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I strive to know and understand my cilents' needs so that I am able to advocate for those specific needs to the best of my ability. I work to ensure my clients understand the legal concepts and strategies involved in their cases. It is my goal to fully understand my cilents, attend to their needs, and create strategies to get them where they need to be.

I strive to be approachable and straightforward, and as a client you will deal with me directly. I enjoy working with individuals, estates and businesses to get legal results in a timely fashion, particularly during trying times for families.. I hold a BS from the University of Illinois at Chicago and a JD from Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, Oregon. I am licensed in Illinois and a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. I am also proud to volunteer with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, which provides free legal services to lower-income individuals.. Before law school, I worked as a marine biologist in Alaska, collecting fisheries data for the federal government aboard commercial fishing vessels between 59' and 270' in length. I currently live with my family near Chicago and enjoy distance biking, traveling, and reading.

I started my professional life in 1979 with a social work degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I soon felt that, as a social worker, I was not going to be able to make a lasting difference in people's lives.. I graduated from The John Marshall Law School in 1983 and participated in the DuPage County Medical Society mini-internship program. This experienced confirmed for me that medical malpractice law was what I wanted to do, and I've been working exclusively in medical malpracticein the Chicagoland area since am a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association, as well as a member of the referral panel for medical love the work I do and am devoted to securing the best possible verdict or settlement for my clients and their families. I have achieved a favorable financial outcome in 95% of the cases I've handled. While every case is unique and results can vary, I believe my high success rate is due to the fact that I am very selective about the cases I handle and dedicate myself to each client and family I advantage of working as a sole practitioner is that my clients are never just a number to me. I provide personal attention and continuity over the life of your legal case and beyond. Resolving a medical malpractice lawsuit can take years. I am with you through the entire process. You will notbe handed off from one attorney to another or find that you cannot reach me when you have a need. I am here for , for many of my clients, I remain a legal advocate and a friend. I provide legal guardianship services for disabled persons or children who have received financial settlements but are unable to manage their financial clients have experienced some of the most difficult situations anyone can imagine. They have demonstrated courage, strength, and persistence in surviving medical challenges, facing loss and grief, and seeking recovery. When I think of my clients, I think of that amazing quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt that I chose for this Web site:. You gain strength, courage and confidenceby every experience in which you reallystop to look fear in the face.You are able to say to yourself:'I have lived through this horror.I can take the next thing that comes along.'You must do the thing you think you cannot do.~ Eleanor Roosevelt

I started in this business when I was 18 years old.  I was a receptionist at a mid-size Chicago lawfirm and then worked as a legal secretary for a solo practictioner, and a real estate paralegal at a large firm in Cincinnati, Ohio.  I started law school at Kent College of Law in Chicago when our son was 3 months old.  While working full time and finishing law school at Salmon P. Chase College of Law/Northern Kentucky University our twins were born.  After passing the bar in Ohio I worked as an associate attorney at same large lawfirm in the real estate department.  After a couple of years, my family moved back to Illinois where our 4th child was born.  I am licensed in Illinois and Ohio and my vast experience in both Illinois and Ohio has always been in real estate.  I pride myself on returning calls and emails daily.  My clients speak directly with me and not a paralegal or secretary.  Buying and selling a home can be very stressful and I feel I go above and beyond to assist my clients with their real estate transactions.

I specialize in defending retailers, restaurants and the hospitality industry, in addition to working with my clients to lower their legal costs, minimize their risk and to develop thorough internal policies. When I am not working I am spending time with my family and writing.

I represent multinational companies in litigation, arbitration and administrative proceedings in a wide variety of substantive areas and industries, proactively counseling clients on risk management and pre-litigation dispute resolution.

I provide strategic counseling and risk management services to corporations, private individuals and insurance companies. My practice includes the representation and defense of parties involved in tort, contract or fraud claims in both state and federal courts.. I develop protocols that minimize my client's liability and employ specific defense strategies when litigation is necessary or unavoidable.. I have argued and prevailed in matters pending before trial and appellate courts. My experience extends to the representation of clients in pre-suit negotiations and in alternative dispute resolution proceedings including mediations.. My practice includes representation of privately held corporations and retailers in transactions and commercial litigation matters. I defend construction contractors and subcontractors in negligence and employer's liability claims. I represent product manufacturers and distributors in cases alleging a variety of theories of liability including design defects, fraud and a failure to warn. I counsel manufacturers and distributors in product and label disputes.. I have extensive premises liability experience including representing landowners and property management companies against claims alleging injuries caused by unnatural accumulations. I counsel and defend attorneys involved with legal malpractice claims. My professional liability work extends to the representation of parties in state court and at ARDC disciplinary hearings.. I am a Board Member on the Board of Directors for the Illinois Associate of Defense Trial Counsel.. Specialties: Strategic Counseling, Risk Management and General Litigation including: Professional Liability, Premises Liability, Product Liability, Commercial Litigation matters, Construction Litigation, Employers’ Liability, Breach of Contract, Fraud and Insurance Coverage claims.

