Adam M. Ansari is a Member at Clark Hill PLC in Chicago, where he concentrates in tax, estateplanning, and business structuring matters. He is a member of the Illinois State, South Asian, and American Bar Associations. He is a Current Leadership Member of the ABA’s Real Property Trust & Estate Section (Past Fellow) and Past Chair of its Solo and Small Firm Practice Group. He has been recognized as among the Best Lawyers in America’s Ones to Watch for Tax Law (2022 – 2025) and Trusts and Estates (2021 – 2025), as a Rising Star in Tax Law by Illinois Super Lawyers (2016 – 2023), and as an Estate Planning & Probate Law Rising Star by Super Lawyers Magazine (2016 – 2023). Mr. Ansari received his BA from Boston University, his MBA from Dominican University, his JD from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, and his LLM from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.
Joe Blumberg is Of Counsel to ArentFox Schiff in Lake Forest, where he focuses on trusts and estates. He is a member of the Illinois State and Missouri Bar Associations. Mr. Blumberg received his BA from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and his JD, cum laude, Order of the Coif, from the University of Missouri School of Law.
Beth K. Flowers is the Founder of Flowers Law, LLC, in Edwardsville. She focuses her practice on estate planning, real estate law, and business law. She served on the Board of Directors for the Edwardsville chapter of Faith in Action for nine years. She is also a member of the Land of Goshen Rotary (Madison County), where she has served on the Board of Directors for several years. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Hospice of Southern Illinois and Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois. Ms. Flowers received her BA, cum laude, from Truman State University and her JD from Saint Louis University.
Afton L. Gauron is a Partner at Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC in Chicago, where she is Chair of the Private Client Services Group and Cochair of the Culture Committee. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Estate Planning Council and is a Legislative Liaison of the Chicago Bar Association’s Trust Law Executive Committee. Ms. Gauron received her BA from Gonzaga University and her JD, cum laude, from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Robert S. Held is an attorney at Held Law Offices in Chicago, who represents corporate and individual fiduciaries — as well as beneficiaries — in complex estate and trust litigation, guardianship matters, and commercial litigation. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and Past Chair of its Trust Law Committee’s Insurable Interest Subcommittee, its Federal Taxation Committee, and its Estate and Gift Taxation Subcommittee. He received his BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo, his MBA from Eastern New Mexico University, and his JD from DePaul University.
Michael Held is an associate with Held Law Offices in Chicago, where he focuses his practice on litigation. He is also a Captain in the United States Marine Corps. Mr. Held received his BA from Boston University and his JD from the University of Illinois College of Law.
Castles R. Hollis is a Partner with Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP in Atlanta, Georgia, where she focuses her practice on employee benefits and executive compensation. She is a member of the ESOP Association and the National Center for Employee Ownership. Ms. Hollis received her BS, her JD, and her MS in Taxation from the University of South Carolina.
Ryan M. Holmes is a Member at Clark Hill PLC in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in estate tax planning, probate and guardianship administration, and probate, trust, and guardianship litigation. He was recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (2014 – 2017) and is a member of the Chicago Estate Planning Council and Chicago, Illinois State, Wisconsin, and Michigan Bar Associations. Mr. Holmes received his BA from Knox College and his JD from Northern Illinois University College of Law.
Cindy M. Johnson is a Managing Member of Johnson Legal Group, LLC, in Chicago, where she focuses her practice in creditor bankruptcy, commercial litigation, and postjudgment enforcement. She serves as a Membership Ambassador for the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees and Cochair of the Social/Networking Committee of the Illinois State Bar Association’s Commercial Banking, Collections, and Bankruptcy Section. She has been appointed a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Trustee for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. Ms. Johnson received her BA from the University of Chicago and her JD from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Mallory A. Kallabat is a Senior Attorney at Clark Hill PLC in Birmingham, AL, where she provides personal legal services to clients in the areas of estate and business planning, probate and trust administration, charitable planning, special needs planning, and related tax matters. She has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (2024), by DBusiness as a Top Lawyer, and as among the Best Lawyers in America’s Ones to Watch for Trusts and Estates Law (2022 – 2025). Ms. Kallabat received her BA from Wayne State University and her JD from the Wayne State University Law School.
Kenneth T. Little is an associate at BakerHostetler LLP in Costa Mesa, CA. He is a member of the American Bar Association. Mr. Little received his BBA from Howard University, his JD from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and his LLM from Georgetown University Law Center.
Jennifer A. Mendel is a Partner at Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on private client trusts and estates, as well as tax and nonprofits. She is a member of the Chicago, Illinois State, and American Bar Associations and serves as Vice Chair of the Committee on Estate and Gift Taxes for the ABA’s Taxation Section. Ms. Mendel received her BA from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her JD from the University of Denver College of Law.
Ben A. Neiburger is a Founder of Generation Law in Elmhurst, where he concentrates his practice on estate planning and elder law. He has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer in Elder Law (2007, 2009 – present) and as IICLE®’s Volunteer of the Year (2010). He served as Chair of IICLE®’s Board of Directors in 2018. He is also a CPA. Mr. Neiburger received his BS from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his JD from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Julie Sirlin Pleshivoy is a Partner at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP in Chicago, where she concentrates in estate planning, personal tax planning, and business succession planning. She has been recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a Notable Woman in Law (2024), by Best Lawyers in America for Trusts and Estates (2024 – 2025), by Leading Lawyers (2014 – present), by Illinois Super Lawyers for Estate & Probate (2011 – 2016, 2021 – present), and by Marquis Who’s Who Top Lawyers (2020). Ms. Pleshivoy received her AB from the University of Chicago and her JD and LLM from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Sandra M. Schildgen is a Partner at Wilson & Wilson Estate Planning & Elder Law LLC in Northbrook and LaGrange, where she focuses her practice on estate planning, estate and trust administration, Medicaid eligibility planning, and elder law. She is a former Board Member of Life’s Plan, a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, and President-Elect of the Veterans’ Legal Aid Society of Illinois. Ms. Schildgen received her BA from Columbia University and her JD from the University of Iowa College of Law.
Meghan E. Tepas is a Partner at Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC in Chicago, where she focuses her practice on trust and estate litigation. She is an Illinois State Bar Association’s Trusts & Estates Counsel Member and has been recognized as an Emerging Lawyer by Leading Lawyers and as among the 40 Under 40 by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin. Ms. Tepas received her BA from the University of Michigan and her JD from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.
Steven B. Weinstein is Chair of the independent investment advisory firm Altair Advisers LLC in Chicago, which he founded in 2002 after nearly two decades with Arthur Andersen. He is a member of the CFA Society Chicago, the Chicago Estate Planning Council, and the American Bar Association. He received his BA with distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from Stanford University and his JD, cum laude, and MBA with distinction from Northwestern University.
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