Bethalto Probate Lawyers

Attorney Robert M. Kaplan has been practicing law for more than 20 years. He is dedicated to assisting clients with family law, real estate law, bankruptcy law, estate planning and probate matters. After receiving a degree in law from The University of Florida College of Law in Gainesville, and working as a Public Defender in Miami, FL, Attorney Kaplan made the move to Illinois to start his own practice in 1991.

Aggressive, pragmatic, energetic, zealous representation of clients' interests, both in court and out of court, is a succinct summary of my experience and what I bring to the representation of all my clients.

My trial experience and ability is my biggest professional strength. I have been fortunate to try scores of cases, before judges and juries, representing multinational corporations, family owned businesses and individuals in a wide variety of matters. I have particular expertise and experience in prosecuting and defending emergent litigation matters such as temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions.

Mr. DeBlasio is the founder and managing member of DeBlasio & Gower LLC. Tony has over 22 years of experience as a trial lawyer and advisor. He has counseled individuals, business executives, for profit and not-for-profit companies and government bodies in complex litigation matters, internal investigations and dispute resolution strategies. Tony has been selected as an Illinois Super Lawyer in Business Litigation on many occasions. Only 5% of attorneys receive this distinction. Tony has represented clients from a multitude of industry sectors, including, health care, technology, communications, financial, education, real estate, manufacturing, construction, management...

Rick was affiliated with and became a partner in the law firm Chandler & Greenswag, P.C. from 1979-1993. Thereafter, he operated the Law Offices of Richard A. Greenswag, P.C. from 1993 until he then became a founding member of Kaplan & Greenswag LLC until March of 2011 when Greenswag & Associates, P.C. was formed.

Rick is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. Rick is also a member of the Board of Directors and is President of PADS Crisis Services, Inc., a charitable organization serving the needs of the homeless in...

Attorney Michelle Bugajsky focuses her practice on probate, estate planning, and family law. Whether assisting clients in planning for their futures or helping clients through problems in the here and now, Michelle provides caring and thoughtful legal services. Michelle takes great pride in combining her keen legal expertise of probate and estate planning law with a plan uniquely crafted for each specific client or family.

Michelle attended the University of Illinois at Chicago, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree, double majoring in Political Science and Criminal Justice. Thereafter, Michelle accepted an academic scholarship to attend the Illinois Institute of...

I am an Aurora, Illinois probate and guardianship attorney. Currently, I serve five counties in the Chicagoland area: Kane, DuPage, Cook, Will, and Kendall. In my law practice, I help families settle probate estates of loved ones who have passed away, including estates with contested issues. I also assist clients with guardianship cases for mentally disabled adult loved ones, as well as settlements to Minor children’s estates. Since starting out as a probate attorney in 2006, I have handled literally hundreds of probate and guardianship cases across several counties of the greater Chicago area. Because of...

Carin Brio started her practice at one of the largest real estate law firms in the State of Massachusetts as one of a handful of associates who represented clients in over 200 real estate cases every month. Since then, she has added estate planning, probate, family law, and other areas of law to her practice and helped hundreds of clients with the legal matters that are important to them. Now based out of Knoxville, Tennessee, Carin and her staff work diligently on their cases - whether it is a contested divorce case, setting up a trust for your family, or...

Richard Schmack was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Berwyn, Illinois. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from North Central College in Naperville, Illinois in 1977 with double majors in Political Science and History. In 1980 he received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Upon graduation from law school in 1980, Richard was admitted to the Illinois Bar and the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the Federal Trial Bar. Richard has made DeKalb County his home since1985. He, his wife, Jackie, who is his office manager, and...

