA/AML compliance. As a new company, obtaining the correct license quickly and creating accurate contracts and compensation structures will set your company on the path for success, while creating the proper dynamics to motivate your team. Since every company will require a different approach, Attorney Carbide devotes ample time with executives and upper management to understand all relevant risks and concerns to provide a tailor made solution to maximize profits and mitigate risk. Attorney Carbide often represents cryptocurrency and financial technology...

In 2015, Aaron co-founded Rifkind Patrick LLC, a client-focused law firm representing businesses, investors, entrepreneurs, and others in general transactions, compliance, business operations, contract negotiation, partnership and shareholder disputes, business litigation, construction disputes, and more. He is also the firm's Co-Managing Partner.

Lisa Bragança protects individuals and businesses from being bilked by Wall Street and bullied by regulators. She knows how to get important information to securities regulators early, before they have reached a decision on whether to charge and what to charge. Lisa served as a Branch Chief in the Division of Enforcement of the Chicago Office of the Securities & Exchange Commission, where she handled investigations of accounting fraud, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, churning, and unsuitability. While at the SEC, Lisa collaborated with the federal criminal prosecutors in securities fraud investigations at major corporations. Since leaving the SEC, Lisa has...

Provided professional language support for the federal, criminal and immigration courts nationwide. Studied asylum, U.S. immigration and refugee law in Moscow Russia, 2002, and Rome, Italy, 2004. Provide professional legal representation with federal and state criminal charges. Contact us directly at 773-562-8602 and we will analyze your potential exposure to criminal charges timely, efficiently, and without delay. Specialize in U.S. immigration law practice adjusting status, naturalization, family-based AOS to LPR. We assist clients with both affirmative and defensive asylum claims. Developed a keen expertise in evaluating, handling and completing asylum and removal cases in the U.S. Immigration Courts. Successfully prevailed on...

Robert Castle is a proven business attorney and trusted advisor. He takes great pride in providing personalized, professional legal services that helps his clients achieve their goals. He has guided businesses of all shapes and sizes through various corporate, franchise, and securities matters—and is highly skilled at drafting and negotiating clear narratives for all types of commercial contracts, franchise documents, and compliance material tailored to each client’s unique needs. Rob has a proven track record for defining and executing nuanced legal strategies relating to business operations, complex transactions, franchise matters, and intricate regulatory compliance issues. ...

Attorney Militello is the Managing Parter at Prime Law Group, LLC. Prime Law Group is truly a team of lawyers and staff. Our collaborative approach often takes the form of cooperation to share past experiences and develop creative approaches to new issues. This team approach has the additional advantage that if a new issue suddenly arises or an existing project becomes a top client priority, we can quickly assign additional lawyers who will already have the background necessary to tackle the problem at full speed.

The first divorce I handled was my own. I personally understand the emotional turmoil my clients experience and strive to reduce the stress caused by a family law case. I opened my own law firm to focus on the needs of clients. Because a family law case strains an individual both mentally and monetarily, every clients needs to have effect representation at a reasonable rate. GOAL: Resolve every case as cost-effective and quickly as possible while pursuing the client's objectives UNDERSTANDING THE CASE. Explaining each stage, each document, and each court...