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  • September 22, 2015 | People
    ATG Executive Named President of ILTA

    Christine Sparks, vice president – managing attorney, claims and audit for Attorneys’ Title Guaranty Fund, Inc. (ATG®, http://www.atgf.com/), was recently installed as president of the Illinois Land Title Association (ILTA).

    The Illinois Land Title Association is a statewide organization focused on providing professional level education and government advocacy to companies in the business of insuring titles to real estate. These activities provide services and industry networking that expand ILTA member standing within the real estate community, while helping to protect consumers on their single most important purchase.

    ATG President and CEO Peter Birnbaum said, “We congratulate Christine on her new ILTA leadership position. Her 12 years of experience with ATG will be a valuable asset in helping ILTA achieve its goals.”  

    ATG attorneys have served on the boards and committees of ILTA for decades. Two ATG officers, Mike Brandt and Augie Butera, are past presidents of ILTA. Tom Cullen, ATG’s Vice President, Wisconsin Operations, is the current president of the Wisconsin Land Title Association, and Mike McDonnell, Senior Account Manager, is a past president of that association.

    Sparks joined ATG’s claims department in 2003 as a claims attorney. In addition to investigating and resolving title insurance claims, she provides direction and support to the Audit Department personnel in resolving member audit compliance issues. She is a frequent author and speaker at ATG Legal Education programs.

  • August 27, 2015 | People
    Purcell joins Spiros Law P.C.

    Spiros Law P.C. recently announced the addition of Kankakee County native and resident Andrew J. Purcell, who joins the firm as a senior associate after 16 years of practicing law in Chicago. Spiros Law has offices in Kankakee, Champaign and Danville and is focused on representing plaintiffs in matters involving personal injury, medical malpractice, auto/trucking accidents, nursing home negligence, products liability, premises liability, wrongful death and workers' compensation.

    Purcell has defended personal injury and wrongful death lawsuits resulting from catastrophic occurrences including industrial accidents. During his career, Purcell has been involved in more than 30 bench and jury trials in both state and federal courts. He is licensed to practice law before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, the Northern District of Indiana and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Between 2006 and 2014, Purcell was selected for Illinois Super Lawyers Magazine's rising stars list, which recognizes attorneys under the age of 40. Purcell is a member of the Kankakee County and Illinois State bar associations. Prior to joining Spiros Law, Purcell was a partner at a national law firm based in Chicago, where he handled a variety of complex litigation matters. He graduated from Bishop McNamara Catholic High School in Kankakee in 1992 and from Eastern Illinois University in '95 He earned his law degree from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

  • August 27, 2015 | People
    HeplerBroom welcomes J. Thomas Mudd as an Associate

    J. Thomas Mudd has joined HeplerBroom LLC in the Edwardsville office as an Associate Attorney. Mudd focuses his practice on complex litigation matters, including toxic torts and product liability.

    Mudd earned his J.D. in 2012 from St. Louis University School of Law and graduated with his B.A. in 2008 from Rhodes College. Mudd is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Missouri Bar, and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Missouri.

  • August 17, 2015 | People
    Alex Plakas joins Honigman’s Private Equity Practice in Chicago

    Michigan’s largest law firm Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP has announced that Alex Plakas has joined the firm as a partner in the Private Equity Practice Group. Plakas, who joins from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, will be based in Honigman’s Chicago office, which was recently acquired as part of a strategic growth plan aimed at better serving clients and expanding the firm’s national reach. He is one of nine partners who have come on board at Honigman from Am Law 100 firms this year, and he will play an essential role in helping the firm to grow in the private equity space.

    “Expanding our presence in Chicago by adding the finest legal talent is a top priority,” said David Foltyn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Honigman. “Alex’s stellar experience in middle-market private equity transactions strengthens a practice that has already gained national recognition, and is a sign of Honigman’s commitment to the strategic growth of the Chicago office.”

  • August 11, 2015 | People
    BNY Mellon Wealth Management appoints Nancy Anderson as Senior Wealth Director

    BNY Mellon, a global leader in investment management and investment services, has appointed Nancy E. Anderson as senior wealth director serving BNY Mellon Wealth Management’s greater Chicago market and Midwest. She reports to Regional President Michael DiMedio.

    Previously employed as a senior private wealth advisor by U.S. Trust, Bank of America Private Wealth Management in Minnesota, Anderson will be based in Chicago.

    “Nancy’s stature in the region, her substantial experience, professional credentials and long track record of client service brings additional depth and expertise to our Midwestern wealth management team,” DiMedio said.

    During her time at U.S. Trust, she led a team of professionals in the areas of trust administration, investment management, philanthropic planning, banking and wealth strategies. Before that, she held senior leadership roles at U.S. Bank Private Client Reserve, Citigroup Global Wealth Management, and Merrill Lynch Trust Company.

    Anderson earned a bachelor’s degree in business and finance from the University of Minnesota and a juris doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minn. She is a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor (CTFA) and an Accredited Domestic Partnership Advisor (ADPA). Anderson serves on the boards of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the William Mitchell College of Law. She is also a member of the Financial Planning Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers, the Illinois State Bar Association, the National LGBT Bar Association, and the National Society for Hispanic Professionals.

