Mount Carroll Estate Planning Lawyers

Before I became an attorney, I worked for a retirement plan sponsor, learning the ins and outs of ERISA and investments in retirement plans. As part of my duties, I worked with the legal department to qualify QDROs. As an attorney, I have drafted and entered hundreds of QDROs, QILDROs and other orders dividing pensions and 401a, 401k, 403b, 457b and TSP accounts for over 23 years. I have been qualified as an expert witness in retirement plan divisions, and I have successfully litigated many retirement plan division issues. I can draft orders for you to enter or...

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.

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,...

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...

Meghan N. Bolte received her Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Accounting and Political Science from Augustana College in 2007. She received her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the John Marshall Law School in 2010, where she graduated magna cum laude. She was also a member of the John Marshall Law Review and a John Marshall Distinguished Scholar. She was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2010 and to the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois in 2011. She is currently a member of the Illinois Bar Association and the Winnebago County Bar Association.

Benedict Schwarz, II has limited his practice to matrimonial and family law for over 40 years. He is a past director of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and is also a trained divorce mediator; Mr. Schwarz has taught numerous 40-hour divorce mediation training and conflict resolution seminars and has also co-authored chapters on the subject in the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education publications.

In 1992, Mr. Schwarz was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court as a Commissioner of the Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission (ARDC). In 2001, Mr. Schwarz was appointed the Chairperson of the Commission from January...

47 years experience in Immigration and International Law, Complex Bankruptcy and Health law Visiting Professor of International Law DePaul University College of Law Global Faculty International Law, Faculty of Law ,University of Liverpool School of Law U.K. Advanced law degree (LL.M) DePaul University Dissertation supervisor University of Cumbria U.K. Salford University U.K.. Assistant Professor Tulane School of Tropical Medicine and Public Health, New Orleans

Daniel J. Kollias' combination of experience in the real world and in the courtroom sets him apart from other attorneys. He represents clients with the goal of finding practical solutions to complex problems. Prior to starting his firm, Dan successfully owned and managed a restaurant and bar in Elmhurst for a few years before returning to the practice of law. He understands business from the perspectives of both the entrepreneur and the advocate.

Dan is at home both in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. Dan gained extensive in-court experience as a prosecutor in the...

I am the founding attorney and owner of Qazi Law Offices. I received my Juris Doctorate from DePaul University Law School and my Bachelor of Arts from Loyola University Chicago.

In law school, I became fascinated and horrified by the prevalence of human trafficking. As an intern and associate at the International Human Rights Institute, I handled cases from hundreds of victims of trafficking who lived in Latin America. As horrible as their experiences were, I realized this was my calling: I could help them regain their voices and I was determined to fight for their liberties.

As an...

Lauren Jackson focuses her practice primarily in the areas of real estate and estate planning, although her background includes probate, contracts, corporate formation and business succession planning. Lauren’s unintimidating, caring approach has garnered her a respectable reputation all over Northern Illinois. With her dedication for efficient cost effective services, you will learn that with Lauren on your side you have a reachable attorney with your best intentions in mind. Lauren prides herself on quality work over quantity and it has proved she is a success based on past customer positive reviews. Lauren eagerly represents...

Christine’s focus as an attorney is on helping her clients through the most difficult situations life offers. Whether her clients are facing criminal charges, the end of a marriage, issues related to children, or end of life concerns, Christine’s passion for helping them through these issues is evident through her honesty, patience, and ability to make even the most complex legal issues make sense to her clients. Christine attended the Northern Illinois University College of Law, where she graduated cum laude with Juris Doctorate degree. During her tenure at NIU College of Law, she earned a Certificate in Criminal Practice. She...

Attorney Militello is the Managing Parter at Prime Law Group, LLC. Prime Law Group is truly a team of lawyers and staff. Our collaborative approach often takes the form of cooperation to share past experiences and develop creative approaches to new issues. This team approach has the additional advantage that if a new issue suddenly arises or an existing project becomes a top client priority, we can quickly assign additional lawyers who will already have the background necessary to tackle the problem at full speed.