I provide legal assistance to Stephan Zouras, LLP clients with employment, consumer protection and personal injury matters.  I represent individuals in Illinois and throughout the United States on an individual, class and collective action basis regarding issues arising under federal and state wage and hour laws, including the Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") and comparable state wage laws, mass torts, consumer protection, personal injury and other complex litigation.  I have been recognized by Super Lawyers Magazine as an Illinois "Rising Star" in each consecutive year since 2014, a distinction given to no more than 2.5% of Illinois lawyers.

I pride myself on being accessable to my clients at their convenience.  I have always believed that a client should be able to contact me with any questions that they have and that I have an obligation to respond quickly.. I have given my cell phone number many, many times so that I can be reached as needed.  I find that clients appreciate that personal touch.  Often times I return calls late at night or on weekends if that's the only available time.. My concentration is Workers' Compensation law.  After 31 years in this practice I would like to say that I've seen it all, but I'm sure that I have not.. Each day presents a new challange and new clients with their own specific, important problems.. On a personal level, if I'm not working I can be found riding one of my several bicycles.  I average 200 miles per week in the summer and less in the winter but will still go out as long as it's not too slippery.. I belong to several bike clubs in the area that vary in distance in speed.  One of the groups is a racing group and another is a travel group.  With the second group I have ridden in California, South Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, New York, South Carolina, Virginia, Toronto and Montreal.  We are currently planning next year's ride.

I possess a Juris Doctorate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, a Legal Masters (LL.M.) in business law and a certification in international law. I have a background in technology and worked as an author and editor before going to law school. My unique background in technology and business, combined with my legal experience has given me powerful tools to help guide entrepreneurs build new business ventures and to grow existing ones.I began my legal career in criminal law, and I have litigation experience in both civil and criminal cases and have won jury trials.Additionally, I am a member of the IL Bar and the U.S. Court for the Northern District of Illinois Trial Bar, and I have made appearances in federal court for international legal issues.

I place a strong emphasis on providing my clients with personalized attention and responsive legal service. I treat every client with respect, care and compassion and work my hardest to develop innovative and winning strategies for each client’s legal problems.

I own and run a hands-on boutique litigation firm that has been providing aggressive and effective legal representation to individuals and businesses in civil matters since 1982. I specialize in several different aspects of law including  consumer law, class actions, housing, real estate, commercial, business disputes, and probate matters. Early in 2021 i earned my certification with the Illinois State Bar Association for mediation.. I have my CPA certificate so i unlike many lawyers, enjoy the challenge of numbers and i welcome complicated number based cases. I have cross examined CPAs before juries.. I am espcially proud of the extensive experience of my firm in all stages of litigation, including evidentiary hearings, admisistrative hearings, trials, appeals, and arbitrations. I have been involved at the pre litigation stage, motions and discovery, trial, post trial and appeals. I have conducted lenghty bench trials, jury trial, lenghty evideniary hearings, complicated appeals and even been to the Illinois Supreme Court on muliple arguments.. I have cross examined all kinds of witnesses including expert witnesses from forensic document examiners, nurses, builders, roofers, real estate inspectors, forensic psychologist, toxicologists, environmental engineers, mold experts, hematologists, building safety issues, security issues, handwriting expters, all sorts of construction subcontractors, accountants, CPAs, hospitality industries, appraisers, realtors,  and numerous others.. My commitment to my clients goes beyond that of the trial. I have written numerous appeals, preparing both briefs and motions.. I really do enjoy what I do. A supervising Judge of Circuit Court of Cook County even refered to me as, "one of the leading practitioners in the area of Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance of the City of Chicago".

I own and operate Olstein Law, a consumer protection and bankruptcy law firm that is dedicated to helping consumers resolve the financial hardships they are experiencing.  I will take the time to listen to your concerns, answer all your questions, and help you make the best decision to resolve your financial hardships.

