MEMBERS OF FIRM
Gerald Ratner (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1913; admitted to bar, 1937, Illinois. Education: University of Chicago (Ph.B., 1935; J.D., cum laude, 1937). Phi Beta Kappa; Order of the Coif. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Land Use Law; Business Law.Email: Gerald Ratner
Gerald A. Weber (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1939; admitted to bar, 1963, Illinois. Education: University of Michigan (B.B.A., 1960; J.D., 1963). Certified Public Accountant, Illinois, 1962. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Taxation (Federal Income) Law; Estate Planning Law; Closely Held Businesses Law.Email: Gerald A. Weber
Stephen P. Sandler (Member) born St. Louis, Missouri, 1939; admitted to bar, 1967, Illinois. Education: Washington University (B.S., 1961); Northwestern University (J.D., 1967). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Project Financing Law; Business Law.Email: Stephen P. Sandler
Thomas A. Korman (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1948; admitted to bar, 1974, Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.S., cum laude, 1969); DePaul University (J.D., 1974). Certified Public Accountant, Illinois, 1970. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Illinois Society of Certified Public Accountants; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Practice Areas: Taxation (Federal Income); Business Law; Closely Held Businesses.Email: Thomas A. Korman
David M. Arnburg (Member) born Adel, Iowa, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974, Illinois. Education: Iowa State University (B.S., 1971); George Washington University (J.D., with highest honors, 1974). Order of the Coif. Notes Editor, George Washington Law Review, 1973-1974. Co-Author: "Interstate Commerce Commission: A Critical Overview," 41 George Washington Law Review 759, 1973. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American (Member, Section on Taxation) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: ERISA; Commercial Leasing Law; Employee Benefits Law.Email: David M. Arnburg
John A. Washburn (Member) born Rockford, Illinois, 1951; admitted to bar, 1976, Illinois. Education: Stanford University (B.A., with distinction, 1973); University of Chicago (J.D., 1976). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Acquisitions Law; Business Law; Real Estate Law; Litigation.Email: John A. Washburn
John H. Mays (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1946; admitted to bar, 1974, Illinois. Education: DePaul University (B.S., in Finance, 1968; J.D., 1974). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Zoning Law; Real Estate Development Law; Municipal Law; Land Annexations and Disconnections.Email: John H. Mays
Ronald N. Mora (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1933; admitted to bar, 1958, Illinois; 1972, California.. Education: Indiana University (B.S., 1955); Northwestern University (J.D., 1958). Associate Editor, Journals Board, 1957-1958. Adjunct Instructor, Estate Planning and Administration, The John Marshall Law School, Fall, 1991. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; State Bar of California. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Corporate; Taxation; Real Estate; General.Email: Ronald N. Mora
Gail Potysman Bley (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1952; admitted to bar, 1979, Illinois. Education: Arizona State University (B.S., 1976); Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 1979). Beta Alpha Psi; Delta Theta Phi (Treasurer, 1978). Lead Articles Editor, Chicago-Kent Law Review, 1978-1979. Author: "Federal Estate Tax Apportionment," 54 Chicago-Kent Law Review 943, 1978. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Taxation (Federal Income) Law; Estate Planning Law; Estate and Gift Taxation Law.Email: Gail Potysman Bley
Robert A. Carson (Member) born Elmhurst, Illinois, 1955; admitted to bar, 1980, Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.S., with high honors, 1977); Duke University (J.D., 1980). Author: "Evidentiary Motions at Trial," Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education Handbook on Civil Evidence. Member, Judicial Evaluation Committee, Chicago Bar Association. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation and Trial Practice.Email: Robert A. Carson
Fredric D. Tannenbaum (Member) born New York, New York, 1956; admitted to bar, 1981, Wisconsin, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois including Trial Bar and Western District of Wisconsin; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit and District of Columbia Circuit. Education: Ohio Wesleyan University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1978); University of Wisconsin (J.D., magna cum laude, 1981). Phi Beta Kappa. Author: "Organizing, Financing, Growing and Selling Businesses: Forms and Advice for Lawyers," ALI-ABA Press 2003. Author: "Restricted Stock and Stock Options: Tax and Other Consequences to the Family Business," Family Business Journal, Summer, 2001; "Major Battlegrounds in Venture Capital Transactions," ABA's The Practical Lawyer, March and April, 1999 Edition; "What Every Business Lawyer and Business Owner Should Know About Buy-Sell Agreements," ABA's The Practical Lawyer, November, 1999 and January, 2000, Editions; "Venture Capital Financing: The Lifeblood of Growing Entrepreneurial Businesses," Chapter in West's Treatise, Fall, 2001; "It's Time to Talk Turkey: Seller Strategies to Prevent a Buyer from Wriggling Away," Business Law Today, January/February, 2001. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Acquisitions Law; International Business Law; Venture Capital.Email: Fredric D. Tannenbaum