Sean Robertson is an experienced business law and real estate attorney with more than 14 years of experience. He graduated from DePaul University College of Law and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and he gained a strong background in taxation law during his time in law school. Sean Robertson's legal experience has been varied and has involved issues surrounding business litigation, wealth management, estate planning, divorce, and family law.

During the last recession, Sean worked to litigate a wide variety of cases involving loan disputes, business interests, creditor/debtor contracts, and post-judgment law. This background gives him the understanding needed to...

John Lynch became interested in debt relief and bankruptcy before he went to Law School. John was employed at Eastern Airlines in Miami, Florida, which at that time was the second largest airline in the US. Eastern Airlines filed for bankruptcy in 1990 and by 1991 it had closed its doors. John knew so many people that could not find work, had cars repossessed and faced mounting debt. Then, in 1992 Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida and Pan Am airlines also closed its doors. By that time John was a Paralegal and owner of a Title Company. He worked as...

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....

Kiley M. Whitty is a licensed attorney specializing in the areas of family law, child custody, bankruptcy, and creditor negotiations in Cook, DuPage, Kane, Will and surrounding collar counties. While in law school at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Kiley earned a certificate in Child and Family Law as well as a certificate in Advocacy which aided in her success as a litigator. As an associate with Anderson & Associates, P.C., Kiley has handled complex custody cases involving issues with legal and residential custody, parenting time, allegations of abuse and neglect, and child removal. Kiley has also handled a...

Denice A. Gierach is a business and estate planning lawyer with more than 30 years of experience representing business owners in the formation, franchising, and dissolution of businesses; contract negotiation and reviews; business litigation; partnership disputes, succession planning; commercial real estate; and aiding individuals in matters of advanced estate planning, and charitable giving. She also leads her firm’s YourOGC program providing Outsourced General Counsel services to small and medium size businesses to assist them in preventing legal issues, providing proper planning for reaching goals, and insight into issues preventing them from further success. As a Certified Public Accountant with a master's degree...

Attorney Dion U. Davi has extensive experience in family, real estate and estate planning throughout Illinois. DuPage family law attorney Dion U. Davi is a skilled negotiator who seeks to resolve legal disputes with a favorable settlement whenever possible. When needed, however, he has the skills and experience to effectively and zealously advocate for his clients in court.

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...

RICHARD W. WARNER is the Founder and Managing Partner of the WARNER LAW GROUP. He concentrates his practice on Real Estate Law & Transactions, Estate Planning, and Personal Injury. He's handled thousands of files, matters, and transactions, and has tried and/or settled hundreds of cases in Administrative Hearings, Arbitration, Mediation and the State and Federal Courts in Chicago and the surrounding communities in Illinois. He is a native of Kane County, Illinois, where he graduated from the college preparatory school, Marmion Military Academy. Mr. Warner attended Illinois State University, graduating with a bachelor's of science degree in...

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

At O’Flaherty Law, we are your community law firm. We are committed to providing personalized, efficient, and quality legal service. We pride ourselves on our “above-and-beyond” approach to client care, affordable fees, and communication. Please call us today at (630)324-6666 to schedule a free in-person or phone consultation. We are located in Downers Grove, Illinois. Our attorneys are happy to meet with you at our office or any other location convenient to you in order to work to accomplish your legal goals. Our team has experience in many areas of law including but not limited to divorce and family...

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...

Barbara Morton graduated from the University of Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication in 1992. Ms. Morton followed her BA with an MBA in Finance and Accounting from Regis University in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1996. Ms. Morton received her law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan in 1998. She has been licensed to practice law in Illinois since May 1999. Her practice emphasis is in Family law issues, Real Estate, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Traffic and Personal Injury. She has represented clients in litigation matters before Federal and State Courts, arbitration and...

