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Lorraine K. Cavataio is a Shareholder at Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C., in its O’Fallon office. She focuses her practice on business law, estate planning, estate and trust administration, litigation, and real estate. She is a Certified Public Accountant and a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. She has been chosen as a Super Lawyer (2015 – 2022) and is listed as part of the Estate Planning and Probate Division for Illinois. Ms. Cavataio received her B.S. from the University of Kansas and her J.D. from the Washington University School of Law.
Darcy J. Chamberlin is Principal at Chamberlin Law Group in Oak Brook, where she concentrates her practice on estate planning, probate, and trust administration. Ms. Chamberlin is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, Special Needs Alliance, and National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. She earned both her J.D. and B.A. from Indiana University.
Patricia Cline is an Expert Life Care Manager for Lifecare Innovations/Lifecare Guardianship in Burr Ridge, with extensive professional experience in life care management, guardianship, and home care. She is an Illinois Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Certified Life Care Planner, and a National Certified Guardian. She is a member of the National Association of Social Workers, the Illinois Guardianship Association, and the Illinois State Chapter Board of the International Association of Rehabilitation Professionals. Ms. Cline received her B.A. from DePaul University, her M.S.W. from the University of Illinois Chicago Jane Addams College of Social Work, and her M.A. from Loyola University Chicago.
Heidi E. Dodd is an Owner of Harter, Larson & Dodd in O’Fallon, where she practices in the areas of estate planning and elder law. Ms. Dodd was the recipient of the 2018 Legacy Celebration Award. She is a board member of the Illinois National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Mascoutah Senior Center. She received her B.S. from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, her M.A. from the University of Illinois Springfield, and her J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law.
Janna S. Dutton is a Principal at Dutton & Casey, P.C., in Chicago, where she concentrates in estate planning, probate, and elder law issues, including guardianship and financial exploitation matters, trusts and estate planning, Medicaid planning and applications, and probate and estate administration. She is certified by the National Elder Law Foundation as an elder law attorney and has held this certification since 1995. Prior to opening her private practice in 1989, Ms. Dutton was the Project Director of Senior Citizens Legal Services with the Cook County Legal Assistance Foundation. Ms. Dutton is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Illinois Chapter; the Chicago Bar Association, Elder Law Committee, Trust Law Committee; and the Council of Advanced Practitioners (CAP) of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. The CAP is an invitation-only membership for experienced Certified Elder Law Attorneys with an AV rating. Ms. Dutton completed her undergraduate education at Wheaton College and received her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law.
Michael H. Erde is Principal at Michael H. Erde, P.C., in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice on estate planning, elder law, and probate. Mr. Erde is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and its Chicago Chapter. He is certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. Mr. Erde is Former Chair of the Chicago Bar Association Elder Law Committee and the Founder and Former Chair of the CBA’s Asset Protection Planning Committee. He received his B.S. from Washington University and his J.D. from the University of Illinois and has graduate credits in taxation from The John Marshall Law School.
Ashley H. Herschberger is an associate at Levin & Perconti in Chicago and focuses her practice on nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, and personal injury. Ms. Herschberger has been selected by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star (2015, 2016) and is a board member of Indiana University’s Alumni Association. She is a member of the American, Illinois State, and Chicago Bar Associations. Ms. Herschberger earned her B.A. from DePauw University and her J.D. from the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.
Shay Jacobson of Jacobsen Consulting in Homer Glen practices nurse life care planning. She is a Certified Nurse Life Care Planner and a National Master Guardian. She is a member of the American Association of Nurse Life Care Planners, the American Association of Legal Nurse Consultants, and the National Guardianship Association. Ms. Jacobson, a Registered Nurse in Illinois, received her B.S.N. and M.A. in nursing from the University of Iowa.
Kenneth Kugelberg had already enjoyed a successful career in public service prior to graduating from The John Marshall Law School. His career in public service began with the Clerk of the 18th Judicial Circuit Court and included the Naperville Police Department and the Office of the DuPage County State’s Attorney. At the Circuit Court Clerk’s Office, Mr. Kugelberg was a member of the management team and developed, implemented, and supervised a department overseeing office-wide compliance with statutes, court rules, and office policies. In this capacity, he authored reports on projects, gave presentations, and provided training to staff, management, and other agencies. After being sworn into Illinois State Bar, he started his own practice as a criminal defense attorney, but now focuses on estate planning, guardianships, and probate with Generation Law, Ltd.
