Shabbona Estate Planning Lawyers

Cherissa "Reese" Loire Krajniak obtained her undergraduate degree in Sociology from Marquette University before going on to attend Florida Coastal Law School. She graduated with honors in 209 and was active with the school's Pro Bono Clinic, donating more than 200 hours of legal work to underserved members of the community. While taking a full course load and giving her time to the clinic, Reese was still able to complete her Juris Doctorate program in just over two years. She passed the bar exam in 2010 and opened her own practice in downtown Chicago. After medical issues sidetracked her career for...

David F. Rolewick graduated from Loyola University School of Law in 1971. He worked as a clerk to Illinois Supreme Court Justice Daniel Ward, then as Assistant Director of the Administrative Office of Illinois Courts. He has been in private practice since 1979.

He has served in numerous positions in the Illinois State Bar Association and has served as Chairman of the Hearing Board, Review Board and Vice Chair of Commission for Attorney Registration and Discipline of the Illinois Supreme Court. In 2001, he was appointed by the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as Chairman of the Special Supreme Court Committee...

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...

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.

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...

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...

Jessica Wollwage-Rymut graduated from Northwestern University in 2007 with a degree in Political Science. After working for a year at a commercial real estate firm, Jessica was offered admission to the Chicago-Kent College of Law Honors Scholar Program. As an Honors Scholar, Jessica and her classmates enjoyed many unique opportunities, including working with Illinoislegalaid.org to create online tutorials for victims of domestic violence, stalking, and sexual assault.

During law school, Jessica interned at the Chicago-Kent Taxpayer clinic helping taxpayers prepare returns and negotiate with the Internal Revenue Service. She also volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate with CASA of DuPage...

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.

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...

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...

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

Monica P. Patankar is a partner with the law firm of Patankar Law P.C. Monica takes a compassionate approach to helping clients solve their legal issues. She listens to each story carefully and understands that no two issues are alike. Monica's legal training and experience have prepared her to handle your legal needs. Monica gained her legal knowledge at University of Notre Dame Law School in Notre Dame, Indiana. Upon graduation, Monica worked for a large law firm, Chapman and Cutler LLP in Chicago, Illinois. At Chapman, Monica worked with large municipalities and other governmental entities to raise capital for large...

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...

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...

Drew is originally from Highland, Illinois and is a Partner for Stange Law Firm, PC who manages the Illinois offices of the firm. Drew obtained his Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management from Southern Illinois University. After college Drew worked as a professional pilot and flight instructor where he worked hand in hand with pilots and student pilots. Drew then went on and earned his Juris Doctorate from Southern Illinois University School of Law in Carbondale, Illinois. After law school, Andrew gained experience working for another law firm in Illinois and the Office of the State’s Attorney for Madison County,...

Jonathan David Herpy, Sr. has been named one of the top private equity and corporate attorneys in Illinois under the age of 40 by Chicago Magazine in 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020.

Jonathan has represented investors, sponsors, and managers of public and private pension plans, broker-dealers, investment advisers, custodians, and other financial industry service providers throughout the entire range of the investment spectrum and routinely provides market-leading advice on public/private offerings of equity and debt along with capital raising strategy.
In addition to the above, Jonathan has been touted as an industry leader for his sophisticated and efficient approach to structuring...

Charles is a shareholder at The Law Office of Lofgren & Wentworth, P.C. in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he practices business, property, and appellate litigation. After graduating from the SJ Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah, he clerked for Chief Justice John Broderick of the New Hampshire Supreme Court. He was then a litigation associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP in Chicago before opening his own practice. He recently joined Richard Lofgren to form The Law Office of Lofgren & Wentworth, P.C., The Entrepreneur's Legal Resource. Charles' experience as an officer and director of multiple closely-held companies...

Kathryn Whitacre is a Partner at Whitacre & Stefanczuk LTD where she practices in the areas of Real Estate Law, Business Law, Family Law and Estate Planning. Kathryn received her J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2011 and her B.A. in Business from Bowling Green State University in 2006. Kathryn is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association.

Karrsten Goettel concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial and residential real estate, real estate development, leasing, zoning and land use, business, merger and acquisition transactions (sales and purchases of assets and/or stock), corporate and business law and estate planning and administration. He has practiced among our firm's attorneys since 1997 and as a partner since 2002.

Mr. Goettel currently serves on the Board of Commissioners of the St. Charles Park District (where he is President), as a member of the St. Charles Housing Commission and as a Board Member of the Celtic Sports Foundation. From 2000 to 2002, he...