Mary Ludwig received her J.D. and M.B.A., along with a Certificate in Food and Agricultural Law from Drake University in 2005. Prior to that she received a Bachelors of Science in Agriculture Economics from the University of Illinois. Mary concentrates her practice in agricultural law, estate planning, real estate transactions and probate. Her agricultural law experience includes organization and representation of production agricultural farm operations, agricultural cooperatives, grain elevators, agricultural input suppliers, ethanol and bio-diesel plants, and specialty farm product companies, wind tower and cell tower leases and easements, pipeline, gas, public utility and fiber optic easements,...

Jeffrey Li joined Kralovec, Jambois & Schwartz in 2017 as a law clerk and in 2018, following his admission to the Illinois Bar, became an associate attorney at the firm. Mr. Li focuses his practice in nursing home negligence, medical malpractice, motor vehicle accidents, personal injury, and probate matters. Mr. Li is also involved in the Opioid litigation, a mass tort case involving a pharmaceutical manufacturer’s deceptive marketing practice of a highly addictive prescription medication. Mr. Li received his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School (now known as UIC John Marshall Law School) in 2018. While attending law school, Mr....

Brian J. Banahan has been practicing law in DuPage, Kane and Cook County Illinois for over 20 years. He began his legal career and learned his way around the courtroom in 1997 as a full time 711 prosecutor with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office. From there, Mr. Banahan moved to serve as chief legal counsel and Deputy Public Administrator for DuPage County for 17 years. In that job, Mr. Banahan managed, administered, litigated, settled, and closed hundreds of decedent’s estates and an extensive number of related legal matters in nearly every area of the law. In the process, he...

I founded Corporate & Estate Legal Services, Ltd. to focus on business contracts, commercial litigation, estate planning and probate cases. I have decades of experience handling civil litigation and commercial contracts. I represent both plaintiffs and defendants. I have a broad spectrum approach to B2B litigation. I can negotiate deals, document agreements, litigate, pursue post judgment collection, and prosecute or defend judgments on appeal. I was a scholastic debater in high school and college. I am very comfortable with contract litigation, declaratory judgments, decedent's estates, and business torts. My experience affords me the luxury of handling all phases...

Meet Jacklyn Truppa, Your Trusted Estate Planning Attorney at Dynasty Law, LLC! Jacklyn Truppa is not your ordinary estate planning attorney. With a genuine passion for helping individuals and families shape their legacies, Jacklyn brings a unique combination of legal expertise and heartfelt compassion to her practice. Known for her warm and approachable demeanor, Jacklyn understands that estate planning is more than just paperwork—it's about empowering you to protect your loved ones and create a lasting impact. She takes the time to listen attentively to your goals, concerns, and wishes, ensuring that every aspect of your estate plan is customized to your...

Lisa Knauf is an attorney that combines her legal expertise with real world experience. She had a successful sales career before going back to school to attend Northern Illinois Univ. College of Law for her law degree, She is licensed to practice law in Illinois and is the owner of Knauf Law Office PC in Addison Illinois, which merged with Pankau Law in January 2020. The Knauf Law practice concentrates in the areas of estate planning, including wills, living trusts, and powers of attorney, probate administration, real estate and elder law. Lisa is an active member of her community, having served...

Michael A. Otte concentrates his practice on estate planning, trust administration, and contested and litigated estates and trusts. Additionally, Michael's particular area of focus is in elder law matters, including Medicaid planning, Medicaid appeals, guardianship, contested guardianships, nursing home contract review, general elder law matters requiring litigation or other court involvement, and other issues affecting the legal needs of older people. Michael has given dozens of both public and private seminars on his areas of experience in order to educate the public and fellow attorneys on important estate planning and elder law concepts. Michael is a member of the Chicago...

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...

Ben Schneider is a client focused which means that it is important to him to cultivate a personal relationship with each of his clients. By doing this, he is able to give each new client’s case individual attention and analyze every legal issue thoroughly and completely.

Ben Schneider acts as the one of the principal bankruptcy attorneys for Schneider & Stone where he focuses on individual Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filings as well as business Chapter 7 and Chapter 11 filings. Ben also practices in the areas of family law and litigation and is the point attorney for divorce and...