I offer legal advice and representation to victims of personal injuries, businesses involved in commercial disputes, legal and professional malpractice victims, and construction contractors involved in claims.  My approach is to give honest, straight-talking advice, and personally tailor my representation in order to obtain the best result possible, through settlement, mediation, or trial.. Away from work, I spend as much time with my family as possible.  One of my greatest enjoyments is as a coach for my kids' baseball, softball, and basketball teams, which I have done for more than 6 years.  My favorite hobbies include cooking, smoking meats, and playing guitar.

I Make House Calls.  My clients often have a family member who has trouble traveling. It Is usually easier for me to visit with them in their home.

I love baseball, boxers and bankruptcy.  And not necessarily in that order.  I fell into the practice of bankruptcy law years and years ago, and it has been a perfect match for me.  I love getting rid of debts, and helping folks get back on track with their financial lives.  It gives me great pleasure to wipe out credit card debts and even the IRS debts.  I fell into the perfect job for me.. After years and years of Cub fan futilism, I made the switch to the White Sox.  In time for the 2005 World Series, so that was great.  Now i feel the Cubs calling me back, and am feeling White Sox futilism.....it may be too late for me to switch back.  We will see.  But I love baseball and am a huge fan.  Period.. Boxers too.  I love my Boxer male, but he passed away about two years ago. I want him back.  That's futile too.  I miss taking him to work with me.  I think i am almost ready for another. Hopefully soon.

I left a successful career in the home-building industry to pursue a career in law.  My successes in my first career had moved me away from working directly with homebuyers into administrative and supervisory positions.  These promotions provided me with invaluable experience evaluating and negotiating contracts, but took me further away from what I really enjoy, working directly with people to help them achieve their dream of homeownership.

I learned the real estate taxation practice area while working for my current employer during law school.  I graduated in 2005 and have helped to grow the firm by expanding the geographic diversity of properties under representation as well as the complexity of the matters we handle.  In addition to assessment appeals, we also help our clients with divisions, incentive applications (6B, 7, 8), landmark designation, omitted assessments (back tax), refunds, tax rate objections, and erroneous homestead exemptions.. We have four attorneys and a large support staff.  We handle any size real estate tax matter in Cook County and we represent diverse property holdings in the collar counties and throughout the State of Illinois.  We represent houses, (including several of the highest taxed residences in Cook and Lake Counties), apartment buildings, low income housing, mobile home parks, condo buildings, industrial properties including trucking facilities and factories, and every kind of commercial property including high rise office buildings, national retailers, gyms, and car dealerships.  We also represent special use properties such as golf courses, hospital buildings, equestrian properties, and ice rinks.  We also represent the OREO portfolios for small and large banks.. I have been heavily involved in the Chicago Bar Association serving as the legislative liaison, subcommittee chair, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Real Estate Tax Committee, which is comprised of several hundred members.  I also serve on the Judicial Evaluations Committee for the CBA and have chaired the Real Estate Committee for the Young Lawyers Section.  I've also traveled with the bar association to domestic and foreign destinations for seminars and I have appeared in their Christmas Spirits annual musical.. I have also been very involved with the Illinois Bar Association.  I have served as a member of the ISBA's Section Council on State and Local Taxation for several years.  I've held the positions of Legislative Liaison and Secretary for the Section Council in recent years and I have chaired and participated in multiple work groups.  I am currently on the ballot and running for General Assembly of the ISBA.  I regularly attend the annual and mid-year meetings as well as the monthly Section Council meetings.. There are several other non-legal voluntary associations that are important to my practice area.  I am a member of the Institute of Professionals in Taxation as well as the International Association of Assessing Officials ("IAAO").  The IAAO's legal committee presents a two-day legal seminar every year.  I have attended annually since 2009 and I have also served as a moderator and presenter at the seminar.. In addition to my law practice, I am also a Managing Real Estate Broker in the State of Illinois.  Prior to attending law school, I had experience working for private developers as well as transactional real estate law firms.  I also own investment property and am therefore well-apprised of the everyday issues that landlords and developers face on a daily basis.

I lead a five-person office dedicated to providing the best possible representation for people injured or killed by wrongful conduct. The practice was founded in 1983 and has expanded to include Alexander Loftus and a skilled and experienced support staff. We pride ourselves on being preeminent trial lawyers who know how to prepare cases diligently and quickly.. I realize that no amount of money can fully compensate for what our clients have lost, yet we are drive to applying all of the firm’s experience and resources to deliver maximum results for our clients. I will push your case through the complex court system as efficiently as possible to ensure your justice is not delayed.