At the Wheaton, Illinois Law Firm of Cynthia Hayes Hutchins, we have spent the last 10 years helping people throughout DuPage County and beyond plan not just for their own future, but for what happens afterward. Contact us today, we can help if you or a loved one has any estate planning or elder law needs. You can feel welcome with our firm. We will listen to your needs and will carefully study the options to meet those needs. We will also treat you the way we would expect to be treated: with the respect you deserve. At the Law Office of...

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...

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 Justin J. Karubas has been a Principal at Rolewick & Gutzke since April of 2006. He obtained his law degree from the Chicago-Kent College of Law and was admitted to practice law by the Illinois Supreme Court in 1998. Attorney Karubas is a graduate from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign from where he has a B.A. degree in Economics, Finance. Before joining Rolewick & Gutzke, P.C., as an Associate Attorney in 1998, he was a legal clerk both at Illinois Masonic Medical center in 1997 and McKeown, Fitzgerald, Zoller, Buck, Hutchinson, & Ruttle in 1996....

While working full time, and raising his two children, Justin started college in pursuit of becoming an attorney. His dream has been brought to fruition as he is ready and able to tirelessly represent his clients. He considers his role as an attorney to not only be an advocate for his clients, but also for the community. Justin brings passion and strong ethical fortitude to the practice of law. When not practicing law, Justin enjoys spending time coaching youth football and baseball.

EDUCATION

Northern Illinois University College of Law, J.D. & Certificate in Civil Advocacy, 2016

DePaul University, B.A. Philosophy &...

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...

Robert T.C. Kay, an established attorney in DuPage County since 1986, is the go-to legal counsel for individuals, businesses, and families across Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Naperville, and various other DuPage County communities. With a wealth of experience across diverse legal domains, he offers clients the advantage of streamlining and simplifying their legal affairs. Mr. Kay's consultation services encompass a wide range of areas, including Wills, Trusts, and Estates, Business Organization and Operation, as well as Commercial Real Estate Transactions. With over 35 years of expertise, he provides sound advice to individuals, business owners, and government officials. His focus extends to preserving and...

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...

Attorney who helps bring peace and comfort to his clients by providing the individuals and businesses with solutions to help protect their interests and pursue their dreams and aspirations.

My law firm represents people in DuPage, Kendall and Kane Counties. For nearly a decade, I have focused entirely on divorce, paternity (parentage), establishment and modification of support, parental rights, enforcement of divorce decrees and other family law related matters. I have litigated numerous divorce and parentage matters and know how to litigate yours. More importantly than that, I focus on keeping your case out of the courthouse as much as possible. That helps keep costs down and can actually expedite many cases.

I have an undergraduate degree in psychology with 5 years' experience working with abused children and adolescents with...

I'm a trial attorney with extensive courtroom experience. I also teach college classes as an adjunct professor in areas such as criminal law, criminal procedure, business law, business ethics and corrections.

My primary practice focus is family law and domestic relations litigation. My secondary areas of concentration include estate planning and probate.

* 2018 SuperLawyers Top 2.5% Rising Star
* 2018 National Advocates Top 40 Under 40 Attorneys in Illinois in Matrimonial and Family Law
* 2018 Recognized as one of the "Ten Best" Family Law Attorneys in Illinois by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys (AIOFLA)

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...

If you are looking for assistance creating a will or living trust, or updating an existing estate plan, please contact the Law Offices of Robert J. Varak to start the process. Your convenience and satisfaction are the most important things to me. I will be happy to come to your home during the day or in the evening to make things easier for you, and I am always available directly to answer your questions. I will give you candid, up-front advice about your options, the costs, and what to expect from the experience of making an estate plan....

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...

Since 1991 Steve's practice has grown tremendously. Steve practices in foreclosure defense, estate planning, real estate and mortgage loan modifications and his practice has grown to include several lawyers and support staff. (Steve's partner Gary Newland and his team practices in personal injury_ Due to Steve's experience and expertise he is often asked to speak at bar association seminars to other lawyers on areas of law that he practices in. Steve has also volunteered his services to the foreclosure court help desk at the courthouse to assist individuals who are facing foreclosure. Due to Steve's success...

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...

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...

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.

Edward D. Siebert was licensed in the State of Illinois in 2007 and the Northern District of Illinois in 2008. He has experience in estate planning, real estate, litigation, appeals, corporate matters, family law, and personal injury. Edward's practice counties include Cook, Lake, McHenry, Kane, DuPage, and Boone Counties in Illinois.