Edward A. Trio (Member) born Newark, New Jersey, 1952; admitted to bar, 1977, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1979, U.S. Tax Court; 1984, U.S. Supreme Court. Education: University of Notre Dame (B.B.A., 1974); Hamline University (J.D., 1977); IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law (LL.M., in Taxation, with honors, 1984). Beta Alpha Psi. Certified Public Accountant, Illinois, 1975. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American (Member, Sections on: Taxation, Real Property, Probate and Trust Law) Bar Associations; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Federal Income Taxation; Estate and Gift Taxation; Probate Law.Email: Edward A. Trio
Amy M. Blumenthal (Member) born New York, N.Y., 1956; admitted to bar, 1985, Illinois. Education: University of Rochester (B.S., with distinction, 1978); National Law Center, George Washington University (J.D., 1985). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; American Nursing Association. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Land Use Law; Secured Transactions; Project Financing Law.Email: Amy M. Blumenthal
Steven C. Gustafson (Member) born Yuma, Arizona, 1961; admitted to bar, 1986, Illinois. Education: DePaul University (B.S., 1983); IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., 1986). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Taxation (Federal Income) Law; Estate Planning; Closely Held Businesses Law.Email: Steven C. Gustafson
Brian B. Gilbert (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1962; admitted to bar, 1987, Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.S., with high honors, 1984); Duke University (J.D., 1987). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; Chicago Council of Lawyers. Practice Areas: Business Law; Business Acquisitions Law; Corporate Law.Email: Brian B. Gilbert
Joseph M. Laub (Member) born Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, Illinois. Education: Temple University (B.B.A., 1982); John Marshall Law School (J.D., with distinction, 1985). Beta Alpha Psi. Member, John Marshall Law School Law Review, 1984-1985. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Taxation (Federal and State Income Tax, Individual and Corporate).Email: Joseph M. Laub
Paul W. Carroll (Member) born Davenport, Iowa, 1962; admitted to bar, 1987, Illinois; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.A., 1984); DePaul University (J.D., 1987). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Civil Litigation.Email: Paul W. Carroll
Christopher J. Horvay (Member) born Erie, Pennsylvania, 1951; admitted to bar, 1976, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois; 1985, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 1991, U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan. Education: Syracuse University (A.B., magna cum laude, 1973); Northwestern University (J.D., 1976). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: American Bankruptcy Institute. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy Law; Creditors' Rights; Corporate Reorganization.Email: Christopher J. Horvay
Mark E. Leipold (Member) born Belleville, Illinois, 1960; admitted to bar, 1986, Illinois. Education: Northwestern University (B.S., 1982); DePaul University (J.D., 1986). Clerk to The Honorable Robert E. Ginsburg, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1986-1987. Publications: Contributing Editor (1989), Ginsburg and Martin on Bankruptcy (Ginsburg, R., Martin, R. 4th Ed. 1996) (Aspen Law and Business), Bankruptcy, Chapter 2: Proofs of Claim, Priorities in Distributions (Illinois Institute of Continuing Education 1990), Contributing Author, Bankruptcy Law Letter 1991 (Warren Gorham Lemont). Member: Chicago, Seventh and American Bar Associations; American Bankruptcy Institute. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Creditor-Debtor Rights; Commercial Litigation; Workouts; Secured Transactions.Email: Mark E. Leipold
David N. Michael (Member) born Cincinnati, Ohio; admitted to bar, 1993, Illinois. Education: Indiana University (B.S., 1989); Loyola University (J.D., 1993). Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award in Property and Legal Writing. Wagner Moot Court Team, 1992. Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Labor; Employment Law; Litigation.Email: David N. Michael
Jessica G. Lingertat (Member) born Rockford, Illinois, 1972; admitted to bar, 1997, Illinois and Wisconsin. Education: University of Illinois (B.A., 1994); Marquette University (J.D., cum laude, 1997). Member, Marquette Law Review. Intern, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, 1996. Research Assistant, National Sports Law Institute, 1995-1996. Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law.Email: Jessica G. Lingertat
Richard S. Reizen (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1954; admitted to bar, 1980, Illinois; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois including Trial Bar. Education: Clark University (B.A., 1976); Loyola University (J.D., 1980). Member, Loyola University Law Journal, 1979-1980. Author: "Davis v. Passman: Implied Constitutional Remedies for Congressional Employees," 11 Loy. Chi. L. J., 179 (1979). Co-Author: "New Limits on Accountant's Liability: Lenders Beware," Illinois Banker, Vol. 71 (1991). Arbitrator, National Futures Association, 1987. Faculty Member: Advanced Investigator Training Schools for both the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Resolution Trust Corporation. Member: Chicago, Illinois State, Federal and American (Member, Construction Litigation Committee) Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation; Construction Law; Business Law.Email: Richard S. Reizen
Michelle L. Fellows (Member) born Manhasset, New York, 1973; admitted to bar, 1999, New York; 2001, Illinois. Education: Cornell University (B.S., 1995); George Washington University (J.D., 1998). Member, Journal of International Law & Economics. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Land Use.
