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Alyana J. Abellar
Alyana J. Abellar
Alyana J. Abellar is an associate at Blacha Law Office, in Naperville, and concentrates her practice on family law, immigration, and probate. Abellar is a member of the Chicago, DuPage County, and Kane County Bar Associations as well as the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. She received her B.A. from the University of the Philippines Diliman and her J.D. magna cum laude from Michigan State University College of Law. She also has received Jurisprudence Achievement Awards for Immigration Law, Trust and Estates, Torts, and Sales and Leases.
Janet LaDonna Barnes
Janet LaDonna Barnes
Janet LaDonna Barnes is the Assistant Deputy at the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian in Chicago. Barnes has more than 25 years representing children and adults with disabilities and defending persons charged with crimes, both in the trial and appellate courts. She is a member of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. and the Chicago Bar Association and is an appointed member of the Illinois Child Death Review Team.
Bruce A. Boyer
Bruce A. Boyer
Bruce A. Boyer is a Curt and Linda Rodin Professor of Law and Social Justice and Director of Civitas ChildLaw Center. He is a former member of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, a former Chair of the ABA Steering Committee on the Unmet Legal Needs of Children, and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Boyer received his B.A. from Dartmouth College and his J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Sarah Coffman
Sarah Coffman
Sarah Coffman is a supervising attorney with the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian in Chicago, where her concentration is in child protection. Coffman received her B.A. from DePaul University and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University, where she was also recognized as a member of the Order of the Coif.
Stephen M. Dore
Stephen M. Dore
Stephen M. Dore is regional counsel for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services in Chicago. He is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association. Dore received his B.A. from the University of Illinois and his J.D. from The John Marshall Law School.
Brian Finley
Brian Finley
Brian Finley is the Director of Litigation Support at the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian in Chicago, where he concentrates in juvenile law. Finley received his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Danielle Renee Gomez
Danielle Renee Gomez
Danielle Renee Gomez is the Director of Legislative Affairs, Juvenile, and Domestic Relations Divisions with the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian in Chicago. Her area of practice focuses on child welfare policy and legislation in addition to abuse, neglect, and dependency. Gomez is the Vice Chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s child law committee and a member of the Family Recovery Plans Implementation Task Force and the DCFS Child Welfare Advisory Council. She has also been recognized as Child Welfare Advocate of the Year in 2015 by the Foster Care Alumni of America Illinois Chapter. Gomez received her B.S. from Northwestern University and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Rachel M. Koch
Rachel M. Koch
Rachel M. Koch is an assistant public defender at the Office of the Cook County Public Defender, where she represents parents in the Family Defense Conflicts Division. Koch is also an adjunct professor at DePaul University College of Law, where she teaches education law and policy and criminal evidence. She received her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin, her M.A.T. from the University of Chicago, and her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Emma McMullen
Emma McMullen
Emma McMullen is a supervisory attorney in the Children and Families Practice Group with Legal Aid Chicago. She primarily provides representation in family law matters, including parentage and divorce cases, as well as protective order matters for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. She has recently expanded her practices to include family defense work by providing parent representation in child welfare proceedings and DCFS indicated appeals. She received her B.S. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Nrupa Patel
Nrupa Patel
Nrupa Patel is a Partner at BRE Law in Decatur, where she focuses her practice on family law, criminal defense, DCFS appeals, and expungements. She is a member of the Decatur and Illinois State Bar Associations and a recipient of the Decatur Bar Association’s Russell D. Hoerbert Pro Bono Award (2019). Ms. Patel received her B.A. magna cum laude from Bradley University and her J.D. cum laude from the Northern Illinois University College of Law.
Alpa Jayanti Patel
Alpa Jayanti Patel
Alpa Jayanti Patel is the Chief Deputy with the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian in Chicago. Patel is a current member and Past Chair of the Illinois Supreme Court Judicial College Committee on Guardian ad Litem Education and an appointed member of the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Juvenile Courts and Equal Justice. She also has presented at various law symposiums, law schools, and seminars on topics related to juvenile law, children, and adults with disabilities, and is a frequent commentator about child welfare in print and media news. Patel received her B.A. from the University of Chicago and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she was also honored with the Loyola School of Law Public Interest Service Award.
Jeffrey Sterbenc
Jeffrey Sterbenc
Jeffrey Sterbenc isthe Assistant Director of Litigation Support at the Office of the Cook County Public Guardian in Chicago, where he concentrates in juvenile and family law. Sterbenc was a faculty presenter at the ABA National Conference on Access to Justice for Children and Families in 2019 and at the National Association of Counsel for Children’s National Conference in 2024. He has also been a school board member since 2019. He received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Anita Weinberg
Anita Weinberg
Anita Weinberg is a Curt and Linda Rodin Clinical Professor of Law and Social Justice, Co-director of the Civitas ChildLaw Center, and Director of the Legislation and Policy Clinic and the ChildLaw Policy Institute at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Weinberg was a principal drafter of the permanency and best-interests provisions of the Illinois Juvenile Court Act. She is also a member of the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services Advisory Council to the Director. She is the 2014 recipient of the St. Ignatius Loyola Award for Excellence on Teaching with a commitment to raising global awareness, promoting social justice, and educating the whole student. Weinberg received her B.A. from the University of Michigan, her M.S.S.W. from Columbia University, and her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.

Alyana J. Abellar

Janet LaDonna Barnes

Bruce A. Boyer

Sarah Coffman

Stephen M. Dore

Brian Finley

Danielle Renee Gomez

Rachel M. Koch

Emma McMullen

Nrupa Patel

Alpa Jayanti Patel

Jeffrey Sterbenc

Anita Weinberg

Child Welfare Law: Neglected, Abused, and Dependent Minors 2024 Edition