MEMBERS OF FIRM
Stephen L. Golan (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois, October 22, 1951; admitted to bar, 1978, Illinois. Education: Claremont Men's College (B.A., 1974); Northwestern University (M.B.A., 1978; J.D., 1978). Certified Public Accountant, Illinois, 1976. Lake Forest Caucus, 1994-1999. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants; Computer Law Association; American Bar Foundation (Fellow, 2005); Leading Lawyers (Advisory Board, 2004); Illinois Super Lawyer (Member, 2005). Fellow, American Bar Foundation. Practice Areas: Business Law; Business Structures; Financing; Real Estate; Technology Law.Email: Stephen L. Golan
Margaret A. Christie (Partner) born Elyria, Ohio, October 2, 1954; admitted to bar, 1978, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: Ohio Wesleyan University (B.A., summa cum laude, 1975); Northwestern University (J.D., 1978). Phi Beta Kappa. Member, Mortar Board. Member of Staff, 1976-1977, Executive Editor, 1977-1978, Northwestern University Law Review. Member: Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Real Estate; Office, Shopping Center and Industrial Acquisitions; Environmental Real Estate; Financing; Leasing; Sales; General Business Law; Environmental Business Law.Email: Margaret A. Christie
Donna F. Hartl (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois, June 26, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1988, U.S. Tax Court and U.S. Court of Claims. Education: North Central College (B.A., magna cum laude, 1979) Alumni Recognition Award, 1992; Loyola University (J.D., 1983). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award. Certified Public Accountant, Illinois, 1980. Member, Board of Education, South Berwyn School District 100, 1989-1993. Director-at-Large, Illinois Association of School Boards, West Cook Division, 1991-1993. Current Member and Chairperson, 1990-1991, Vice-President, 1991-1992, Legislation Committee, Business and Professional Women's Society, La Grange Chapter. Current Member and Former Chair, Federal Tax Section of the Illinois State Bar Association. Member, Board of Directors, Jobs for Youth, Inc. Member, auxiliary Board of Turning Point Behavioral Health Care. Member, Board of Directors of the Chicago Chapter of Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 1995-1997. Member, Board of Directors, AIDSCARE, Inc. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Illinois Certified Public Accountants Society; Bohemian Lawyers Bar Association. Practice Areas: Tax Law; Non-Profits; Corporate; Business and Personal Tax Planning; Estate Planning.Email: Donna F. Hartl
Barbara L. Yong (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois, January 4, 1958; admitted to bar, 1982, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois including Trial Bar; 1987, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 1996, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Illinois (B.A., 1979); Loyola University School of Law (J.D., 1982). Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Kappa Phi; Phi Eta Sigma; Phi Alpha Delta (President, 1981-1982). Commissioner, Park District of LaGrange, 1987-1995. Special Assistant Attorney General, Office of Illinois Attorney General, 1982-1986. Member: Chicago (Chair, Runaway and Homeless Youth Project, 1985-1986; Chair, Committee on Women's Rights, 1989-1991), DuPage County, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Women's Bar Association of Illinois (Treasurer, 1992-1993); Turnaround Management Association (TMA) (Co-Chair of Women's Group 2007); International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC); Chicago Network (Co-founder and Treasurer, 2003-2005); WILPOWER, Political Action Committee (PAC) of the Women's Bar Association of Illinois (Member, Board of Directors, 1999-2005); Illinois Federation of Business and Professional Women (State Parliamentary Advisor, 1999-2002; State President, 2007-2008); National Association of Women Business Owners; The Need Foundation (Board President, 1997-1999); BPW Illinois Educational Foundation (President, 2000-2005). Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Bankruptcy Law; Real Estate; Business Law; Estate Planning.Email: Barbara L. Yong
David K. Schmitt (Partner) born Evanston, Illinois, April 23, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, Illinois, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1981, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 1984, U.S. Tax Court; 1994, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, U.S. District Court, Western and Eastern Districts of Michigan; 1997, U.S. Supreme Court; 2008, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois. Education: University of Colorado at Boulder (B.A., cum laude, 1977); Loyola University of Chicago (J.D., 1980). Member: American and Chicago Bar Associations; Supreme Court Historical Society. Practice Areas: Business Litigation; Insurance Litigation.Email: David K. Schmitt
Margaret A. Gisch (Partner) born Westchester, Illinois, April 22, 1965; admitted to bar, 1990, Illinois; 1992, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois including Trial Bar; 1994, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit. Education: St. Mary's College (B.A., 1987); University of Illinois College of Law (J.D., 1990). Recipient, Rickert Award for Excellence in Appellate Advocacy. Member, Illinois Moot Court Team, Spring and Fall, 1989. IICLE Board of Directors, 1995-2002, Executive Committee, 1997-1999. Member: Chicago, Kane County (Director, Board of Managers, 1994-1995; Co-Chair, New Lawyer's Division, 1992-1994); Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Employment; Corporate Law.Email: Margaret A. Gisch
Anthony R. Taglia (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois, September 7, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, Illinois. Education: Northern Illinois University (B.S., 1991); DePaul University (J.D., 1994; M.B.A., 1994). Certified Public Accountant, 1991. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Practice Areas: Business Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Taxation; Trusts and Estates.Email: Anthony R. Taglia
Peter M. Katsaros (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois, November 28, 1950; admitted to bar, 1978, Illinois. Education: Indiana University (B.A., Economics, summa cum laude, 1972); University of Illinois (J.D., 1978). Phi Beta Kappa. Rhodes Scholar Finalist. Adjunct Professor: Trial Advocacy/Ethics, Northwestern University Law School, 1990-; Trial Practice, National Independent Judicial Association, 1984-. Formerly with: Hughes, Socol, Piers, Resnick & Dym, P.C.; Clausen Miller. Staff, Governor of Illinois, 1973-1975. Executive Director, Governor's Commission on Mortgage Practices, 1973-1975. Public Member, The Illinois Board of Banks and Trusts Companies, 1975-1979. Member: Federal and American Bar Associations; Center for Creative Learning; American Trial Lawyers Association; Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. Practice Areas: Complex Civil Litigation; Commercial Litigation; Labor and Employment Litigation.