Gerard R. Fellows (Member) born Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Illinois; 2000, Michigan. Education: Michigan State University (B.A., 1994); DePaul University (J.D., 1998). Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Taxation Law.Email: Gerard R. Fellows
Karl M. Ahlm (Member) born 1971; admitted to bar, 1996, Illinois. Education: Northwestern University (B.A., 1993); George Washington University (J.D., with honors, 1996). Practice Areas: Corporate Law; Mergers, Acquisitions and Divestitures; Private Equity and Venture Capital.Email: Karl M. Ahlm
Linsey N. Cohen (Member) admitted to bar, 1998, Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.A., with honors, 1995); Loyola University (J.D., 1998). Member: Commercial Real Estate Executive Women of Chicago; International Council of Shopping Centers. Practice Areas: Real Estate; Corporate Law.Email: Linsey N. Cohen
Mark E. Abraham (Member) born Chicago, Illinois, 1974; admitted to bar, 1999, Illinois. Education: Loyola University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1996); George Washington University Law School (J.D., 1999). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Bankruptcy; Debtor and Creditor Rights; Commercial Litigation.Email: Mark E. Abraham
OF COUNSEL
Anne E. Dickerson (Of Counsel) born Hinsdale, Illinois, July 23, 1958; admitted to bar, 1986, Illinois. Education: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (B.F.A., 1979); DePaul University (J.D., 1986). Member, Lawyers for the Creative Arts. Member: Chicago (Member, Federal Tax Section) and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Estate Planning Law; Charitable Organizations Law.Email: Anne E. Dickerson
Richard R. Elledge (Of Counsel) born Painesville, Ohio, 1934; admitted to bar, 1963, Illinois. Education: Carleton College (B.A., 1955); University of Chicago (J.D., 1961). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Environmental Law; Mining Law; Appellate Practice.Email: Richard R. Elledge
Virginia M. Harding (Of Counsel) born Spring Valley, Illinois, 1947; admitted to bar, 1972, Illinois. Education: Illinois Valley Community College (A.A., 1967); University of Illinois (B.A., 1969); University of Chicago (J.D., 1972). Phi Beta Kappa; Phi Delta Phi. Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations; Women's Bar Association; Chicago Mortgage Attorneys Association. Practice Areas: Land Development; Land Sales and Purchases; Environmental Matters.Email: Virginia M. Harding
Karin T. O'Connell (Of Counsel) born Grand Rapids, Michigan; admitted to bar, 1986, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., 1982); University of Notre Dame (J.D., 1986). Recipient, International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Art of Advocacy. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Environmental Law; Commercial and Environmental Litigation.
Theodore M. Swain (Of Counsel) admitted to bar, 1954, Illinois; 1956, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (A.B., Valedictorian, 1951); Harvard University (LL.B., cum laude, 1954). Phi Beta Kappa. Lecturer, State and Local Taxation, Loyola University Law School, 1980-1981. Chief Deputy Assessor, Cook County Assessor's Office, 1973-1976. Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, 1976-1983. Chairman, Illinois Department of Revenue Advisory Committee for Recodification of the Illinois Property Tax Act, 1992. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations; American Judicature Society. Practice Areas: Property Taxation Law; Taxation (Real Estate) Law.Email: Theodore M. Swain
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Benjamin Z. Gould (1913-1986).
