Oak Park Civil Rights Lawyers

Michael Kawi is the founding attorney of Michael Kawi Law, LLC, where he dedicates his career to fighting for the rights and freedoms of individuals in both state and federal courts. With extensive jury trial experience, Michael has earned a reputation as a top-tier attorney capable of finding ways to succeed even in the most challenging cases. Before starting his own practice, Michael worked as an Assistant Federal Public Defender at The Office of the Federal Public Defender in the Northern District of Texas in Dallas, TX. In this role, he represented clients sentenced to death in federal post-conviction proceedings. Michael...

Robert, a lifelong resident of Lake County, Illinois, proudly considers Gurnee his hometown. His legal journey began in 2012 when he established his solo practice, Tomei Law, focusing in consumer rights, foreclosure defense, debt defense, and real estate transactions and litigation. In 2018, Robert took on a new role as a partner and co-founder of the Law Firm of Johnston Tomei Lenczycki & Goldberg, LLC, a full service law firm. While continuing his work in real estate litigation and transactions, he maintained his commitment to consumer rights law where he represents individuals in various disputes involving major car dealerships, manufacturers, corporate...

About Attorney J. Witherspoon A native of Chicago's south side, J. Witherspoon witnessed both sides of the justice system and its ability to impact lives. This inspired her to pursue a Bachelor's in Criminal Justice and later obtain her Juris Doctorate from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Over the last 25 years, she has held an array of positions and sat on numerous boards all centering around assisting others and improving their quality of life through the utilization of her knowledge of the judicial system. ? J. Witherspoon regularly attends trainings and seminars to ensure that she remains current on knowledge and...

Ms. Chavez counsels and represents employees in a variety of employment litigation matters including discrimination (based on age, disability, gender, national origin, race, religion and sexual orientation), sexual harassment, Family Medical Leave Act and retaliation claims. Ms. Chavez has experience representing employees in front of administrative agencies (the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Illinois Department of Labor) and state and federal courts. The services offered by Ms. Chavez range from the review of a severance package, to representation at the administrative level--Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, to legal representation in state and federal court.

Mr. Gaffney began his legal career in the prestigious field of clerking for a Federal judge. He went on as an Assistant State’s Attorney to prosecute complex narcotic and gang cases.
Afterwards, he went into private practice in Harvard, Illinois where he serves his clients in the areas of State and Federal criminal defense, school law, second amendment issues, and general litigation.

Mr. Gaffney is especially proud of his record in the areas of expungement, clemency, pardons and sealed records. Utilizing these legal avenues, he has helped countless clients move forward with their lives.

Roby Javoronok joined Kanoski Bresney as an associate in October 2020 with over 14 years of workers’ compensation experience. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he spent his childhood in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. Roby graduated cum laude at Western Illinois University and Illinois Centennial Honors College before attending law school at Southern Illinois University. He enjoys traveling and working throughout Illinois. After law school, he has happily resided in Central Illinois.
Roby concentrates his practice in workers’ compensation and civil litigation. Roby has litigated cases on behalf of petitioners and respondents in each Illinois Workers Compensation Commission venue, giving...

Patrick Ryan Dunn Sullivan was raised in Belleville, Illinois. He is a graduate of Blessed Sacrament Grade School and Althoff Catholic High School. In 2005, Mr. Sullivan earned degrees from Southeast Missouri State University in Pure Mathematics (B.S.) and Anthropology & Foreign Languages (B.A.). He is proficient in Spanish, French, and Korean. In 2012, he graduated from the Southern Illinois University School of Law.

Mr. Sullivan began his career as an Assistant Public Defender in St. Clair County, Illinois, where he served for 6 years as the office’s first Director of Litigation. During that time he was lead counsel in dozens...