Carroll County Lawyers

Dennis VanDerGinst is the President/CEO of VanDerGinst Law, one of the most successful personal injury law firms in the country. He has been a tireless advocate for his clients and a stalwart ambassador for his profession. As a result, he has been recognized as one of the best in the country by clients, peers, and other professionals.

Dennis received his law degree from DePaul University in Chicago. He is licensed to practice in Illinois, Iowa, and the federal courts. During his career he has represented clients in almost every state of the country. The focus of his practice has been on...

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...

Jake Oeth grew up in Ogden, IA, a small town north of Des Moines and west of Ames. He graduated from Drake University Law School with honors in May 2018. While in law school, Jake was a part of a group of students who helped a federal inmate successfully apply for a commutation of his life sentence for a drug conviction and served as a student attorney in the Drake Legal Clinic representing court appointed criminal defendants. After graduating from law school, he worked at a small firm representing commercial real estate clients before joining the team at VanDerGinst Law.

Jake...

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

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...

Cynthia Rote spent 14 years litigating in Chicago before returning to her hometown and opening her own practice. During her time in Chicago Cynthia honed her litigation, family law, business law, real estate and appellate skills and looks forward to using those skills on behalf of her clients at Integrate Legal.

Cynthia is authorized to practice law in both Illinois and Wisconsin and is a member of the federal trial bar.

Why Integrate Legal? Cynthia believes that the key to legal success requires the integration of experience with effective and efficient legal solutions. This is what Cynthia will bring to...

Sara's practice focuses on civil litigation, real estate, business and corporate law, estate planning and administration, agricultural law and intellectual property. Sara is certified with the 15th Judicial Circuit as both a mediator and guardian ad litem.

Sara is a member of the Stephenson County Bar Association, where she has served as secretary, the Jo Daviess County Bar Association, and the Illinois State Bar Association. Sara is active in the community, having served on the boards of directors for the FHN Family Counseling Center, Boys and Girls Club of Freeport and Stephenson County, and the Senior Resource Center. Sara serves...

We help people throughout the greater Quad Cities area, including Rock Island, Moline, East Moline, Davenport, Bettendorf, and surrounding areas. For a free personal injury, criminal defense, or family law case evaluation, please call (563) 265-1714.

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...

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...

Dustin Gomez was born and raised in Clinton, Iowa. He received his B.A. in Psychology from the University of Iowa. At the University of Iowa, he also completed a M.S.W. degree in social work. After completing his graduate degree, he attended law school at Drake University.

Upon completing his degree in Law, Dustin served for three years as Assistant County Attorney at the Webster County Attorney’s Office in Fort Dodge, IA. He has also worked in Black Hawk and Dubuque County Attorney’s offices. Dustin has tried 10 jury trials and over 50 bench trials on various criminal offenses.

Upon leaving prosecution,...

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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Melissa has been with Snyder, Park, Nelson & Schwiebert, PC as Of Counsel since June 2010. Her practice focuses on Elder Law & Long-Term Care Planning, Disability Planning and Estate Planning. She received her J.D. from Southern Illinois University College of Law in 1993 after receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology at Illinois State University in 1990. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and is a Veterans Administration Accredited Attorney. She was admitted to practice law in Illinois in 1993 and Iowa in 1994 (currently inactive)....

Master's of Business Administration
Law Degree Southern Illinois University
25+ years Criminal Defense Attorney
United States Navy Veteran

Donald J. Ramsell, author of several DUI articles and books, is the one of the few DUI defense attorneys to appear and argue on a DUI case before the United States Supreme Court in its entire 213 years of existence. In his 33 year career his firms have defended 15,000 clients.

Consistently achieving positive results for her clients does not happen by accident. Attorney Tracey A. Hower is a certified Guardian Ad Litem and Mediator which requires intense listening skills, and she is an effective communicator who keeps her clients regularly informed of the case status and strategy. Inquiries are a top firm priority. Simple inquiries like, “when is my next court date” are handled by the staff. Complex inquiries regarding the case are answered immediately by Tracey, if she is available, or promptly at the next available time.

Some attorneys will sugar coat the truth. Although compassion is a priority...

I am an experienced personal injury attorney dedicated to fighting for the rights of my clients through every stage of their case. I represent clients who have been injured due to car accidents, animal attacks, sports injuries, defective products and nursing home abuse.

I am a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and the DuPage County Bar Association. I have been included in the Illinois list of Super Lawyers. I have a 10.0 rating on Avvo and a 10.0 rating on Justia. Let me fight for the justice you deserve. Call today for a free...

