Lacon Lawyers

Patrick Fitzgerald begin his legal career with Meyer Capel in 1987 as a law clerk. Now, as a shareholder with the firm, he concentrates in real estate. Mr. Fitzgerald is a 1989 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law where he earned a spot on the Dean's List. In 1986, he received a bachelor of arts in economics, also from the University of Illinois. Mr. Fitzgerald is a member of the Champaign County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and American Bar Association. Further, he is actively involved with the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce as well as the Champaign...

Since joining the firm in 1970, Francis J. (Jerry) Jahn has been responsible for building and expanding the business practice of Meyer Capel. He served as President of the firm from January 1999 until December 2010. A 1967 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Law, Jerry was winner of the Frederick M. Green Moot Court Competition and the Horner Cup and Waterman Prize for Excellence in Moot Court Competition as a law student. He was also recipient of the Harno Scholarship. Jerry is a member of the Illinois State and Champaign County Bar Associations. He served on CCBA's board of...

Ward F. McDonald brings a wealth of experience in real estate, banking and commercial law to the clients of Meyer Capel. His background includes 13 years as CEO of Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc., a title insurer with multi-state operations, and 25 years as an attorney in private practice. Over the course of his career, Ward has handled numerous transactions in the $1-100 million range for commercial and residential real estate developments, including sales, acquisitions, refinancing and consolidations. Ward holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Urban Land Economics from the University of Illinois as well as his Juris...

Jenny Park always knew what she wanted from a career. She wanted to help people. But it was not until a few years after earning her undergraduate degree that she decided the field of law would offer her the best opportunities to do just that. When Jenny first entered the University of Illinois as an undergrad, it was with the intention of becoming a medical doctor. In 1993, she graduated from the U of I with a Bachelor of Science in biology. Then, she took some time off from school to reassess her career goals. While working as a paralegal during...

Colleen C. M. Ramais joins Meyer Capel’s litigation team as a full-time associate after serving a two-year judicial clerkship with the Honorable Justice Rita B. Garman of the Illinois Supreme Court. Colleen graduated summa cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law with her juris doctorate in 2010. As a law student, she was named to the Dean's List for all six law school semesters and was awarded the Celia M. Howard Fellowship for graduate study from the Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women. She is a ten-time recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for...

David B. Sholem joined Meyer Capel in 1978 and was named as a shareholder of the firm in 1982. He graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Mr. Sholem attended the University of Illinois College of Law and Case Western Reserve University’s School of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1978. He was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 1978. Mr. Sholem’s professional affiliations include Champaign County (Illinois) Bar Association (former President), Illinois State Bar Association (Real Estate Section) and American Bar Association. David Sholem has represented a number of real estate developers and...

Rebecca concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, tax planning, estate administration, probate, wills, trusts and trust administration. She counsels clients on a variety of estate planning, estate administration and trust administration issues and has significant experience in drafting both basic and complex estate plans that include wills, revocable trusts (or "living trusts"), irrevocable life insurance trusts, living wills, advanced directives, powers of attorney for health care and powers of attorney for property. In addition to preparing basic estate plans and counseling clients regarding a broad array of issues such as the importance of choosing an appropriate guardian for...

Hello. My name is James J. Siwek and I have 32 years of legal experience in a number of different legal fields. At this point in time, I have restricted my practice to family and probate law, but I have wealth of information from my practice in other areas of law as well which is often quite helpful in the resolution of various legal issues. My family law practice consists mainly of divorce and paternity cases, child custody (parenting time), parental decision making, child support, maintenance, domestic violence, and a number of other issues related to family law. My probate practice consists...

Graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale with B.S.
Graduated from Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University J.D. cum laude; and
Graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law with an LL.M -Master of Laws in Health law.
I operate a general practice with two offices in cook and will counties. My motto is come see me first—I win the unwinnable!

Nehad Zayyad is a private practice attorney who focuses on criminal defense, immigration, family law, and real estate cases. He appears before the Illinois Circuit Courts regularly on behalf of his clients and is a strong negotiator and litigator. He is admitted to practice in Illinois, the United States Supreme Court, the United States District Court, and the Northern District of Illinois.

He has represented clients in a variety of legal matters, including the following types of cases:

Criminal Defense
Felonies
Misdemeanors
DUI (both felony & misdemeanor)
Drug crimes
Murder
Manslaughter
Fraud
Forgery
Juvenile cases
Parole
Probation violations
Immigration
Filing petitions
Applications
Representation in removal/deportation proceedings
Cases involving U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services
Cases involving the Department of Homeland...

I have over 35 years of experience in multiple court systems in the Chicago metro area. My practice includes contested matters as well as transactions in the area of estate planning, trusts, wills, trust administration and real estate closings.

I am a 1973 graduate of Loyola University, Chicago and a 1980 graduate of Northern IL University college of law.

Attorney Faye M. Lyon P.C., divorce attorney Rockford IL. Faye was born in and has been a life-long resident of Rockford Illinois. She has been practicing law since 1987, focusing and specializing in the area of family law, which not only encompasses dissolution of marriage or divorce work, custody and child support, but also includes wills, trusts, estates, juvenile, paternity, guardianships, collection matters and real estate. Attorney Lyon is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, Winnebago County Bar Association, and the Women’s Bar Association, having served as President from 1991-1993. As a member of the Winnebago...

Ted P. Hammel is a Senior Partner at Hammel Law Offices, P.C. In 1985, Mr. Hammel earned his Bachelors of Science degree from the College of Business at Marquette University. After graduation, he was employed at the Continental National Bank of Chicago. In 1986, he enrolled in The John Marshall Law School of Chicago. During law school, he clerked for the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Office VII Corp, Munich, Germany. While in Germany, he assisted soldiers with consumer purchasing issues, estate, & contract matters. In 1989, he graduated and received his...

Mr. Andreano is an experienced trial lawyer who is a featured speaker at CLE and other seminars, an author of multiple legal texts, and recognized as a top trial lawyer. The oldest of eight children, Frank is a lifelong Joliet resident who practices law with his dad, brother and wife. The firm prides itself on its personal service to clients, and handling high intensity litigation.

The law office of Jay L. Dahl concentrate in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 consumer and small business bankruptcy matters. We also concentrate in representation of clients with IRS and state tax problems such as tax levies, liens and seizures. We provide full service for real estate matters including advice to buyers and sellers and issuance of title insurance. I have been in private practice for 32 years in the Fox Valley area of Illinois. I am a current member of the Kane County Bar Association and the American Bankruptcy Institute. Office hours are by appointment only. Call...

David R. Freriks, JD, MLIS

Mr. Freriks is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the Chicago-Kent School of Law. He was admitted to the Illinois and Federal Bars in 1980. During law school, he clerked for the late Honorable Brian B. Duff (1930-2016), United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

In addition to his law practice, he has held administrative and management positions with the Office of the Illinois Secretary of State; Baker & McKenzie, the largest law firm in the world; the Association of Legal Administrators; the Thomson Reuters...