Gallatin County Estate Planning Lawyers

After almost a decade of working for midsize and large law firms in Chicago, I decided to open my own office. I now focus on the legal needs of individuals in and around my community. My goal is to provide practical legal services in understandable language at reasonable rates.

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.

Perry Smith received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and Education from Loyola University of Chicago in 1977 and a Juris Doctor degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, in 1985. He is also a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer.

He began working for the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office in late 1985. During his time in that office he worked in the Traffic, Misdemeanor, and Felony Review Divisions before spending more than three years in the Felony Trial Division. He left that office at Labor Day 1990 and began his association with Bernard Wysocki....

Lisa Knauf is an attorney that combines her legal expertise with real world experience. She had a successful sales career before going back to school to attend Northern Illinois Univ. College of Law for her law degree, She is licensed to practice law in Illinois and is the owner of Knauf Law Office PC in Addison Illinois, which merged with Pankau Law in January 2020. The Knauf Law practice concentrates in the areas of estate planning, including wills, living trusts, and powers of attorney, probate administration, real estate and elder law. Lisa is an active member of her community, having served...

Thomas Hansen was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up on the South Side of Chicago and Park Ridge, Illinois. Thomas lives in Park Ridge, with his wife and three children. Thomas received a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy from Northern Illinois University, a Certified Public Accountant Certificate from the University of Illinois, a Master of Science in Taxation from DePaul University, a Juris Doctor with Distinction from John Marshal Law School. Thomas is a member of the Illinois Bar Association, Chicago Bar Association, the Northwest Suburban Bar Association, American Association of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants, Illinois Society of Certified Public...

For nearly 40 years, Gregory Turza has helped hundreds of individuals plan their estates, providing practical and effective answers to complex problems with explanations that are clear, cogent and accurate. His firm’s goal is to bring you peace of mind knowing that your family’s inheritance is protected and that surviving family members find themselves in harmony instead of in court by creating plans that suit your unique financial, personal and family circumstances. Don't delay managing these most critical areas of your life.

I offer independent advice to people just like you who make prudent and informed decisions about protecting and...

Attorney Bio Jeffery P. Story, Attorney at Law: Jeff Story graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts in 2005 and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar that same year. During the past eight years he has worked in civil litigation in Chicago. He is married to Amy Marinacci, a fellow attorney that he met in law school. Amy grew up in Evanston where her family still lives. Jeff and Amy have a young son, Gabriel who goes to Pope John XXIII School in Evanston. Jeff recently lost his mother and father within...

Michael is a licensed attorney in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota who founded the Virtual Attorney to bring estate planning and business law into the 21st century. Through the use of technology and the internet he offers estate planning to young families, co-habitating couples, homosexual couples, and everyone in between. The Virtual Attorney is also the one-stop shop for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Starting out is tough and you don't have money to throw away on an in-house lawyer. With the Virtual Attorney's flat-fee based Essential In-House Counsel arrangements you'll get exactly what you need and you won't pay unexpected hourly...

Business Advisor and Real Estate Consultant:

Small boutique firm working to assist entrepreneurs, business start ups, property investors, new home buyers, and distressed owners

Business Advisor and Real Estate Consultant:

Small boutique firm working to assist entrepreneurs, business start ups, property investors, new home buyers, and distressed owners

Wendy Calvert began her career as a corporate attorney with a focus on complex commercial litigation, primarily in the fields of construction, property and casualty, and contractor liability. Through this experience, Wendy has managed and successfully litigated cases in Illinois and Wisconsin.

In 2004, Wendy relocated to...

Fred is a fellow of the American College of Trusts and Estate Counsel, an honor bestowed upon very few attorneys. He focuses in the areas of estate and tax planning, trust, estate and probate administration, and business structuring and counseling. Fred enjoys helping people accomplish their personal goals. He has an extensive background assisting clients in the transfer of small businesses and farms during their lifetime or at death while minimizing taxes and expenses. Many of his estate plans are sophisticated and involve using wills, trusts, limited liability companies, family limited partnerships and other closely held entities. He has...