Michigan State University School of Law, East Lansing, Michigan
Juris Doctorate

John Marshall School of Law, Chicago Illinois
LLM (Law of Masters Candidate) Real Estate Law

Argosy University, Chicago Illinois
Doctorate of Business Administration, International Business
Published Dissertation

Robert Morris University, Chicago, Illinois
Master in Business Administration, Concentration Management

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois
Bachelor of Arts, Administration of Justice, Minor: Sociology

LAW LICENSES:

Illinois
Northern District of Illinois
Central District Court of Illinois
Southern District Court of Illinois
United States Tax Court

I am an attorney who is passionate about my profession and clients. I believe in providing top-notch, innovative, cutting-edge strategies and advice. My clients feel as if they are my only client. ...

Mr. Shaw attended the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana and graduated from Illinois College, Magna Cum Laude, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1983. He continued his education at the Northern Illinois University College of Law, graduating with a Juris Doctorate Degree in 1986, and became a Licensed Attorney in Illinois on November 6, 1986. Having previously practiced in general and family law practices, and having served as the Child Support Attorney for Kane County Circuit Court Clerk from 1987-1995, Mr. Shaw opened his own law practice concentrating in family law in 1991. In 2000 he co-founded the law firm...

Henry D. Kass is a partner at MKFM Law, LLC, who focuses primarily in the areas of domestic relations, guardianship, and criminal law. He obtained his bachelor of arts from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa and also studied abroad at the University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian, Spain. Following his studies overseas, Henry attended the University of Iowa College of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctorate. Thereafter, he became an Assistant State’s Attorney with the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office under now Appellate Court Justice, Joseph E. Birkett. There, he prosecuted domestic violence and...

Lindsay C. Stella is a Partner at Mirabella, Kincaid, Frederick & Mirabella, LLC, and a highly respected attorney in the legal community. Ms. Stella’s practice is exclusively devoted to Family Law matters. Ms. Stella represents clients in all aspects of Family Law, with particular focus on Pre-Nuptial and Post-Nuptial Agreements, complex financial situations including maintenance and child support, contested custody and parenting time matters, cases involving mental health issues, marital business interests, and high-net worth cases. Ms. Stella has handled all types of cases from non-contested divorces to complicated high-profile disputes involving multi-million dollar estates.

Ms. Stella is a seasoned litigator,...

I joined Hupy and Abraham as an Associate Attorney in 2015. Prior to joining the firm, I practiced as an Assistant State’s Attorney at the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office. In this role, I prosecuted numerous felony cases.

CHRIS S. HAAFF owns and operates his own law firm in Crystal Lake, McHenry County, Illinois. He is an experienced litigator and negotiator in all aspects of family law, including divorce, adoption, paternity, child-related issues, child and spousal support, surrogacy, and qualified domestic relations orders. Chris has been a featured writer and speaker throughout Illinois on family law and other issues. In nearly twenty years of practice, Chris has represented hundreds of satisfied clients, many of whom have referred others to him.

The first divorce I handled was my own. I personally understand the emotional turmoil my clients experience and strive to reduce the stress caused by a family law case. I opened my own law firm to focus on the needs of clients. Because a family law case strains an individual both mentally and monetarily, every clients needs to have effect representation at a reasonable rate. GOAL: Resolve every case as cost-effective and quickly as possible while pursuing the client's objectives UNDERSTANDING THE CASE. Explaining each stage, each document, and each court...

Megan C. Harris joined Mirabella, Kincaid, Frederick & Mirabella in July 2013, where she focuses on all areas of family law, including divorce, paternity, child custody, and child support. Prior to that, Ms. Harris worked as an attorney and Guardian ad Litem at the Cook County Public Guardian’s Office, representing children in abuse and neglect cases. Ms. Harris is a DuPage County Court-Appointed Guardian ad Litem and presented at the 2013 DuPage Guardian ad Litem training as well as the 2014 National Business Institute training on challenges in family law. She practices in DuPage, Kane, Kendall,...

Attorney Manicioto's has dealt with both insurance matters and personal injury law. Before becoming a lawyer at Hupy & Abraham, he tried dozens of jury trials to verdict and won. He has also arbitrated a large number of cases. He works tirelessly to seek compensation for the firm's clients. Attorney Manicioto was promoted to company shareholder in 2019.

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.

Rory T. Weiler is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) who concentrates his practice in family law, with an emphasis on cases involving child custody and more complex economic issues, especially those involving family and closely held businesses. He is a member of the Leading Lawyers Network, and has been recognized as an Illinois “Super Lawyer” and as one of the “Best Lawyers in America.”

Rory is a member of the Kane County Bar Association (KCBA) and Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA). He actively serves the ISBA and its charitable arm, the Illinois Bar Foundation. He has...