Darrin S. Baim (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois, March 21, 1970; admitted to bar, 1998, Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.S., 1992; M.S., 1995); Loyola University (J.D., cum laude, 1998). Editor-at-Large (1996-1998) and Board Member, Loyola University Chicago Law Journal. Articles Editor (1996) Annals of Health Law. Member: Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Law; Mergers and Acquisitions; Commercial Transactions; Real Estate; Estate Planning.Email: Darrin S. Baim
Caren A. Lederer (Partner) born Irving, Texas, September 14, 1967; admitted to bar, 1998, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 2001, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 2008, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois. Education: University of Texas at Austin (B.A., cum laude, 1988); John Marshall Law School (J.D., cum laude, 1998). Recipient, American Bankruptcy Institute Certificate of Excellence in Bankruptcy. Member: Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation; Workouts; Real Estate; Bankruptcy; Corporate Law; Creditors Rights; Condominium Law; Business Law.Email: Caren A. Lederer
ASSOCIATES
Liat R. Meisler (Associate) born December 23, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Illinois. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1993); University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 1997). Formerly with KMZ Rosenman. Languages: Hebrew. Practice Areas: Property Tax Appeals; Commercial Litigation; Business Litigation.Email: Liat R. Meisler
Laura A. Balson (Associate) born Chicago, Illinois, April 16, 1980; admitted to bar, 2006, Maine, Massachusetts and U.S. District Court, District of Maine; 2007, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: Bates College (B.A., 2001); Northwestern University (J.D., 2005). Phi Delta Phi. Julius Miner Moot Court Competition Finalist, 2004. Member: Chicago, Federal, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Languages: Spanish. Practice Areas: Commercial Litigation(20%); Employment(80%).Email: Laura A. Balson
Matthew C. Wasserman (Associate) born Cleveland, Ohio, May 1, 1980; admitted to bar, 2005, Illinois. Education: Indiana University (B.S., 2002); Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology (J.D., 2005). Formerly with Defress & Fiske LLC. Practice Areas: Business Litigation(90%); Corporate Law(10%).Email: Matthew C. Wasserman
Samuel A. Hans (Associate) born Marshalltown, Iowa, October 15, 1981; admitted to bar, 2008, Illinois. Education: University of Missouri (B.S., Finance, 2004); New England School of Law (J.D., 2007); Northwestern University School of Law (LL.M., Taxation, 2008). Practice Areas: Business Law(40%); Taxation(20%); Mergers and Acquisitions(20%); Estate Planning(20%).Email: Samuel A. Hans
Justin W. Clark (Associate) born Kansas City, Missouri, October 3, 1981; admitted to bar, 2007, Missouri; 2008, Illinois. Education: Westminster College (B.S., 2004); University of Missouri - Kansas City (J.D., 2007); New York University (LL.M., Taxation, 2008). Practice Areas: Tax(40%); Estate Planning(40%); Corporate(15%); Real Estate(5%).Email: Justin W. Clark
OF COUNSEL
Leonard W. Golan (Of Counsel) born Chicago, Illinois, 1923; admitted to bar, 1948, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1951, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 1954, U.S. Court of Military Appeals; 1958, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: Northwestern University (B.S.L., 1947); Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1947). Phi Delta Phi. Master in Chancery, Superior Court of Cook County, Illinois, 1958-1965. Special Assistant Attorney General for Condemnation of Real Property, 1969-1984. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; The Legal Club of Chicago. Practice Areas: General Civil Trial Practice in all courts; Business and Corporate Law.
Howard Z. Gopman (Of Counsel) born 1940; admitted to bar, 1965, Wisconsin; 1969, Illinois. Education: University of Wisconsin (B.S., Economics, 1962; M.B.A., Finance, Banking and Investments, 1967; J.D., 1965). (Also Member to Howard Z. Gopman & Associates, Ltd., Northfield). Practice Areas: Securities; Investments; Securities Arbitration; Blue Sky Law; Real Estate; Commercial Real Estate; Landlord and Tenant Law; Commercial Leasing; Construction; Business Law; Contract Law; Corporate Law; Starting a Business; Business Enterprises; Closely Held Business Franchises; Limited Liability Company Law; Partnerships; Initial Public Offerings; Taxation; Tax Planning; Estate Planning; Trusts and Estates; Asset Protection; Wills; Internet Law; NASD Arbitration; SEC Enforcement; Shareholder Agreements; Shareholder Disputes; Venture Capital Investments.Email: Howard Z. Gopman
Patrick M. Jones (Of Counsel) born Norman, Oklahoma, November 17, 1970; admitted to bar, 2000, Illinois. Education: University of Oklahoma (B.A., Psychology, 1993); DePaul University (J.D., 1999). Order of the Coif. Moot Court Society. Member, DePaul University Law Review. Partner, Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell. Associate, Greenberg Traurig. Member: Chicago Bar Association. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy(75%); Commercial Litigation(25%).Email: Patrick M. Jones