Walnut Lawyers

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

James T. Reilly has been practicing since 1979. He is an experienced trial lawyer with over fifty jury cases tried to verdict. He concentrates his practice in both civil and criminal litigation. Jury awards include medical malpractice, wrongful death, fraud prosecution and various types of personal injuries. He has defended cases in criminal courts ranging from fitness trials in murder cases to DUI’s. In addition to these, he has successfully defended persons charged with arson, aggravated battery, drug offenses and other felonies and misdemeanors.

Reilly has served as a LaSalle County Assistant Public Defender since 2000. He represents clients before the...

Mr. Arnquist is an experienced courtroom litigator who understands what it takes to win your case. Whether you need representation for an issue related to child support, a complicated divorce case, or a contested custody dispute, Mr. Arnquist will aggressively advocate on your behalf. Mr. Arnquist practices in Ogle, Lee, Whiteside, DeKalb and Stephenson Counties. Please call for a free consultation.

C. Eric Bodo grew up in Mundelein, Illinois, and attended Carmel High School in the northern suburbs. Eric graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts. He went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago in 1996 and was admitted to the Illinois Bar.

Before coming to VanDerGinst Law, Eric was a partner in his own firm with offices in Chicago and Northbrook, Illinois where he represented seriously injured individuals and their families. Before starting his firm in 2014, Eric worked for a large, high-volume personal injury firm...

Athena Farmakis was born and raised in the Chicagoland area, graduated with a B.A. from Northwestern University, and received her law degree from DePaul University College of law. With over 25 years of litigation experience, Athena has tried 67 jury trials and hundreds of bench trials in complex and media-sensitive cases. Athena currently practices in all areas of personal injury including motor vehicle accidents, premises liability, product liability, construction accidents, animal attacks, negligent security, wrongful death, nursing home abuse and medical malpractice.

As a former prosecutor, Athena dedicated much of her legal career to serving the public for over 20 years...

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....

Defending client for 26 years in State and Federal Courts. Member of National College for DUI Defense and Graduate of DUI Harvard Session. Certified Field Sobriety Expert. Certified Breath Machine Operator for Datamaster and Intoxillyzer. Advanced Blood and Urine seminar graduate. Suppression of more than 3000 lbs of contraband as Henry County Drug Trafficing Defense Attorney. Success defense of hundreds of DUI and OWI cases in Rock Island, Mercer, Henry, Whiteside, Scott, Muscatine, Johnson, and Clinton Counties in Iowa and Illinois. Successful defense in Federal Court where possession and trafficking of...

Clarissa Rietveld was born in Iowa and raised in Rushville, Indiana. She received her Associate’s Degree in Nursing in 2009 and worked as a registered nurse in operating rooms across the Midwest and on the East Coast. While working as a nurse, Ms. Rietveld had a patient whose medical history documented that he did not have regular access to food and was starving. Ms. Rietveld spent the afternoon working with hospital social services to arrange for her patient to gain access to regular meals and was shocked to learn that he didn’t qualify for any of the available programs. She...

Stephany L. Impson received her law degree from the University of Illinois. In addition, she has an MBA with emphases in Marketing and Finance from Northwestern University, is a certified Illinois Administrative Adjudicator, and has certification as a Family Law Mediator.

For over three decades, Stephany worked in the title insurance industry. For much of that time, she was a national underwriting counsel. In that capacity, she underwrote and closed transactions for commercial and industrial properties located in the United States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Canada. In the four years...

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...

Ralph Elliott has been engaged in the practice of law in Freeport, Illinois since 1981. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with a Bachelor of Science Degree, Summa Cum Laude, earning Phi Beta Kappa recognition in 1978.He graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1981. Ralph is admitted to the practice of law in the state of Illinois, the federal courts for the Northern District of Illinois (including the Trial Bar), the Central District of Illinois, and the Federal Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.

Estate Planning: James has conducted estate planning matters including creation of wills (last will and testament), trusts, special needs trusts, irrevocable creditor protection trusts, powers of attorney, living wills, beneficiary planning and beneficiary designation, corporate succession planning, tax planning, and transfer on death instruments. Litigation: James has litigated matters including probate disputes, elder abuse claims, debt collection issues, contract disputes, and conducted other litigation as required by his clients. James has practiced across Iowa and Illinois.

Michael Roe has over 25 years of experience practicing exclusively in the area of complex divorce and child custody litigation. He has successfully managed important cases in Kane County, DuPage County, and in all of the counties of northern Illinois, and his family law expertise was sought out by clients for cases in downstate Illinois and a few complex child custody cases out-of-state. With a strong legal education in both law and graduate-level business school, he is skilled in both the child custody/parenting side as well as the business and financial side of divorce litigation. Michael is one of the...

I provide caring and compassionate representation for people who have been injured and the families of those who have been killed. After starting practice on the defense side of civil law, I have been a plaintiff's lawyer since 2006 and have obtained millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts. We handle all types of injury, workers compensation, nursing home and medical malpractice cases in Iowa and Illinois.

Mr. Wilson began his legal career in 1996 practicing in Peoria County before relocating to LaSalle County in 2003. In his career, he has successfully tried numerous cases involving motor vehicle accidents, construction accidents, employment disputes, and premises liability. Additionally, he has extensive Appellate Court experience having successfully handled numerous appeals particularly in the area of workers’ compensation. In 2004, he obtained the second largest personal injury jury verdict in Marshall County history at the time. In 2017, he negotiated the largest settlement ever obtained for a workers’ compensation claim with the Chicago Public School District. ...

