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  • April 23, 2010 | People
    Rieghns Joins Franks, Gerkin & McKenna P.C.
    [caption id="attachment_10695" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Paula Rieghns"][/caption] Franks, Gerkin & McKenna is pleased to announce that Paula Rieghns has joined the firm. Paula is an accomplished attorney with impressive experience. Before joining FGM, Paula practiced contract, property, and family law in Sycamore. She has conducted many trials, notably working on a month long precedent-setting trial involving pollutants caused by a factory farm. This trial generated extensive media attention. Prior to working in Sycamore, Paula practiced insurance defense in Bloomington. Besides trial work, Paula excels in writing. She has authored appellate briefs and co-authored a supplement to a chapter in the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s Federal Practice book. Paula is a member of the Illinois and Indiana bar and is also admitted to the Federal General District Bar. She is currently a member of the DeKalb County, Kane County and Illinois State Bar Association. She attended Northern Illinois University College of Law for law school and undergraduate at Indiana University, where she graduated with honors. Franks, Gerkin & McKenna, P.C. – Law firm of forty years, with practice areas including personal injury, workers’ compensation, litigation, real estate, estate planning, criminal defense, family law, land use and zoning, probate, commercial transactions, bankruptcy, and traffic violations.
  • April 21, 2010 | People
    Edlund named equity partner at Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson
    [caption id="attachment_10610" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Mitchell Edlund"][/caption] The Chicago-based law firm of Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson (MBT) has named Mitchell Edlund as a new equity partner. Edlund focuses his practice in business and commercial litigation matters Meckler Bulger Tilson Marick & Pearson, based in Chicago, is one of the city’s top law firms with 90 attorneys practicing in Chicago, Dallas and Phoenix. The firm specializes in insurance, labor and employment law, commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense and attorney fee disputes.
  • April 9, 2010 | People
    Geiger, O'Neill join Stellato & Schwartz, Ltd.
    Stellato & Schwartz, Ltd. is pleased to announce that Kyle T. Geiger, a recent graduate of the University of Dayton Law School, and Kevin O'Neill, a recent graduate of DePaul University Law School, have joined the firm as associates.
  • March 29, 2010 | People
    Cova joins Hawkins, Parnell & Thackston
    [caption id="attachment_9853" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Reno Cova"][/caption] Reno Cova has joined Hawkins, Parnell & Thackston, LLP as an associate in the St. Louis office. He represents businesses and individuals in various types of liability defense and litigation, including FELA defense litigation, toxic tort, business litigation, personal injury, premises liability, product liability, and insurance and bad faith litigation. Reno has experience handling matters in all facets of litigation, including advising clients on litigation avoidance, pre-suit liability and/or coverage analysis, and handling all phases of active litigation including alternate dispute resolution and trial. Reno earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri at Columbia in 2004.
  • March 23, 2010 | People
    Veteran entertainment lawyers team up at new firm
    [caption id="attachment_9708" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Jerry W. Glover"][/caption] A trio of lawyers, recognized for their breadth of experience in entertainment law, their contributions to non-profit arts organizations, and their scholarly endeavors, have joined forces to create Leavens, Strand, & Glover, LLC, a Chicago-based law firm representing creative artists and companies in television, radio, film, music, publishing, theater, and in new online and mobile media. "Chicago's growing influence in the entertainment industry, and the synergy created by our three practices, spurred this partnership," explained Thomas R. Leavens, who with Peter J. Strand, and Jerry W. Glover are partners in the new enterprise. "We're eager to help boost, protect, and grow the incomes of this city's enormous talent pool." As one of the few Chicago law firms concentrating exclusively in entertainment law, among its roster of well-known clients are Harpo, Inc., Old Town School of Folk Music, Rachel Barton Pine, Pitchfork Media, Inc., Telepictures Productions, Inc., WFMT Radio/98.7, and WTTW/Chicago.
  • March 23, 2010 | People
    J. Patrick White joins the Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll
    [caption id="attachment_9666" align="alignright" width="150" caption="J. Patrick White"][/caption] J. Patrick White has joined the Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll as an associate. Formerly an associate at Lavin Law Offices, White has worked in many areas of personal injury and wrongful death litigation, including medical malpractice, construction accidents and transportation negligence. “We are thrilled to have Pat join our office,” said Jeffrey Kroll, principal of the Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll. “His law experience and passion for working with clients is a perfect fit for our firm.” White, 30, has been involved in obtaining settlements in excess of $1 million for past clients, including a $4.5 million settlement for a 34-year-old man who was rendered a paraplegic after undergoing an unnecessary surgery to remove an abdominal tumor, and a $1.9 million settlement for the family of a young mother who suffered a permanent neurological injury and later died from an undiagnosed infection stemming while recovering in the hospital after surgery. White is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, the Chicago Bar Association and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. White graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in January 2007, having worked full-time as a clerk for Chicago firm Corboy & Demetrio during law school. He attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and earned a degree in political science in 2001.