Harold R. Schradzke (1892-1949).
Henry Litvak (1920-1973).
Fredrick G. Gould (1943-1982).
Kathryn Smith Matkov (1954-1998).
Terrence F. Netzky (1942-1999).
Samuel Schlesinger (1913-2002).
Harry M. Coven (1926-2004).
ASSOCIATES
John B. Beery (Associate) born Hinsdale, Illinois, 1974; admitted to bar, 1998, Illinois. Education: Dartmouth College (A.B., 1995); Northwestern University (J.D., 1998); New York University (LL.M. in Taxation, 1999). Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Taxation.Email: John B. Beery
Joseph P. Bonavita (Associate) born Cincinnati, Ohio; admitted to bar, 2006, California; 2007, Illinois. Education: University of Notre Dame (B.B.A., 2001); Depaul University College of Law (J.D., 2006, magna cum laude). Order of the Coif. Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation.
Mark D. Brookstein (Associate) born Evanston, Illinois; admitted to bar, 2001, Illinois. Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison (B.A., 1992); Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology (J.D., with high honors, 2001). Author: Comment, "Why Should Gang Membership be a 'Status' Symbol: Status Crimes and City of Chicago v. Youkhana," 76 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 703 (1999) (high score, 1999 Law Review Summer Write-On Competition); Note, "When History is History: Maxwell Street, 'Integrity' and the Failure of Historical Preservation Law," 76 Chi.-Kent L. Rev. 1847 (1999). Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Mark D. Brookstein
Joseph Marzo (Associate) born Aurora, Illinois, 1975; admitted to bar, 2004, Illinois. Education: Northwestern University (A.B., 1997); London School of Economics (Certificate, 1995); Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2004). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate.Email: Joseph Marzo
Karen Osiecki Meehan (Associate) born Chicago, Illinois, 1949; admitted to bar, 1981, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: Loyola University; Northwestern University (B.S. G.Ed., 1977); Loyola University (J.D., 1981). Alpha Sigma Lambda. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate Law; Probate; Guardianships.Email: Karen Osiecki Meehan
Brian C. Miller (Associate) born South Bend, Indiana, 1972; admitted to bar, 1998, Arizona; 2000, Illinois. Education: Northwestern University (B.A., 1994, with Honors); University of Iowa, College of Law (J.D., 1998, with Distinction); University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Business (M.B.A., 2006, with Honors). Member: Chicago and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Business Law.
Eric C. Nelson (Associate) admitted to bar, 2006, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., History and Philosophy, 2002); Boston College Law School (J.D., 2006); Northwestern University School of Law (LL.M., Taxation, with honors, 2007). Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Tax Law; Finance; Estate Planning; Family Office Administration.Email: Eric C. Nelson
Stephanie Petersmarck (Associate) born Royal Oak, Michigan, 1975; admitted to bar, 2002, Illinois. Education: University of Michigan (B.A., with honors, 1997; J.D., 2002). Member: Chicago, Illinois State, and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation.Email: Stephanie Petersmarck
Julie Sirlin Pleshivoy (Associate) born Belarus, Brest, Former Soviet Union; admitted to bar, 2003, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Chicago (A.B., 1998); IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law (J.D., with honors, 2003). Series 63, State of Illinois. Member: The Professional Women's Club of Chicago; The University of Chicago Women's Business Group. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Languages: Russian. Practice Areas: Estate Planning; Probate Administration; Taxation; Trusts and Estates; Wealth Preservation.Email: Julie Sirlin Pleshivoy
Eric P. Sparks (Associate) born Bloomington, Illinois, 1970; admitted to bar, 2003, Illinois; 2004, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.S., with Honors, 1992); Northwestern University (M.A., 1996; PH.D. 2001); University of Chicago Law School (J.D. 2003). Phi Beta Kappa. Member: Chicago, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Litigation.
Peter C. Spier (Associate) born 1973; admitted to bar, 1998, Illinois; U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Pennsylvania (B.A., cum laude, 1995); Northwestern University (J.D., 1998). Practice Areas: Real Estate.Email: Peter C. Spier