Effingham County Probate Lawyers

Izabela concentrates her practice in estate and trust planning, probate, and estate and trust administration and litigation. Izabela also assists clients in planning for disability and special needs. Izabela also handles guardianship proceedings and serves as a volunteer Guardian Ad Litem for the Cook County Circuit Court. Additionally, Izabela has experience with domestic and international income tax and business planning, and corporate and individual tax controversies. She also advises clients on business succession matters, wealth transfer and preservation, and corporate, partnership and limited liability company transactions, including drafting various business arrangements and agreements. Izabela was named as an Illinois Super...

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...

Marcia worked with the Federal Communications Commission as an attorney in the Mass Media Bureau and as Branch Manager in the Common Carrier Bureau from 1982 through 1987, and at MCI Telecommunications as a senior attorney from 1987 through 1994. Thereafter, she worked as a consultant until joining Kaplan & Greenswag LLC in January 2007.

Marcia is admitted to practice in Illinois and the District of Columbia and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois State Bar Association. Marcia also serves on the Northbrook Plan Commission.

Dan is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Speech Communications and minors in Mathematics and Political Science.

Dan is a 1979 graduate of IIT/Chicago Kent College of Law earning a Juris Doctor degree and a Bar and Gavel Award. Dan was admitted to the bar in 1979 and has been a practicing attorney in Naperville ever since.

Dan is a member of the Illinois and Dupage County Bar associations. He is a current member of the DuPage County Real Estate Law Committee and the Trusts and Estate Planning Committee. His practice...

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.

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), ...

Marques A. Eason is an attorney serving clients on the South Side of Chicago and throughout the South Suburbs in matters involving real estate property and a range of other legal issues. His areas of concentration include residential and commercial real estate, probate, and estate planning. Eason has 10 years of legal experience, including three years as a licensed practicing attorney in the State of Illinois where he founded his own practice, The Marques Eason Law Group, in 2017. He also worked for seven years as a paralegal on cases involving real estate, contract, and family law, including with the Law...

Ray recieved his J.D. at Northwestern University in 1974 and M.B.A. at Northwestern University in 1972 with a B.A. at California State, L.A. in 1968. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and Rock Island County Bar Association.

Former Public Administrator of Rock Island County

Former Public Guardian of Rock Island County

HUD Foreclosure Commissioner

Melissa Fernandez (Marin) graduated from DePaul University in 2015 where she received her Bachelor of Arts in English with a minor in Political Science. Melissa went on to receive her law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 2019 with a certificate in Family Law where she graduated Cum Laude and maintained herself on the Dean's list for all three years. From a very young age, Melissa knew that she was passionate about family law. As a child of divorced parents, Melissa brings a unique perspective to the firm having experienced the breakdown of her family at a young age....

J.D. Northwestern University School of Law; B. A. - S.U.N.Y. at Purchase, New York ; Emma Willard School, Troy, New York; Alumnus: Operation Crossroads Africa - Ivory Coast ; Exchange Student University of Lorraine, France.

Kathryn C. Rolewick was admitted to practice law by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2013. She had worked as a Trust Administrative Officer for U.S. Trust, Bank of America, N.A. since graduating from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2013. She joined Rolewick & Gutzke, P.C., the firm founded by her father, David Rolewick, in 2016. Kathryn's areas of practice include estate planning, wealth management, probate estates, contracts, and general corporate and business structures.

Rolewick attended Boston College where she graduated cum laude from the Honors Program in 2004. She is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association, the...

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...

Born and raised in Chicago, Mr. Thompson earned his B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1984. In 1987 he graduated with his J.D. at the Northern Illinois University in Chicago. He is fluent in Spanish.

Mr. Thompson has 18 years of experience litigating Personal Injury claims, Workers' Compensation, Criminal Law, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy & Traffic cases. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Admission to Federal Trial Bar, and is a board member in good standing with multiple charitable organizations.

Mr. Thompson has been married for thirteen years and...

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...

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...

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.

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....

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 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...

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.

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.)....

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...

Elizabeth Fink focuses her career on the practice of Elder Law, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Administration, Guardianships, and Medicaid Planning. She has been practicing law in Chicago, IL since 2009 and has represented clients throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University and spent a semester of study at Justus-Liebig-Universität in Giessen, Germany. She received her Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in May 2009. Elizabeth is a member of the National Academy of...

Christopher J. Maurer is a licensed Illinois attorney with over two decades of litigation experience primarily in the areas of divorce and family law, as well as estate planning. He practices in DuPage County, Cook County, Kane County, and the other collar counties. Chris has focused his practice in the area of family law, including divorce issues (contested and uncontested divorces, complex financial and business divorces), and paternity cases, preparation of prenuptial agreements and postnuptial agreements, custody disputes, establishing visitation schedules, child support calculation and alimony/maintenance determination, grandparent rights, disputes regarding removing children from Illinois, and enforcing court orders. Chris...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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....

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...

My legal practice is primarily focused on Personal Injury, Estate Planning, and Probate Law. With a wealth of experience spanning over thirty-five years in each of these areas, I have consistently taken on a leading role in litigation, mediation, and settlement negotiations. In my capacity as the lead attorney, I diligently prepared for and handled 10-15 trials annually. This involved a range of tasks, including interviewing witnesses, managing interrogatories, responding to requests for production and admissions, conducting and defending depositions, crafting interlocutory motions, and preparing and presenting requested instructions in jury cases. Together with my two partners, we successfully expanded our law...

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...

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...

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.

Since entering private practice, Attorney Smith has maintained a general practice with a concentration in family law. He has been a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and Winnebago County Bar Association for over forty years each. Attorney Smith is currently a member of the family law section of each of these associations. He is currently on an advisory panel for the American Bar Association. He has been a presenter to other attorneys locally on family law and child related topics.

For over forty years Attorney Michael J. Smith has provided experienced family law representation. Family law...

A native of Illinois, Mr. Sotelo is the proud son of a working class family. Mr. Sotelo graduated third in his law school class, summa cum laude, at Northern Illinois University College of Law. Practicing law since 2012, Stephen prides himself in providing legal services in the areas of real estate, probate, and civil matters. A s a former real estate agent, he provides a unique perspective to the legal side of real estate transactions.

Robert J. Boszko (“Bob”) is an experienced family law attorney and partner at Suburban Law Group, LLC. Bob concentrates in complex financial divorce and disputes concerning the allocation of parental responsibilities in Cook, DuPage, Kane, and surrounding collar counties. Bob is a zealous advocate and skilled negotiator, he knows when to aggressively litigate and how to reasonably settle contested matters. Bob utilizes compassion and his background in psychology to counsel his client’s through the tumultuous and emotional litigation process.

Within the field of family law, Bob has handled a variety of contested and uncontested cases including pre-decree and...