  • March 18, 2010 | People
    Pellegrino joins Romanucci & Blandin as Counsel
    Richard F. Pellegrino, a trial lawyer in Chicago for more than 30 years, has joined Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, of Counsel. For many years, Pellegrino administered his own general law practice with a primary concentration in personal injury representation. His extensive public service includes a current board position on the Pace Transportation Service Board, and executive director of both the West Central Municipal Conference and the West Cook County Solid Waste Agency. He served as the Mayor of the Village of Indian Head Park from 1999 to 2007 and is a past commissioner of the Cook County Sheriff’s Police and Corrections Merit Board.  He served as an adjunct instructor of Law and Latin at Nazareth Academy. Pellegrino received his B.A. in political science/government in 1975 and an M.A. in 1985, both from Loyola University, and a law degree in 1978 from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas.  He served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Army in Vietnam and was awarded a Commendation Medal in 1972 for meritorious service. Romanucci & Blandin concentrates its practice in catastrophic personal injury law including traumatic brain injuries, wrongful death, and workers’ compensation. Established in 1998 by Antonio Romanucci and Stephan Blandin, the firm has recovered nearly $100 million for its clients. Romanucci & Blandin, LLC, is located at 33 N. LaSalle St., Suite 2000, Chicago, IL 60602, contact www.rblaw.net or call (312) 458-1000.
  • March 8, 2010 | People
    Quarles & Brady adds three associates in Chicago office
    [caption id="attachment_9295" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Kevin Burns"][/caption] The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP is pleased to announce that the following associates joined the firm’s Commercial Litigation Group in Chicago: Kevin J. Burns majored in Economics and Psychology, and received his B.S. degree in 2005 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He received his law degree from the University of Iowa in 2009. Prior to beginning work at Quarles, Kevin gained litigation experience volunteering in the Torts Division at the City of Chicago. [caption id="attachment_9296" align="alignright" width="240" caption="Brooke Krekow"][/caption] Brooke Krekow received her B.A. in American Cultural Studies from Whitman College in 2002, and her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 2009. While attending law school, Brooke worked in the Bluhm Legal Clinic's Center on Wrongful Convictions and Federal Criminal Appellate Clinic.
  • March 5, 2010 | People
    Andrew Russell joins firm of Russell, English, Scoma & Beneke
    [caption id="attachment_9283" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Andrew Russell"][/caption] Andrew M. Russell, son of Deb and Bob Russell, recently joined the law firm of Russell, English, Scoma & Beneke, P.C. in Princeton. He is a 2001 graduate of Princeton High School. He attended St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa and graduated Cum Laude in 2005 with a degree in History. As an undergraduate, he was a member of the Phi Alpha Theta International Honor Society for History, the Phi Alpha Delta International Law Fraternity, the St. Ambrose Concert Choir, and spent 7 semesters on the Dean’s list. He obtained his Juris Doctorate in 2008 from Chicago-Kent College of Law and was admitted to practice law in Illinois in October of 2008. While attending Chicago-Kent, he made the Dean’s list twice and was employed as a law clerk for Attorney Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. Andrew will be involved in several of the firm’s practice areas including, but not limited to, estate planning, real estate, probate and business/corporate law. Andrew joins the firm as the fourth generation of lawyers in the Russell family who have practiced law in Princeton.  He follows his great-grandfather, Judge R.L. Russell, his grandfather, Fred G. Russell, his great-uncle, William M. Russell, and joins his father, Robert Russell and cousin, Daniel Russell in the firm.
  • February 22, 2010 | People
    Hanlon joins Ungaretti & Harris' Government Group
    [caption id="attachment_8787" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Patrick Hanlon"][/caption] Ungaretti & Harris LLP announced that Patrick J. Hanlon has joined the firm as Counsel in the Government Group.  Prior to joining Ungaretti & Harris, Mr. Hanlon operated both the Law Offices of Patrick J. Hanlon in Chicago and Patrick J. Hanlon & Associates in Evergreen Park. Mr. Hanlon’s practice includes advocating on behalf of private and public sector clients before state and local governments and the representation of industrial and commercial property owners/taxpayers on real property assessment appeals.  His specialty areas include municipal law, state and local taxation, procurement, state appropriations, and legislative and ethics law. Mr. Hanlon previously served as General Counsel for the Cook County Assessor’s Office.  In that role, he counseled Assessor James M. Houlihan on legislative, real property assessments, budgetary and political matters.  Mr. Hanlon also served as a liaison between the Assessor and state and local elected officials. Mr. Hanlon received his J.D. from DePaul University School of Law in 1998 and his B.A.