I have successfully tried several cases at Arbitration, taken numerous depositions of witnesses including experts and obtained successful results on numerous complex contested motions. I handle court appearances in circuit court throughout the state of Illinois and at the Industrial Commission on a regular basis. I have also played an important role in many large settlements. Prior to being admitted to the bar in 2013, I externed for Judge Clare McWilliams in the Civil Division of the Cook County Circuit Court, and worked for the McLean County States Attorney’s Office in the felony drug division, securing a felony conviction. I also clerked for a firm specializing in asbestos litigation.. I was recently quoted in the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin on the evolving law of distracted driving in Illinois.

I have successfully prosecuted a great number of medical malpractice, product liability and various personal injury cases including trucking cases, construction cases, auto collisions, sexual assault and various wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases.. I am a trial lawyer and prepare each case for trial. Concentrating on a small number of cases and being willing and able to take a case to verdict allows me to maximize the recovery on every case I pursue.

I have practiced law now for more than 1/2 of my life, focused primarily in the areas of Criminal Defense, DUI/Traffic Defense, Driver's License Reinstatement, and Immigration. In my 29 plus years of practicing law, I have tried cases ranging from First Degree Murder, on down to defending minor traffic and local ordinance tickets. I have appeared in Federal Courts, other State Courts on a pro hoc vice basis, such as Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Arizona. I believe that everyone, regardless of their "station in life" is entitled to the best defense that I can give them. I believe that our system of justice, while not perfect, is still the greatest in the world, and the Constitution and Bill of Rights offer the best chance of achieving Justice.. I like to think that no case is too big, or too small, for me to take on. The day that I can no longer find the words to speak on behalf of even the most unpopular client will be the day that I retire. I said that when I was in Law School, and I still say that today.

I have practiced in estate planning, probate, and estate and trust litigation since graduating from law school in 2004.  After working at Urban & Burt, Ltd., in Oak Forest, IL, I joined Paul F. O'Keefe, P.C. in 2006 where I continue to practice in estate planning, probate, trust and estate litigation, and now commercial litigation.  I work out of both our Evanston and Chicago offices.  I grew up in West Michigan and came to the Chicago area to attend college at Trinity Christian College in Palos Heights, IL.

I have over 30 years of experience as a trial lawyer, almost all of it spent exclusively handling medical malpractice cases. After getting my law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, Illinois, in 1988, I moved to Arizona where I worked as a medical malpractice defense lawyer. I stayed there until 1994 when I returned to Chicago and worked briefly for Chicago’s Seyfarth, Shaw doing general commercial litigation work. I quickly discovered that big, commercial case litigation as well as the large law firm life were not for me.. In 1995, I returned to my trial lawyer roots and joined Cirignani, Heller & Harman where I once again specialize in medical malpractice cases. Both of my law partners have medical backgrounds: Stan is a medical doctor, and Jim was once a respiratory therapist. When I say that I specialize in medical malpractice I mean that it is the only kind of work my firm and I do. We don’t handle auto accidents, slip and falls, product liability, truck accidents, plane and train accident cases—only medical malpractice. Personally, I made the choice to focus my efforts on medical litigation alone because when I was a defense lawyer representing doctors and hospitals I saw first-hand how the experience and expertise of the plaintiff’s lawyer mattered more than anything else to a successful outcome for victims of medical malpractice.. Since returning to medical litigation, I’ve successfully handled a wide variety of medical malpractice cases, including: birth injuries like cerebral palsy, operating room fires, brain injuries, hospital mistakes, medication mistakes, misdiagnoses, stroke injuries, spinal cord injuries, paralysis injuries, anesthesia injuries, and wrongful death.

I have over 27 years experience on the defense side in dealing in all Cook County Criminal Trial Courts, Misdemeanor Trial Courts, Felony Branch Courts, Suburban Courts, Misdemeanor Branch Courts, Traffic Courts, Illinois Appellate Court, Illinois Supreme Court, Federal District Court, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court.. I am licensed to practice in all Illinois State Courts and Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.. I successfully represented clients charged with first degree murder to narcotics possession to criminal trespass to speeding.  I believe every client has constitutional rights that need to be proctected.. I provide reasonable fees and honest representation for all.. I realize that most clients and their family members have not dealt with the criminal justice system.  This leaves them feeling scared and confused.  I am familiar with the criminal justice system, the judges, and the prosecutors.  I have an excellent working relationship with the courts, and I strive to offer the best representation possible to my clients.. In the wake of the recent immigration frenzy over the last few years, I have been growing an immigration practice.  I have counseled many clients in obtaining legal status in the United States.  I have helped U.S. citizens that marry foreign spouses, I have assisted in asylum related cases, change of status situations, work authorizations, and employment-based immigration and naturalization.  I have appeared at the USCIS and U.S. Immigration Court.