Mr. Petti is a resident of Elburn, IL. He was born in Philadelphia, PA, and grew up in Pittsburgh PA and Evanston IL. He has acted as legal counsel for both small and large businesses. He has been associated with private law practice firms in Chicago and the Chicago Suburban area. For the past twenty two years, he has maintained his principal law office in Kane County, Illinois. Mr. Petti's corporate law work includes serving as staff counsel for Motorola and General Counsel of Andrew Corporation, two international electronic businesses. His trial work has taken him from Connecticut to...

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...

Attorney Robert Schaller has practiced law for more than 35 years. He is licensed to practice in the State of Illinois. Attorney Schaller is the founder of the Schaller Law Firm, P.C. and concentrates his legal practice on clients who need relief from IRS back-taxes. Schaller directs the National Offer in Compromise Academy, which offers online educational courses. Robert Schaller received his B.S. in Accountancy in 1982 from the University of Illinois at Champaign – Urbana. He earned his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in 1985 and served on the College’s Law Review. He studied for an...

Hrant “Hud” Norsigian, Jr. is the founder and owner of Norsigian Law Office located in O’Fallon, Illinois. Mr. Norsigian has over 34 years’ experience as an attorney and is licensed in both Illinois and Missouri. Mr. Norsigian graduated with honors from Washington University in St. Louis in 1985 receiving his Bachelor of Science degree with a major in mathematics and a minor in economics. Mr. Norsigian graduated from Washington University School of Law (J.D. 1988), Magna Cum Laude and earned Order of the Coif honors. He was also awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for the...

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...

Accomplished attorney with background in the areas of real estate, business law, consumer law, wills, trusts, & estate planning, employment law, and dispute resolution. Extensive experience drafting and negotiating contracts and legal documents, particularly in the corporate and real estate areas. Able to identify core issues and obtain solid results. Approved Mediator for the Greater Gateway Association of Realtors Arbitration panelist in the Madison County Mandatory Arbitration program

I am a thrid generation attorney originally from Quincy. I focus my practice on estate planning and estate administration because its a topic that is so important to every family. Whether it's a young family like mine where primary concern is ensuring children are taken care of in the event something happens to the parents, a family with adult children who need a little protection from themselves (or an ex-spouse), or a multi-million dollar estate with complex tax planning issues; everyone needs an estate plan. I try to make the process as easy as possible for you so that a...

Stan R. Weller is a practicing attorney in the Southern Illinois/Metro East St. Louis area. He established the Weller Law Firm in 2006 after a number of years in private firms, as well as a period with the Illinois Attorney General’s office working in the Sexually Violent Persons Unit. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Wisconsin, Madison in 1992 and his Juris Doctorate degree from the Southern Illinois University of Carbondale in 1998. He is a certified mediator, arbitrator, and former guardian ad litem, but concentrates his practice in the areas of family law and...

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...

I am Thomas Eric Ost. As a former Assistant Public Defender in DuPage County, I handled hundreds of criminal, mental health, and juvenile cases. Those cases ranged from DUIs, Domestic Batteries, and Retail Thefts to Aggravated Batteries and Murder. The police and the prosecutors seem to do their best to dehumanize defendants to everyone including to the defendants themselves. Yet in 23 years of practice, I’ve learned that most people with legal problems are not bad people. They are people who are caught up in a problem a lot bigger than they...