Justin is a partner and chief executive officer of the firm working primarily out of our Kewanee office. Justin graduated from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2007 and was hired on with Barash and Everett as an associate thereafter. He is a veteran of the United States navy where he served as a Sonar Technician on the Submarine, USS Nevada SSBN 733. BORN: Decatur, Illinois. ADMITTED TO BAR: 2007, Illinois. EDUCATION: Southern Illinois University (B.A., 2004); Southern Illinois University School of Law (J.D., 2007). MEMBER: American Bar Association; Illinois State Bar Association; Henry County...

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...

Christina Willman earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2018. She received a degree in Agribusiness, Cum Laude, upon graduating from California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo in 2015. While in law school, Christina was a member of the Jessup International Moot Court team. In addition, Christina was a student attorney in the Clinical Law program, focusing on estate planning and general litigation. She also has completed legal internships at Vermeer Corporation, a manufacturer of industrial and agricultural equipment in Pella, Iowa, and the Michigan Farm Bureau.

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Abigayle (Abby) Endress grew up in Pearl City, Illinois. She graduated from Highland Community College in 2018. In 2020, she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She earned her Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School in 2023, with a certificate in Food and Agricultural Law. While in law school, Abby was selected as a teaching assistant for an introductory legal research course and worked as a student attorney in the Drake Legal Clinic. She was also a member of Drake Law Women, Drake Agriculture and Environmental Association,...

Brandon K. Davis is a defense attorney at The Davis Law Group, P.C. where he primarily represents clients charged with DUI, criminal and traffic-related offenses. He has been recognized for his accomplishments by a variety of organizations including SuperLawyers in the fields of DUI and Criminal Defense. Brandon also regularly represents those facing the suspension, revocation or cancellation of their driving privileges. Brandon received his Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a major in Political Science and a minor in Business. He received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Brandon is a member of the...

Services We Provide Include: • Probate & Estate Planning: Estate Administration, Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills; • Business Formation & Transactional Matters: Creation of Business Entities (i.e. LLC, Corp., Partnerships) & Other Business Agreements including Mergers & Acquisitions; • Income Tax Returns: Planning & Preparation (Individuals, Partnerships, Corp., Trusts, Gift & Estate Tax, Tax-Exempt Org., Payroll & Others); and • Audits & Appeals: Representation in Problematic Tax & Regulatory Matters.

You are getting divorced, and you want to save your kids, your money, and your sanity. We understand your needs. We help smart, successful people get divorced efficiently while helping stay sane during tough times. Satisfied clients have referred us to friends and family since 1994. I'm a divorce lawyer with over 20 years of experience. My bestselling divorce guide, I Just Want This Done, has received rave reviews on Amazon.com and in the media. My law firm, STG Divorce Law, has been in business over 25 years. Our firm has a large team of skilled and empathetic divorce lawyers....

Mazyar M. Hedayat is the principal of M. Hedayat & Associates, PC, a law firm that has represented Clients for nearly 25 years in the areas of business law and litigation, bankruptcy law and litigation, real property transactions and litigation, construction law and mechanics liens, corporate law, and more. After attending the University of Chicago and University of Michigan, Mr. Hedayat received his MBA from the U.M. Ross School of Business, and his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law. Mr. Hedayat is a title insurance agent and operated a full-service title company for 6 years....

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...

Since 1993, we've been helping the accused by listening, preparing, protecting, and caring. Founded in Minneapolis in 1993, we have devoted our practice to only criminal defense. You will be asked to be a part of our team, as no one knows the facts better than you. Together we will gather all the evidence, hidden and apparent, the forgotten, and your discoveries. We will not pressure you to plead guilty, and we will brainstorm together to figure out the best course of action: trial or no trial. Allow us the opportunity to listen to you, work with you, fight for...

With over 35 years of experience, Andy Hale is a seasoned trial attorney and has been involved in numerous high-profile cases. Mr. Hale represents clients in a wide variety of civil rights matters, including wrongful convictions. Mr. Hale seeks to shine a light on cases of injustice and he is also a documentary film producer ("A Murder In The Park" and "White Boy") and podcaster ("The Starved Rock Murders with Andy Hale"). His cases frequently appear in various forms of media, such as HBO's "The Murders at Starved Rock." Mr. Hale is a member of the State bars of Illinois, California, and Florida.

Expert Advocacy in Employment Law: Attorney Cynthia Pietrucha ========================================================== I champion the rights of employees and guide employers through the legal intricacies of the workplace. With a decade of dedicated legal service, I am a seasoned employment attorney with expertise in drafting and negotiating separation agreements, litigating medical leave and ADA employment cases, and negotiating remote work terms, even prior to COVID-19! **Your Advocate for Fair Severance and Medical Leave Rights** Navigating the end of an employment relationship or grappling with medical leave can be daunting. As an expert in separation negotiations, I ensure that my clients—whether employees or employers—receive the most favorable terms...

John S. Fotopoulos, former Cook County judge serving at the Daley Center in Chicago, established his law firm on two simple firm principals: to have competitive rates allowing everyone to afford the advice they need, and to have legal counsel that is always available for clients. John takes immense pride in his work, fulfilling a great deal of credits in continuing education seminars to ensure compliance and competency. In addition, his countless hours of legal research ensures that he stays ahead of the competition and is fully educated to take care of clients' legal needs. John's practice ensures that you are...