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A native of southern Illinois, Rachael was born and raised in the small town of Carterville. Being one of eight children, all home-schooled, gave her a unique and unconventional childhood. Her first “formal” education experience was as a freshman in college, where at John A. Logan College she majored in History and Political Science. After earning her associate’s degree, she went on to complete her Bachelor’s in Paralegal Studies with a minor in History at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois.. While a student, Rachael worked several different jobs – as a legal secretary, a bank teller, an office assistant with a title insurance company, and even as a nanny to four small children. Eventually finding herself in a support staff role with Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation in Carbondale, she enjoyed working with the hard-working attorneys of legal aid and the clients they so passionately worked to help. Deciding in 2007 to go back and obtain her law degree, her plans were to go into private practice with her father, an attorney in her hometown of Carterville. Right around the time she received her acceptance letter to SIU School of Law though, her dad was appointed to a judgeship in the First Circuit Court, sitting in Marion, Illinois.. Unsure what her career path would then be, she worked through law school in their legal clinics. She helped low-income individuals with wills, powers of attorney, orders of protection, guardianships and more. After graduating and passing the bar exam, her first job out of law school was serving as City Clerk for the City of Carbondale. While that was not a traditional role for a new attorney, she enjoyed learning municipal functions and served as the City’s Freedom of Information Act officer, secretary to the Liquor Control Commission, administered the City’s Fire and Police employment testing, and was the City’s official records keeper.. In 2012, Rachael met her now husband Oric and his two children, Crofton and Madelyn, who were living in Normal, Illinois. Oric is a Security Analyst with State Farm and the children at that time were ages 4 and 8. She decided to leave her position with the City of Carbondale and accepted a position as an attorney with an insurance subrogation firm located in Normal, Illinois. While working with that firm, she and her husband had two more children, Samuel and Andrew. She stayed working in the insurance subrogation field for about four years until she decided that it was time to get back to what had drawn her to the practice of law in the beginning – helping people.. In 2018, she accepted a position with the McLean County State’s Attorney’s office, working as a prosecutor in the misdemeanor traffic and child support enforcement courtrooms. Her approach as a prosecutor was to be fair, kind and approachable with the people she came into contact with – judges, attorneys and defendants alike. After about 14 months in the State’s Attorney’s office, Rachael was welcomed into the law firm of Pioletti Pioletti & Nichols as the firm’s first female attorney in their 80+ years of serving the people of central Illinois.. She now enjoys representing clients with passion and fervor in family matters, criminal defense and bankruptcy. In her words, “The people are the very best part of this job – it’s what made me choose this career. Obtaining the best result possible for someone during a difficult time in their life brings me personal and professional satisfaction.”. Contact InfoPhone:Email:

A background that includes multiple stints as an assistant prosecuting attorney, including heading a multi-county child support enforcement unit, has given William F. Backer plenty of courtroom and litigation experience.. It also gives him the understanding of how the other side works from doing it himself.. “For instance, that experience from the other side in child support enforcement allows me to know what their options are, how they are going to proceed and how they are going to make their decision on whether to bring contempt or criminal charges,” Mr. Backer said. “That puts me in a position to tell a client here’s what the other side is thinking, and trust me, I know because I’ve done it.”. Mr. Backer said his extensive experience working on jury trials has helped hone his courtroom skills.. “My greatest strength is being able to take what appears on the outside to be a very complicated case and break it down so it is easily understood,” he said. “It’s important to be able to present and organize your evidence in such a way that it is not only convincing but understandable.”. His ability to make complex legal terms and issues easy to understand is also important in communicating with and helping guide his clients through the confusing divorce process.. “In order to achieve the best results in your case, it is crucial for you to be completely honest in your communication with me so that we can be prepared for everything,” Mr. Backer said. “I am your partner in this process, and you can trust that I will advocate for you at every stage in the process.”

Maria Schopp, Esq. is a family law attorney with nearly 20 years' experience and clients located in San Francisco and other Bay Area counties.