Douglas Boodt, Esq. Attorney General practice attorney with over 25 years experience. Concentrating in Business and Corporate Law, Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney. Office hours are by appointment only. I can be reached at douglas@boodtlaw.com or 269.929.7206. Let me put my decades of experience to work for you. LICENSED IN ILLINOIS & MICHIGAN

Working to help clients protect their property and deal with difficult financial situations

Professional Career Senior tax accountant and manager at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell & Co. Partner at a boutique law firm Founded Anthony J. Madonia & Associates, Ltd. (AJM&A) in 1995. Practice areas include estate planning & administration, business strategy & planning, corporate law, and taxation Anthony J. Madonia & Associates, Ltd. came from the vision of a service-oriented, hands-on practice where clients receive comprehensive support and expedient attention. Early in my career, I recognized the value of providing multi- dimensional insight when guiding clients through complex transactions. We are a law firm that prides itself on being a resource for helping privately held firms,...

William R. Pokorny represents management in a wide range of labor and employment matters. He concentrates his practice on litigation and counseling in areas including discrimination, disabilities, ERISA and employee benefits, employment contracts, covenants not to compete, wrongful discharge, wage and hour law, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and labor relations. He represents employers before state and federal courts as well as administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Illinois Human Rights Commission. Mr. Pokorny has experience with a wide variety of clients, including manufacturers, utilities, hospitals and healthcare providers, insurance companies, financial services...

Mr. Galer is licensed to practice law in the states of Illinois and New York and the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois. He completed his law studies at The John Marshall Law School (Chicago) and American University (Paris Program), then received his Master of Business administration in International Marketing and Finance from DePaul University (Chicago). Following law school, and prior to establishing The Galer Firm, P.C., Mr. Galer worked as a litigator in New York City.

The most important thing to know about Mr. Larsens practice is the level of concern and commitment he brings to each and every client who come to him for representation. He realizes the outcome of these matters represent extremely important events in your life. People want service, quality and trust. Mr. Larsen is an experienced lawyer and he directly handles all the details associated with your legal issues. Count on his help and availability every step of the way, from your initial meeting with him to the final resolution of your case.

Nicholas Tyszka is an attorney at Handler Law, LLP, an internationally-acclaimed private client law firm in Chicago. He focuses his practice primarily on advanced planning for family offices and their businesses, with an emphasis on governance and family dynamics. Representative domestic and international matters include: corporate governance, structuring, taxation, alternative investment opportunities (including real property, private equity and credit, venture capital, and hedge funds), and philanthropic endeavors. Nicholas has been recognized as a Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) by the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA) by the American Bankers Association, a Certified Exit Planning...

Robert Medansky is an experienced Divorce and Family Law Attorney providing clients and their families throughout Cook, Lake, DuPage, Kane, and McHenry Counties in Illinois with quality guidance and legal representation. He is a skilled negotiator and accomplished trial attorney who is widely recognized and respected for his integrity and vigorous advocacy to protect his client’s rights and interests. Since 1986, Mr. Medansky has successfully represented numerous clients in complex financial and high-conflict divorce matters. He approaches every family law matter with compassion, integrity, and a focus on personal service. As a skilled negotiator, he takes a strategic...

Bob Ross has practiced in Illinois in areas of wills and trusts, business law, acquisitions, succession planning and related commercial real estate matters since 1980.

At Work

Brian J. Tharp is the founding partner of Tharp & Associates, Ltd. Brian is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and a concentration in Asian Studies. Brian attended law school at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he received a Juris Doctor Degree. In 2006 Brian began practicing as the Law Offices of Brian J. Tharp in the Chicago Loop. In 2010, Brian merged his practice with the Law Offices of Michael Gunderson, to form Gunderson & Tharp. In 2014 Brian moved his practice to Arlington Heights and...

The law firm of Rollin J. Soskin & Associates, Ltd. concentrates its practice in estate planning and gift planning, asset protection, tax planning and preparation, trust and estate administration, probate, real estate and business transactions. With over 35 years of experience, our attorneys pride themselves in providing effective, prompt and informed services to our clients. 2007 - Illinois Insurance Producer's License - Life, Accident & Health 1997 - Admitted: United States District Court, Central District of Illinois 1993 - Chicago Bar Assoc. Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Panel 1984 - N.A.S.D. Series 7 1983 - Admitted: United States Tax Court 1983 - Illinois Real Estate...