Champaign Probate Lawyers

John L. GreenLeaf, Jr. has been in practice over 37 years representing consumers and businesses in Central Illinois. The firm concentrates in all forms of Bankruptcy, Business formation, and the preparation of Wills, Trusts and Estate Planning and administration of Probate Estates and Guardianships.

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.

Brian is proud to continue the tradition of personal services performed by Brainard Law Offices LLC, the oldest law firm in Charleston. We have the advantage of years of experience, both from debtor, creditor, and trustee perspectives, which enables our firm to provide superior bankruptcy services for our clients. We believe each client deserves individual attention.

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...

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

Monika M. Blacha provides knowledgeable and experienced legal counsel in the full range of family law matters, including divorce and the difficult decisions that must be made when ending a relationship. Because she understands how stressful resolving divorce issues can be, Monika emphasizes a personal approach with every client, tailoring her legal strategies to each individual’s unique needs. She provides clear communication throughout so her clients understand their options and are always informed on the status of their case.

In addition to family law issues, Monika helps clients navigate the Illinois probate process if a loved one has died. Whether you...

Jennifer Bunker Skerston has worked in the Illinois Valley legal community for the past seven years handling many litigation related matters including will contests, property tax appeals, breach of contract, and personal injury claims.

Jennifer Bunker Skerston is actively involved in the Illinois State Bar Association Trusts and Estates Section Council. She is the Editor of the Council’s monthly publication distributed to members throughout Illinois. She also assists the Council in providing continuing legal education to attorneys, determining the need for new legislation, and reviewing and suggesting changes to current legislative proposals affecting wills, trusts and estates....

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...

Mark Varboncouer is the founder of Varboncouer Law. Mr. Varboncouer is an experienced trial attorney who previously spent 10-plus years with Kirkland & Ellis LLP (“one of the nation's largest and most prestigious law firms”/ “known for its world-class litigation practice”/ “one of the ‘Fearsome Foursome’ — the four firms most likely to strike fear in opposing counsel”); and 4-plus years with another highly-prestigious 1,000-plus attorney law firm, McGuireWoods LLP, where he litigated a variety of issues: contracts, non-competes, tortious interference, unfair competition, fraud, licenses and complex intellectual property issues (e.g., patents, trade secrets, trademarks, copyrights, false advertising etc.)....

Bill was born and raised in Peoria, IL. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a B.A. degree in Government. He received his law degree (JD) at the University of Iowa graduating with honors. He has been practicing law in Central Illinois since his graduation and admission into the Illinois Bar. Legal ability and ethical standards ratings are published each year by the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.Bill has the highest possible rating of AV. The legal ability rating is "A" which means he is rated as very high to preeminent. The "V" rating means that he embraces faithful adherence...

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,...

I'm a trial attorney with extensive courtroom experience. I also teach college classes as an adjunct professor in areas such as criminal law, criminal procedure, business law, business ethics and corrections.

My primary practice focus is family law and domestic relations litigation. My secondary areas of concentration include estate planning and probate.

* 2018 SuperLawyers Top 2.5% Rising Star
* 2018 National Advocates Top 40 Under 40 Attorneys in Illinois in Matrimonial and Family Law
* 2018 Recognized as one of the "Ten Best" Family Law Attorneys in Illinois by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys (AIOFLA)

Andrewe W. Johnson was born in 1970, in Canton, Illinois. Andrewe graduated from Lewistown Community High School in Lewistown, Illinois. He attended Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois, from 1988 to 1990, before transferring to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1992 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in two majors, History and Rhetoric. Andrewe attended law school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, receiving his Juris Doctor degree with Honors in 1995. During law school, Andrewe served on the staff of the North Carolina Law Review and worked with the...

Warren Benning is the owner of Law Office of Warren Benning in Springfield, IL. The focus of my practice is on Elder law and probate planning. Also, I handle consumer bankruptcies. I offer free consultations as to estate planning and Elder law matters.
My passion is to help my clients understand their options as to advance directives and estate planning.

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...

Noah Benckendorf was born and raised in Morton, Illinois. He graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN in 2018 with a degree in history and economics. Noah went on to study law at the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law where he was a member of the Business Law Association. While in law school, Noah worked for Liberty Mutual Insurance as a law clerk doing insurance defense work. Noah also spent time with Protective Insurance as a law clerk in their corporate legal team. Noah went on to work at first American Title Insurance as a post-closing agent. In...

Attorney Kelly Karczmar graduated from the University of Chicago with honors in 1994. She graduated from the John Marshall Law School in 2005, where she served in the Fair Housing Legal Clinic. Ms. Karczmar served for six years as a Human Resources Director in a Fortune 100 company. She was responsible for union negotiations, employee relations and legal compliance. Ms. Karczmar is an attorney admitted to practice in the state bar of Illinois, as well as the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. She has practiced law since 2005. She is a member of...

Joe is a United States Army Veteran who founded Markell Estate Planning and Elder Law in 2014. Our firm specializes in estate planning, probate (contested and non-contested), and elder guardianships. We work with many business owners, real estate investors, and high-net-worth clients. Our business succession team is an expert in transferring legal ownership of LLCs, C-Corp, and other forms of ownership from one generation to the next, seamlessly transitioning family businesses. When Joe is not helping his clients with their legal needs, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Trisha focuses her private practice on individual and small business transactional and compliance matters. She handles all areas of real estate law, estate planning and probate matters, and business transactions and compliance. She believes in actively listening and communicating with her clients in order to help them accomplish their goals. Before starting her own practice, Trisha worked in both a large law firm and as general counsel for a small business. While working for one of the largest labor and employment law firms in the country, Trisha gained experience counseling employers on benefit law compliance and transactions....

Alex was born in Galesburg, Ill., and has lived in rural western and central Illinois throughout his life. He attended Knox College in Galesburg, graduating in 2011 with a double major in History/Political Science. Prior to law school, Alex worked as a special education aide at West Central High School in Biggsville, Ill., where he coached the football and track teams.Alex earned his J.D., cum laude, in 2016 from the Saint Louis University School of Law. Alex married his wife Joni in October 2021. They live in the Groveland area along with their two dachshunds and two cats. They welcomed...