James is the principal attorney at the Law Office of James C. Siebert & Associates, P.C. / Elder Law & Estate Planning Attorneys, P.C. The Office provides legal services throughout the Chicago area concentrating in Elder Law, Medicaid Planning, Asset Preservation, Medicaid Application Representation, Child Caretaker Agreements, Appeals of Medicaid Denials or unfavorable decisions, Nursing Home Contract Review, Nursing Home Injuries and Abuse, Estate Planning, Revocable Trusts, Irrevocable Trusts, Alzheimer’s & Dementia Planning, Parkinson’s Planning, Addicted Beneficiary Planning, Special Needs Trusts, Special Needs Planning, Probate Administration, Trust Administration, Guardianship and Real Estate. James C. Siebert is one...

I am a thrid generation attorney originally from Quincy. I focus my practice on estate planning and estate administration because its a topic that is so important to every family. Whether it's a young family like mine where primary concern is ensuring children are taken care of in the event something happens to the parents, a family with adult children who need a little protection from themselves (or an ex-spouse), or a multi-million dollar estate with complex tax planning issues; everyone needs an estate plan. I try to make the process as easy as possible for you so that a...

I am a personable and caring attorney who aims to serve those in need.

My office is located in Coles County, but happy and able to serve those as far north as Champaign-Urbana, or as far south as Effingham.

Brief Bio
Adam Lawler is the founder of Lawler Brown. Adam is a 2004 graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law. Adam worked for a local firm until founding the Lawler Brown in 2009. Adam’s practice areas focus in Personal Injury, Business, Real Estate, Probate/Trust/Estate Administration and general litigation.

BAR ADMISSIONS:
Illinois, 2004
U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois
U.S. District Court Central District of Illinois
U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Southern District of Illinois

EDUCATION:
Illinois, 2004
J.D., Saint Louis University School of Law, St. Louis, Missouri, 2004
B.S. (Business Economics) and B.S. (Business and Administration)
Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, 2001

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND...

Brent Glenn graduated from The University of Chicago Law School in 2000. He began his career at top law firms in Chicago and Washington, D.C. including Winston & Strawn and Sheppard Mullin. At that time, he concentrated his legal career on commercial real estate matters including real estate finance of both borrowers and lenders, commercial real estate sales, purchases and leases. In addition, he provided real estate support in corporate transactions valued at more than a billion dollars.

In 2017, Brent opened his own practice in Barrington, Illinois. In addition to commercial real estate, his practice now includes a...

Vicki Hathaway Gonzalez is an experienced facilitator of real estate transactions. Vicki is known for her style of representation that insists that her clients are fully informed of their rights and obligations under their real estate contract, as well as the real consequences of their decisions regarding those rights and obligations.

Vicki's interest in real estate started long before her graduation from John Marshall Law School in 1992. She started investing in real estate in the 1970's, then became a licensed real estate agent, and also taught real estate licensing for the Century 21 Real Estate Academy. As an attorney, she...

Mildred ("Millie") V. Palmer graduated Cum Laude from University of Flordia's College of Law in 1990 with a concentration in taxation and estate planning. After graduation she went to work for Ernst and Young as a tax attorney in the Special Services Group while taking LLM classes at Chicago Kent. In 1992 she moved from Ernst and Young to Gardner Carton and Douglas where she practiced tax law. As a tax attorney attached to a large firm, Millie saw a wide variety of work in the area of taxation, charitable giving, corporate work and estate planning. During this time, she...

As a an attorney with over 20 years of expereince, I can provide quality legal services in a cost effective manner in the areas of Probate, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Health Care and business matters. Every matter is unique and I take the time to find solutions that work for each client's situation and goals.

Michael V. LoCicero has practiced law in DuPage County for over three decades. Michael's dedication to the community includes volunteering in local education, sports, and government programs. As a seasoned attorney, he believes in personal service at a reasonable price and dedication to cases from start to finish. Michael values open communication with his clients by keeping them fully informed about case matters, providing advice, and ultimately helping clients make the best, fully-informed decisions possible. Michael's problem solving and cost-effective approach allows him to reach client goals as quickly as possible at a reasonable rate.