Nancy R. Larson is a Partner with Harter, Larson & Dodd in Belleville, where she concentrates her practice on estate planning and elder law. Ms. Larson is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Academy of Special Needs Planners/Elder Law Answers, and the Illinois State Bar Association. She received the SWIC Generation of Success award (2006) and the Alzheimer’s Association’s Person of the Year award (2006). She graduated from St. Louis University School of Law.
Steven M. Levin is Cofounder of and Senior Partner at Levin & Perconti in Chicago, with more than 30 years of plaintiffs’ personal injury litigation experience and success. He was among the first attorneys in the country to handle nursing home cases and has established a reputation as one of the country’s top litigators in nursing home litigation. He is a member of the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care Leadership Council, an organization dedicated to protecting the rights of nursing home residents and their families, and is also the former Chair of the American Association for Justice Nursing Home Litigation Group. He has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer every year since 2005 and selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America every year since 2013. Mr. Levin received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Helen Mesoloras is a Partner at Dutton Casey & Mesoloras, P.C., in Chicago, where she concentrates her practice in elder law. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and served as President of the Illinois Chapter in 2017. Ms. Mesoloras is a Certified Elder Law Attorney. She is also a member of the and the Chicago Bar Association, having served as Chair of the CBA Elder Law Committee. She received her B.A. with honors and her J.D. from DePaul University.
D. Rebecca Mitchell is the Founder and Principal of the boutique law firm Office of D. Rebecca Mitchell in Chicago. She brings over 30 years of legal experience to her current concentration in assisting individuals and families to address the legal issues that accompany disability, including planning for access to and financing of services, programs, and long-term care, the establishment and administration of special-needs trusts, asset preservation, healthcare decisions, financial management, powers of attorney, guardianship, and the protection of vulnerable persons from exploitation and abuse. She has also accepted appointments as volunteer guardian ad litem in the Circuit Court of Cook County and has served as a volunteer mentor/advisor for staff and attorneys at the Center for Disability and Elder Law and for students and faculty at the Loyola University Elder Law Clinic. Ms. Mitchell has served the Illinois Chapter, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, for more than 15 years in various capacities, including president, treasurer, secretary, and board member. She also served two terms as chairperson of the Chicago Bar Association Elder Law Committee. She has been a member of the Multi-Disciplinary Advisory Team for the Elder Abuse program at Metropolitan Family Services for more than 14 years. She has spoken before a variety of professional and community groups on topics including guardianship, special-needs trusts, disability and nursing home planning, powers of attorney, and elder abuse and has coauthored articles for the Illinois Bar Journal and Exceptional Parent magazine. Prior to entering private law practice, Ms. Mitchell managed a legal services program serving senior citizens throughout the City of Chicago, served as Chief Counsel to the Illinois Office of State Guardian and General Counsel to the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, and worked as an advocate for individuals with disabilities and as a child protection caseworker. She earned her J.D. degree from the State University of New York College of Law at Buffalo, graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University, and attended Colegio La Paz in Aguascalientes, Mexico, as a Rotary International Exchange Student.
Ben A. Neiburger is a Partner at Generation Law in Elmhurst, where he concentrates his practice on elder law and ERISA. He is a member of U.S. Supreme Court Bar, the U.S. District Court Bar, the Northern District of Illinois Bar, and the Illinois State Bar Association. He has been recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer in Elder Law (2007, 2009 – present). He is also a C.P.A. Mr. Neiburger received his B.S. at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Bhavik R. Patel is CEO and Shareholder with Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard P.C., in St. Louis, where he concentrates his practice on wealth, tax, special-needs planning and administration, and business and corporate planning. Mr. Patel is a board member of the St. Louis Arc, the Starkloff Disability Institute, and the St. Louis Zoo. Mr. Patel received his B.B.A. magna cum laude from Georgia State University, M.B.A. with high honors from the Illinois Institute of Technology-Stuart College of Business, LL.M. from Washington University School of Law, and J.D. with honors from the University of Arkansas-Little Rock School of Law, where he served as the Associate Managing Editor of the University of Arkansas-Little Rock Law Review.