  • August 11, 2015 | People
    Pflaum named chair of Neal Gerber Eisenberg's General & Commercial Litigation Group

    Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP is pleased to announce Steven F. Pflaum has assumed the role of chair of the firm’s General and Commercial Litigation practice group.

    Pflaum has been a partner at Neal Gerber Eisenberg since 2010, with a national trial and appellate practice that encompasses a wide range of complex civil litigation matters, including commercial, constitutional, hospital, media, airport and land use cases. He also advises lawyers and law firms, and serves as an expert witness, on legal ethics and professional liability issues.

    “We could not be more pleased that Steve has agreed to head up the firm’s litigation group,” said Pflaum’s predecessor Scott J. Fisher, who will assume the role of firm managing partner, effective Jan. 1, 2016. “Steve’s incredible depth of experience and innate leadership skills make him the ideal candidate to guide the group into the future.”

    Neal Gerber Eisenberg’s Litigation practice group and lawyers have been recognized by Chambers USA, The Best Lawyers in America, The American College of Trial Lawyers and U.S. News-Best Lawyers’ “Best Law Firms” survey for general commercial litigation. The group’s client list is broad, encompassing public and private companies located throughout the world and spanning countless industries. Six of the Fortune 25 call on Neal Gerber Eisenberg for representation in litigation and investigations.

  • August 5, 2015 | People
    Daniel C. Fabbri Founds Fabbri Law Offices, P.C.

    Trial attorney Daniel C. Fabbri has founded Fabbri Law Offices, P.C. which opened on August 1, 2015. He opened the firm after most recently working at Liberty Mutual Insurance’s Chicago field legal office (Meachum, Starck, Boyle & Trafman) defending clients insured through the Liberty Mutual family of companies. Prior to Liberty Mutual, for 10 years he practiced at The Collins Law Firm, P.C. located in Naperville, Illinois.

    “I am very proud to have realized a dream of being able to practice law with my own firm, which will allow me to take on legal matters that I find both personally interesting and professionally satisfying,” said Mr. Fabbri.

    Fabbri Law Offices is based in Wheaton, Illinois and will be focused on the representation of both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of areas of litigation across northern Illinois. In addition, Dan will be providing services as a mediator and arbitrator throughout the Chicagoland area, drawing not only on his years of experience representing parties in litigation matters, but also many years of service as an arbitrator for the court annexed arbitration programs in both DuPage and Cook counties.

  • August 5, 2015 | People
    3 lateral associates Join Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP

    Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP announces the arrival of three lateral associates, including one to its Madison County, Ill. office.

    Associate Kenneth C. Hoffmann joins Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP from Bollinger Connolly Krause LLC, where he was also an associate. He focuses his practice on Medical Negligence and Healthcare, Construction Litigation, and Product Liability. Mr. Hoffmann received his J.D from DePaul University College of Law in 2011 and his B.A. from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2008.

    Associate Alejandra M. Rodriguez joins the firm from Huston, May & Fayez, LLC in Chicago, where she was also an associate. She concentrates her practice on Medical Negligence and Healthcare, Family Law and General Trial Practice. Ms. Rodriguez received her J.D. magna cum laude from Nova Southeastern University’s Shepard Law Center in 2012 and her B.S. with honors from Nova Southeastern University in 2009.

    Associate Abbey A. Fritz, who practices in Swanson, Martin & Bell, LLP’s Madison County office, was previously an associate at Brown & James, P.C. in Belleville, Ill. She focuses her practice on Asbestos Litigation and Toxic Tort Litigation. Ms. Fritz received her J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2014 and her B.A. summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in 2011.

  • July 30, 2015 | People
    Theodore T. Eidukas joins Quarles & Brady Energy Practice Group

    The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP today announced that Theodore T. Eidukas has joined the firm's Chicago office as a partner in its Energy Practice Group.

    Eidukas' practice focuses on utility regulatory and complex commercial litigation matters, representing clients in all aspects of litigation, including trials, appellate arguments, motion practice, depositions, and other discovery.

    He received his law degree, cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law, and his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Augustana College.

    About Quarles & Brady LLP

    Quarles & Brady is a full-service AmLaw 200 law firm with more than 475 attorneys offering an array of legal services to corporate and individual clients that range from small entrepreneurial businesses to Fortune 100 companies, with practice focuses in health care and life sciences, business law, data privacy and security, and complex litigation. The firm has offices in Chicago; Indianapolis; Madison; Milwaukee; Naples, Florida; Phoenix; Scottsdale; Tampa; Tucson; and Washington, D.C. Additional information can be found online at quarles.com, as well as on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

  • July 24, 2015 | People
    Chuhak & Tecson elevates Evan D. Blewett to associate, Kevin R. Purtill to principal

    Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. is pleased to announce the elevation of Evan D. Blewett to associate and Kevin R. Purtill to principal.

    Blewett started out at Chuhak & Tecson as a law clerk and now practices in a variety of areas related to real estate transactions, commercial litigation and corporate compliance. His practice spans both transactional and litigation work involving representation of corporate clients with an emphasis on regional and national banks. Evan received both his bachelor degree and J.D. from DePaul University.

    Purtill is a member of the firm’s banking, corporate transactions & business law, litigation and real estate practice groups. He represents lenders, corporations and real estate clients in transactional work as well as litigation. Purtill is an active mentor for first- and second-year students at his alma mater, The John Marshall Law School, and enjoys speaking on legal and financial topics.