Attorney Shekar Jayaraman, Esq., LL.M has a multi-faceted background of both public and private sector experience. He is passionate, zealous, and detail oriented.

Notably, Attorney Jayaraman was a Judicial Clerk for a United States Magistrate, with a heavy focus on violent crimes. He earned an LL.M. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in Business and Corporate Governance, and has served under the Ohio Secretary of State as a Regional Liaison, handling Business Services and Elections.

While in law school, Attorney Jayaraman was selected as an Extern for a United States Magistrate for the summer after his first year, and...

Andrew T. Flynn is a 2011 graduate of Southern Illinois University School of Law. While at SIU, Andrew was a member of the School of Law’s Trial Team that successfully competed in several national trial competitions. Prior to joining the Lawler Brown Law Firm in 2017, Andrew worked at Tetzlaff, Flynn & Associates, P.C. in Marion, while focusing on Divorce and Family Law, Guardianships and Estates, Criminal Defense, and Business Formation and Transactions.

Attorney Robert (Bob) Canfield was born and raised in Rockford, IL. He graduated from Guilford High School in 1965. After joining the Army in February of 1968, he went on to Army flight school and graduated 2nd in his flight class. He spent a year in Vietnam flying CH-47 Chinook helicopters for the 101st Airborne Division and then returned to Fort Rucker, Alabama, as an Instrument Flight Instructor.

Following active Duty, he attended the University of Minnesota where he received his BA in psychology in 1976 and his Law degree in 1978. After taking and passing both the...

Attorney Kezy is a compassionate attorney who understands the emotions involved in divorce and family law matters. Mark L. Kezy, who is no stranger to the courtroom focuses on providing straight forward, common senses solutions as an alternative to expensive, protracted litigation, while promising aggressive, uncompromising representation in Court when compromise is no longer an option.

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...

Along with his years of experience, Lake County divorce attorney Van A. Schwab has a solid educational basis for his divorce and family law practice. After receiving his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, he received his law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law. Because of recent, up-to-date training, Mr. Schwab is a certified divorce mediator, and is prepared to handle family law issues through collaborative law methods. He has published an article on cohabitation in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Licensed to practice family law in the states of Florida, Illinois, and New Jersey, he...

Attorney Bio Jeffery P. Story, Attorney at Law: Jeff Story graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts in 2005 and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar that same year. During the past eight years he has worked in civil litigation in Chicago. He is married to Amy Marinacci, a fellow attorney that he met in law school. Amy grew up in Evanston where her family still lives. Jeff and Amy have a young son, Gabriel who goes to Pope John XXIII School in Evanston. Jeff recently lost his mother and father within...

Patrick S. Sylvester is the founder of PSS Law, which At PSS LAW, which is proud to provide outstanding representation to clients who are seeking legal assistance in the greater Chicago area, Wisconsin, and Florida. We offer experienced, dedicated legal counsel, and have achieved excellent results for our clients. PSS Law attorneys are skilled at both transactional law in the areas of estate planning, probate, wills and trusts, real estate, and business law as well as courtroom battles (estate litigation and trials). PSS Law attorneys understand that each case is unique and use their knowledge of the legal system...

Nicole M. Soltanzadeh is a principal at The Law Office of Nicole M. Soltanzadeh, where she advises clients in estate planning, estate and trust administration, and real estate negotiations. She works with clients of large, medium, and small estates, providing each client with high-quality and practical representation.

Early in her career, Nicole earned substantial experience as a litigator, advocating for her clients routinely in state and federal court, and at the trial and appellate levels. She has skillfully brought hundreds of cases to closure through mediations, settlement conferences, and trials.

Nicole graduated with honors from The George Washington...