Cary R. Rosenthal is Principal at Rosenthal & Associates P.C., in Chicago, where he concentrates his practice in estate planning, business succession planning, and taxation. He has practiced in the Chicago area since being admitted to the Illinois bar and the federal bar. He began his career litigating business matters, including contract claims, shareholder disputes, and fraud litigation, and later began representing clients before the Internal Revenue Service and the Illinois Department of Revenue. He concentrates on helping clients avoid the perils of lawsuits, income taxation, and transfer taxes by using forms of entities that maximize benefits and minimize potential problems; using a variety of vehicles to ensure that a family business, often a family’s largest asset, succeeds to the next generation; engaging in comprehensive tax planning; providing probate and guardianship representation; and, as a last resort, using bankruptcy and other insolvency vehicles. Mr. Rosenthal graduated from Washington University School of Law.
Brian N. Rubin is a Principal at Rubin Law, A Professional Corporation, in Buffalo Grove, where he focuses his practice on special-needs planning. Mr. Rubin is the parent of three children, one of whom, Mitchell, has autism, and is dedicated to serving the legal and future planning needs of his fellow families of children and adults with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and/or mental illness. He has been elected as a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and has received the Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ Rating. Mr. Rubin is a Past President of The Arc of Illinois, has been a member of the Board of Directors of Clearbrook, is Past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Special Leisure Services Foundation, served as the Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the Special Education District of Lake County, served on the Board of Directors of KESHET (Jewish Parents of Children with Special Needs); served on the Board of Directors of Pact, Inc., served on the Board of Directors of Northpointe Resources, serves as Vice President and on the Board of Directors of the Special Needs Alliance, served on the Special Needs Law Section Steering Committee of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, was a Charter Member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners, and has spoken and written for IICLE®. Mr. Rubin, among many other State of Illinois committees and commissions, has served as Chairman of the State of Illinois Statewide Advisory Council on Developmental Disabilities; Chairman of the State of Illinois Autism Task Force; a member of the State of Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission; a member of the State of Illinois Department of Human Services Office of Inspector General Quality Care Board; a member of the State of Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities Strategic Plan Team; a member of the State of Illinois Disabilities Services Advisory Committee; and a member of the State of Illinois, Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities Quality Committee. He is a former IRS agent and a former IRS estate tax attorney. Mr. Rubin served by appointment on the American Bar Association’s Sub-Committee on Special Needs Trusts and Other Protective Vehicles; by appointment of the President of the Illinois State Bar Association on the ISBA’s Section Council on Estate Planning, Probate, and Trust Law; and, by appointment, on the ISBA’s Standing Committee on the mentally disabled. Mr. Rubin received his B.S. from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, and his J.D. from ITT Chicago-Kent College of Law.
Bryan J. Schrempf is a Partner at Schrempf, Kelly, & Napp, LTD, in Alton, where he regularly drafts wills, estate plan, and trust agreements. Mr. Schrempf is licensed to practice in Illinois, Missouri, the Southern and Central Districts of Illinois, and the Eastern District of Missouri. He received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law.
Lauren Sherman is President of Lifecare Innovations, an Arosa Company, and Lifecare Guardianship, in Burr Ridge. Ms. Sherman is a National Master Guardian and a certified case manager. She is member of the Advisory Counsel for Age Guide (Northeastern Illinois Area Agency on Aging), the National Guardianship Association, and the Aging Life Care Association. Ms. Sherman received her both B.A. and her MSW from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Linda M. Strohschein is the Principal of Strohschein Law Group, LLC, a boutique estate planning and elder law firm in St. Charles. She concentrates her practice on estate and long-term care planning, guardianship, estate and trust administration, and probate litigation. Ms. Strohschein is certified as an elder law attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation. Although CELA is not required by the State of Illinois, this title is earned through a multifaceted process and the attorney must successfully pass a comprehensive certification exam to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of elder law. She is a frequent speaker on a variety of estate planning and disability topics. Ms. Strohschein is a current member of the Kane County Bar Association. In addition, she is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and serves as the Treasurer of the Executive Board for the Illinois chapter. Ms. Strohschein received her B.A. from George Mason University and her J.D. from The John Marshall Law School.
Theresa Medeiros Varnet is Of Counsel for Spain, Spain & Varnet P.C. in Chicago, and Of Counsel for Fletcher Tilton PC, Worcester, Massachusetts, and concentrates her practice in the areas of probate, guardianship, and special-needs planning. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and Cochair of its Special Needs Law Section. She is also a member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners. She received her B.A. from the University of Massachusetts, her MSW from the University of Connecticut, and her J.D. from DePaul University.