Stephenson County Municipal Lawyers

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.

Philip M. Fornaro is the managing attorney at Fornaro Law. Adopting a “never give up” attitude, Philip has become known for his ability to succeed where others fail for the last 20 years. His decision to diversify his practice in 2004 has resulted in the creation of a full service law firm which provides quality representation in a variety of legal areas. Philip follows the rule that positive energy will yield positive results. This energy is the driving force behind the success of Fornaro Law. He has become adept at creating a network and team between clients,...

Kevin G. Drendel Cornell College, cum laude, and a 1991 graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Law, magna cum laude. While at Northern Illinois University, he was a member of the Law Review, and published an article in the University’s scholarly (NIU Law Review 73, 1990). He also received the West Publishing Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement. He is admitted to practice in front of all Illinois State Courts and the U.S. District Court, the Northern District of Illinois. Kevin is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Kane County Bar Association: Director (1999-2000), ...

Daniel Lauber has been handling the most challenging land-use cases for decades. The skills developed in over 25 years of winning zoning approval for such LULUs (Locally Unwanted Land Uses) as group homes, sober homes, halfway houses, and recovery communities have translated well to winning zoning approval for commercial uses adjacent to residential areas and multi-family housing in communities known for their resistance.

Mr. Lauber's background as a city planner enables him to better understand and anticipate neighborhood objections -- and devise ways to prevent neighborhood opposition from arising.

Mr. Lauber also practices Fair Housing law, especially for sober homes, group homes,...

Practice concentrated in the defense of tort claims, the prosecution and defense of commercial disputes, the prosecution and defense of claims in the environmental field, the prosecution and defense of eminent domain actions, and in the preparation and presentation of materials and seminars providing legal education and training for business and claims professionals. Matters defended and prosecuted include asbestos, negligence, nuisance, trespass, warranty, contract, chancery (including claims seeking temporary, preliminary and/or permanent injunctive relief), breach of fiduciary duty, food poisoning and adulterated products, product liability, consumer fraud, premises liability, trucking, insurance coverage, corporate dissolution, condemnation, civil rights and employment...

Practice concentrated in the defense of tort, civil rights, and commercial claims, and in the prosecution and handling of appellate matters. Matters handled include negligence, municipal liability, Structural Work Act, premises liability, Civil Rights Act, Human Rights Act, product liability, Dram Shop Act, aviation, breach of contract, employment matters, gas explosion, patent infringement, and warehouseman's liability actions. Participated in all aspects of pretrial work, discovery, and trial preparation. Handled cases in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and other federal courts throughout the country; in the Circuit Courts of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage,...

Michele is an accomplished litigation and litigation management attorney with a proven track record of winning results at trial, arbitration and administrative hearings. She is known for her creative litigation strategies and communication skills. Result-oriented.

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.

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...

With 25 years’ experience, Vince provides his clients with a diverse skill set for advising on and resolving most legal issues. As an experienced trial attorney, Vince advises his clients on how to resolve conflicts before litigation; yet, when a lawsuit is filed, Vince transitions to the role as staunch advocate, having been involved in a diverse array of cases related to business disputes, non-compete/non-solicitation claims, business dissolution and accountings, construction defect, mechanic’s lien and breach of contract claims, estate planning and probate matters, and municipal and pension hearings. Vince has conducted more than 100 jury and bench trials, involving...

Sami Azhari focuses his practice on criminal defense in state and federal courts. His primary areas of practice include felonies such as drug possession, drug trafficking, assault and battery, weapons charges, and white collar crime, as well as misdemeanors and traffic violations. He has litigated numerous cases in state and federal courts, and has actively participated in all aspects of the litigation and trial process, including taking and defending depositions of lay and expert witnesses, conducting fact and expert discovery, briefing and arguing substantive motions, and conducting bench and jury trials with first chair experience. His...

• Practicing 48 years, Attorney Steven H. Jesser is the founder of Steven H. Jesser, Attorney at Law, P.C. He practices in health care law; appellate law (130 state/federal-civil-felony) appeals; administrative law; schools and education; state, local and municipal law; business and commercial law; probate, wills, trusts and estate administrations and government contracts. For his high ethical standards and long list of successful results, he holds the highest peer rating possible of AV Preeminent* from Martindale-Hubbell. • After earning a Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University, Mr. Jesser attended the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he obtained a Juris...

Jacob J. Frost practices in the areas of estate/trust administration, residential and commercial real estate purchases and sales, business organizations, governmental law, and wills and trusts. Attorney Frost has served and represented clients in the Illinois Valley area for several years. Frost earned his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law, with high honors in Legal Research and Writing. He received his Associate of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Illinois Valley Community College and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was admitted to both Phi Beta Kappa...

U.S. Air Force Veteran Michael S. Hopkins has been practicing law in Will and surrounding counties for more than a decade. He is a former prosecutor experienced in both the prosecution and defense of traffic and ordinance offenses, including misdemeanors. He is also well-versed in municipal law and has represented numerous clients in municipal matters, including liquor control, video gaming, planning and zoning, code enforcement, and boards of fire and police commissioners. Currently, Mr. Hopkins is accepting new clients in traffic, municipal, and general practice matters, including evictions.

In his free time, Michael is an avid motorcyclist and runner. ...

Gerald Dietz received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 1996, and his Juris Doctor from John Marshall Law School in 1999. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1999 and to the Wisconsin Bar in 2000. Mr. Dietz concentrates his practice on municipal law, townships, municipal prosecution, special districts, library and fire districts. He is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association; Illinois State Bar Association; Lake County Bar Association; and the Wisconsin Bar Association. Mr. Dietz is a Lieutenant with the Greater Round Lake Fire Protection District and has served as a...

David T. Arena joined Di Monte & Lizak in 1996. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in political science from Loyola University of Chicago in 1993, where he was a member of the Phi Sigma Alpha National Honor Society and recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. David received his law degree from Cleveland Marshall College of Law with honors in 1996. In 1995, David took first place in the Cleveland Marshall College of Law Moot Court Competition, where he received the Dean’s Moot Court Award for Outstanding Advocate and the Hugo Black Award for Outstanding Oralist. David participated in the 1995 ABA...

Tyler's practice emphasizes business organization and planning (including business formation and corporate maintenance); municipal law; creditors' rights (including foreclosures and collections); commercial law; real estate (including land use and zoning law); and estate planning.

Paul is an experienced civil litigation attorney. With a strong background in the insurance defense field for 30+ years, he is a knowledgeable and experienced trial and defense attorney. As well as being a litigator in trial courts, Paul has also argued cases before the Third District Appellate Court and the Supreme Court of Illinois.
He is currently a member of the LaSalle County, Illinois State Bar Assocation and the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel. Paul served on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Professional Responsibility from 2006 to 2015; and served as a special assistant Attorney General from...

When a client is looking to purchase, lease, or sell real estate, Duncan Lamphere brings a dynamic selection of experiences to help get his clients the deal they want without unneeded expenses or risks. Duncan has closed deals including large industrial and office building sales and leasing, small vacant parcels of land, residential transactions, commercial paper, agricultural and the sale of natural resource rights. He merges a diverse selection of deal experiences with an understanding of you as a business owner operator, an investor, developer or an entrepreneur.