Hipple Law, P.C. specializes in bankruptcy and estate planning cases. We handle Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcy cases throughout the Chicagoland area for individuals and small businesses. We serve clients located in Kane, DuPage, Cook, Will and Lake counties. BANKRUPTCY: Ms. Hipple's education and prior work experience sets her apart from other bankruptcy attorneys. She has extensive financial services industry experience, including working closely with numerous types of financially distressed small businesses. Ms. Hipple's education also includes an MBA, which is unique for the majority of attorneys. She has also handled numerous divorce cases which provides her...

Admitted to practice law in 1982, Maureen Sullivan Taylor graduated with a J.D. from Northern Illinois University Law School. In addition to interning at the United States' Attorneys' Office, Maureen was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Matrimonial Law and also served on the Law Review. Founder of the firm, Maureen is a trained and experienced mediator, and is both a Fellow of the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois and a member of the International Association of Collaborative Professionals. Maureen is admitted to the United States Supreme Court and the Northern District of Illinois Federal Court and...

Practice concentrated in the defense of tort, civil rights, and commercial claims, and in the prosecution and handling of appellate matters. Matters handled include negligence, municipal liability, Structural Work Act, premises liability, Civil Rights Act, Human Rights Act, product liability, Dram Shop Act, aviation, breach of contract, employment matters, gas explosion, patent infringement, and warehouseman's liability actions. Participated in all aspects of pretrial work, discovery, and trial preparation. Handled cases in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and other federal courts throughout the country; in the Circuit Courts of Cook, DeKalb, DuPage,...

I have been practicing law since 2001. I graduated from Chicago-Kent College of Law in May of 2001 and from DePaul University in June of 1996. My main area of concentration is family law, i.e., divorce, paternity, child support, allocation of parental responsibilities (formerly known as custody) and adoption. As a family law attorney, I understand that my clients have to make difficult decisions while dealing with complex issues and emotions. As such, I believe that the key to successful representation depends not only in understanding the underlying issues, but, also in experience and expertise in the law...

William P. Boznos is the founding attorney of Boznos Law. He brings a unique 360 degree perspective to its advice and advocacy. He has served as in house senior counsel for a Fortune 500 Company for over a decade. In addition, he has served as Director of Human Resources and Vice President of Human Resources for both privately held and large publicly held companies for years, including Harrah’s Casinos, the largest gaming operation in the world. This unique background gave him an unprecedented access to company CEO’s, human resources departments, and the corporate insight you need. He has represented both...

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), ...

I feel that my expertise in each of these areas compliment the other. For example, complex divorces often involve real estate or business holdings, with the accompanying valuation and ownership issues. Sometimes, a trust for the benefit of children is appropriate. In doing estate planning, there is often the need to plan appropriately for the second marriage situation. Real estate clients also often need to appropriately plan their estates, and to take title to their home in a manner that is consistent with their ultimate estate desires. I was admitted to practice in the courts...

David J. Winthers is a lifelong resident of DuPage County having graduated from Wheaton Central High School in 1974 and Wheaton College in 1977.

Aaron J. Lytle is one of the firm's suburban Chicago attorneys who practices in several key areas: estate planning and wealth protection, wills and trusts, probate administration, trust administration, business planning, taxation, real estate and special needs planning for children with disabilities. Mr. Lytle has spent several years working in the business sector on corporate issues relating to succession planning, valuation, acquisitions and generating capital. Before joining AHR, he worked for companies such as American Express and Bank One (now JP Morgan Chase).

Mr. Lytle also previously served on the Board of Trustees for DayOne Reliance, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that...

Eric J. Vogel was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 2008 after graduating from John Marshall Law School. He served as Assistant Public Defender in the McHenry County Public Defender’s Office for over 10 years. In his time at the Public Defender’s Officer, he handled cases in several areas of the law, including, misdemeanor and felony criminal, juvenile abuse and neglect, juvenile delinquency and specialty courts. Mr. Vogel has extensive experience in all aspects of litigation. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature and History from Arizona State University in 2002.

Attorney Vogel understands that every client’s...