MEMBERS OF FIRM
William L. Smith, Jr. (Partner) born Melrose Park, Illinois; admitted to bar, 1971, Iowa and Illinois. Education: University of Iowa (B.A., 1968; J.D., with honors, 1971). Order of the Coif; Phi Delta Phi. Author: Administrative Appeals and Procedures, Illinois Tax Service, Matthew Bender, 1985. Member: Chicago (Member, Committees on: Civil Practice, 1973-1977; State and Municipal Taxation, 1977) Bar Association; Illinois Institute of Property Taxation; International Association of Assessing Officers. Special Agencies: Cook County Board of Review, Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. Practice Areas: Property Tax Appeals.Email: William L. Smith, Jr.
Donald F. Hemmesch, Jr. (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois; admitted to bar, 1978, Illinois. Education: Loras College (B.A., 1975); John Marshall University (J.D., 1978). Author: Administrative Appeals and Procedures, Illinois Tax Service, Matthew Bender, 1985. Special Assistant Attorney General, State of Illinois, 1980-1983. Member: Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations; American Association of Homes for the Aging; Institute of Property Taxation; International Association of Assessing Officers; Life Services Network. Special Agencies: Illinois Department of Public Health; Cook County Board of Review; Lake County Board of Review; Kane County Board of Review; Du Page County Board of Review; Will County Board of Review; Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. Practice Areas: Real Estate Taxation; Litigation; Retirement Housing; Assisted Living; Health Care.Email: Donald F. Hemmesch, Jr.
Kevin P. Burke (Partner) born Cleveland, Ohio; admitted to bar, 1984, Illinois. Education: Cleveland State University (B.A., 1981); DePaul University College of Law (J.D., 1984). Cook County State's Attorney, 1984-1989. Member: Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations; Institute of Property Taxation. Special Agencies: Cook County Board of Review; Lake County Board of Review; Du Page County Board of Review; Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board Reported Cases: In re Application of County Treasurer, 175 Ill. App. 3d 564 (1988); Gaynor v. Walsh, 219 Ill. App. 3d 996 (1991); In re Application of County Treasurer, 186 Ill. App. 3d 597 (1989); Carswell v. Roswell, 150 Ill. App. 3d 168 (1986); In re Application of County Treasurer, 184 Ill. App. 3d 1048 (1989) Practice Areas: Real Property Taxation; Real Estate Litigation.Email: Kevin P. Burke
Thomas E. Brannigan, Sr. (Partner) born Chicago, Illinois; admitted to bar, 1963, Illinois; 1964, U.S. Court of Military Appeals; 1967, U.S. Supreme Court; 1979, Florida. Education: University of Notre Dame (A.B., 1961; LL.B., 1963). Assistant Attorney General, State of Illinois, 1967-1969. Assistant State's Attorney, Cook County, Illinois, 1969-1971. Member: Illinois State Bar Association; The Florida Bar. [With JAGC, U.S. Army, 1st Armored Division, 1964-1967]. Reported Cases: Boyle v. Landry, 401 U.S. 77(1971), Client Follow-Up Corp. v. Hynes, 390 N.E.2d 847 (1979); The Streeterville Corp. v. Dept. of Revenue, 714 N.E. 2d 497 (1999). Practice Areas: Property Taxation; Real Estate Taxation.Email: Thomas E. Brannigan, Sr.
Roger J. Guerin (Partner) born Detroit, Michigan, July 11, 1946; admitted to bar, 1971, Illinois. Education: University of Notre Dame (A.B., 1968); University of Illinois (J.D., 1971). Member: Chicago, DuPage County, Illinois State and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Employment Law; Litigation; Real Estate.Email: Roger J. Guerin
Christopher Kaczynski (Partner) born Park Ridge, Illinois, 1968; admitted to bar, 1993, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (B.A., 1990); DePaul University College of Law (J.D., 1993). Pi Sigma Alpha (Membership, Chairperson, 1992). Articles Editor, Journal of Health and Hospital Law; Co-Author, "The Psychotherapist-Patient Privilege," 26 Journal of Health and Hospital Law 41. Author: "Computer-Stored Data Acquired From Real Estate Services: Should the Property Tax Appeal Board Allow It into the Record?" Vol. 46, No. 6 Tax Trends 4. Adjunct Professor, Paralegal Program, William Rainey Harper College, 1995. Assistant States Attorney, Cook County States Attorney's Office, 1994-2000. Member: Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations. Reported Cases: Gen. Motors v. Papas, No. 07-1948, 2009 Ill. App. LEXIS 532 (1st Dist. June 24, 2009); State Toll Highway Authority v. Amoco Oil Company and Mobil Oil Corp., 336 Ill.App. 3d 300, 783 N.E. 2d 658 (2nd Dist. 2003); People v Beard, 271 Ill. App. 3d 320, 648 N.E.2d 111 (1st District, 1995). Practice Areas: Litigation; Real Estate Taxation and Exemption; Tax Sale.Email: Christopher Kaczynski
ASSOCIATES
John Adam Powers (Associate) admitted to bar, 2003, Illinois. Education: University of Illinois (B.A., 2000); John Marshall Law School (J.D., 2003). Phi Alpha Delta. Member, Moot Court. Administrative Editor, John Marshall Law Review, 2002-2003. Practice Areas: Litigation; Real Estate Exemptions; Real Estate Taxation.Email: John Adam Powers
Daniel Heywood (Associate) born Oak Lawn, Illinois 1980; admitted to bar, 2008, Illinois; 2009, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois. Education: Eastern Illinois University (B.A., 2003; M.A., 2004) The John Marshall Law School (J.D., 2008). Phi Alpha Delta. Member: Northern Suburban, Illinois, Chicago and American Bar Associations. Practice Areas: Real Estate Taxation; Real Estate Litigation; Real Property Taxation; Real Estate Transactions; Litigation.Email: Daniel Heywood