Diana M. Law, winner of the Illinois State Bar Association’s 2009-2010 Young Lawyer of the Year Award (Outside Cook County), embodies the ideals, principles, and goals which every young attorney should strive to attain. She has dedicated herself as a fierce advocate for the most vulnerable in our society, the elderly and disabled. Her professional commitment goes far beyond serving as a trusted counselor and advocate for her clients. She generously volunteers her time to professional associations and her community.

Ms. Law, a managing partner of the firm of Law ElderLaw, LLP, is passionate about her work. In her practice, Ms. Law files ten to twenty Medicaid applications per month. As a result of her superior advocacy skills, she has never had an application for benefits denied. Many of her clients come to her feeling overwhelmed by the confusing Medicaid process. Ms. Law quickly analyzes her clients’ problems and explains the process in terms they can easily understand. Her clients always leave her office feeling they have a knowledgeable and zealous advocate working on their behalf.

Ms. Law’s commitment to the law goes far beyond counseling and representing her clients. Since graduating cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2004, Ms. Law has advocated for the rights of the elderly and disabled at the local, state, and national levels. She has lobbied politicians, locally and nationally, in order to shape laws benefitting elderly persons and individuals with disabilities. As a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), she has met with U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, the Assistant Majority Leader, on numerous occasions to discuss laws affecting the elderly. She has also met with senior aides to President Obama and Capitol Hill staff members to address the needs of the elderly.

Moreover, Ms. Law is extremely energetic in her professional pursuits. She is active in the Illinois State Bar Association, the Kane County Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association. She currently serves as the second vice president of the Board of Managers of the Kane County Bar Association. When her term begins in 2011, Ms. Law will become the youngest president of the 1,200 member Kane County Bar Association in its history. She also serves on the Illinois State Bar Association’s Elder Law Council and Standing Committee on Women and the Law.

Ms. Law’s professional excellence has been recognized by other organizations. In 2007 she received the Outstanding New Lawyer of the Year Award from the Kane County Bar Association. She was awarded the Board of Managers Award by the Kane County Bar Association in 2008. In 2009 she was named an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star in the area of elder law and in 2010 she was named a Leading Lawyer in the area of elder law.

Ms. Law selflessly volunteers her time to better our community and profession. She performs pro bono work on behalf of wartime veterans and the Senior Services Association. Ms. Law is active in the Alzheimer’s Association. She also educates other members of the legal community and the public, frequently speaking about elder law and laws concerning the disabled to other attorneys and to groups at numerous hospitals and long-term care facilities.

Even though she has spent most of her life in Illinois, Ms. Law has developed an international point of view. She has studied language and culture in New Guinea, Czech Republic, Mexico, Spain, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. Ms. Law is fluent in Spanish and serves her clients in both English and Spanish. She has taught Spanish at the junior high and high school levels.

As a wife and the mother of two young children, Ms. Law has managed to balance her exemplary professional career with the needs of her family. Co-workers describe her as typifying grace under pressure. Colleagues describe her strong ethical compass, combined with aggressive and competent advocacy on behalf of her client. The judiciary has also recognized her proficiency, frequently appointing her as guardian ad litem for estates of the disabled in contested and uncontested matters.

Diana Law has become an accomplished lawyer in a very short period of time, with much more to offer our profession in the future. She is a superior advocate, counselor, volunteer, and educator. She was a truly worthy recipient of the Young Lawyer of the Year Award and we are proud to serve with her on this committee. ■

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Melissa Olivero is a field attorney with the National Labor Relations Board, Subregion 33, in Peoria. A former prosecutor, she speaks frequently on labor law and criminal law/domestic violence. Outside of work, Ms. Olivero devotes most of her time serving as a Trustee of Illinois Valley Community College, as a member of the Zonta Club of LaSalle-Peru, and as member of the NIU College of Law Alumni Council. She can be reached at mtomaska1@msn.com.