Chuhak and Tecson, P.C. congratulates Lindsey Paige Markus, shareholder and practice group leader of the firm’s 25-attorney trusts and estate practice group, on being named a Notable Woman in Law for 2024 by Crain’s Chicago Business.
Crain’s notable women in law recognizes women who have a track record of significant legal accomplishments, exemplary service for their clients and mentoring the next wave of women in law – all while finding ways to give back to their communities.
Cited in the nomination, Lindsey was mentioned as the first woman shareholder in firm’s 35-year history. Licensed in Illinois, Florida and New York, she has a national practice working with business owners and families, advising on estate planning, business succession planning, minimizing gift and estate taxation, and creating lasting legacies for families and charitable organizations.
The nomination further describes Lindsey as a natural educator, mentoring women and men attorneys and creating collaborative teams in a positive environment. Lindsey’s book, A Gift for the Future, released in spring 2022 on Amazon, quickly became a #1 Best Seller in legal self-help and a #1 new release in several categories. Her well-received book has garnered significant recognition for Lindsey and the firm. Her straightforward, understandable and enjoyable book has solidified Lindsey’s distinguished career in the estate planning area.
Lindsey has served on numerous Chuhak & Tecson committees over the years, including the Executive Committee, Management Committee and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. She was instrumental in creating Women Helping Women, the firm’s women’s program, a networking group integrating business development with philanthropy and a nationally recognized IDEA award winner by the Association of Legal Administrators. Women Helping Women collaborates with nonprofit organizations helping women or women and their children.
Lindsey sits on the Jewish United Fund’s Executive Board, Advocate Charitable Foundation’s Gift Planning Advisory Committee and co-chair’s American Technion Society’s Midwest Planned Giving Committee. She speaks at nonprofit organizations, addressing boards and donors providing counsel on how to use the tax code efficiently and to leverage charitable bequests made during life and upon death. She regularly speaks on radio and television programs offering professional advice on estate planning, succession planning and charitable giving.
Crain’s states that the honorees do not pay to be included. Profiles are drawn from submitted nomination materials, include only executives and are accepted after an editorial review. To qualify for this distinction, honorees must be employed within Chicago or the surrounding counties and serve in a senior-level role at a law firm with a staff size of at least 10. Honorees must have been practicing law for a minimum of 10 years and served as a role model or mentor to other women attorneys and promoted inclusive practices in the workplace.
Christina Mermigas, attorney in Chuhak & Tecson, P.C.’s Estate Planning & Asset Protection and Corporate practice groups, and Mallory Moreno, attorney in the firm’s Elder Law and Estate & Trust Administration and Litigation practice groups, are panelists hosted by the Chicago Bar Association’s (CBA) Probate Practice Committee and the YLS Estate Planning Committee at a program titled “Turning Red Flags Green: Views on How to Spot and Address Potential Estate Planning Issues to Avoid Future Contests” on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. (CST). The program is in-person at the CBA or via a live webcast.
The presentation will discuss a range of red flag issues facing proactive estate planners and probate litigators in estate planning from a drafting and litigation perspective. Two Illinois MCLE credits are offered. The cost for CBA members is $65; nonmembers $125.
Licensed in both Florida and Illinois, Christina Mermigas represents business and individual clients in estate planning and administration of estates and trusts. She prepares estate planning documents, including revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney and other estate planning vehicles for clients with modest estates as well as those with large, complex portfolios of assets. Christina has been recognized as one of 40 Under 40 to Watch in Illinois in 2023, has been named an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star and has earned the ranking of Emerging Lawyer in Illinois from Leading Lawyers.
Mallory Moreno’s practice focuses in adult guardianships, both contested and non-contested, estate and trust administration and litigation, including financial exploitation, will and trust contests, fiduciary disputes, issues of capacity, powers of attorneys, undue influence, financial exploitation, citations and fraud. Mallory is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA), which is an exclusive honor bestowed to a select group of attorneys by the National Elder Law Foundation. She is also a member of the Board of Directors and the immediate past president of the Illinois Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (IL NAELA) and chairs many of IL NAELA’s committees. Mallory formerly served as co-chair of the young lawyers’ section of the CBA’s Serving our Seniors Committee and currently is the vice chair of the CBA’s Probate Committee. Mallory has been recognized as one of 40 Under 40 to Watch in Illinois in 2022, has been named an Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Star and has earned an Emerging Lawyer in Illinois distinction from Leading Lawyers.
To register for this program, visit learn.chicagobar.org or call 312-554-2052.
Chuhak & Tecson is pleased to announce the names of its attorneys who have been selected as Super Lawyers and Rising Stars for Illinois for 2024. The following attorneys have well-earned this distinction and are awarded Illinois Super Lawyers in their respective practice areas.
David J. Bloomberg Real Estate
Edmond M. Burke Bankruptcy: Business
David J. Feinberg Estate & Probate
Mitchell S. Feinberg Estate & Trust Litigation
Ryan A. Haas Employment & Labor
Lindsey Paige Markus Estate & Probate
David B. Shiner Tax
Illinois Rising Stars for 2024 are:
Aali Fidai Real Estate
Julie F. Gardner Estate & Probate
Cecilio (Cy) Porras Banking
Melissa (Missy) Turk Firmage Estate & Trust Litigation
Nicholas Zausch Estate & Probate
Super Lawyers is a rating service of premier lawyers including more than 70 practice areas. Selected lawyers have attained a notable degree of peer acknowledgement and professional accomplishments. Super Lawyers provides a patented selection process that includes research, peer nominations and peer evaluations. Lawyers are selected from all 50 states and Washington, D.C.
According to Super Lawyers, each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Lawyers recognizes no more than 5% of attorneys in each state. Rising Stars recognizes attorneys practicing 10 years or fewer and comprises no more than 2.5 % of attorneys in each state. Selections are made on an annual, state-by-state basis.
Chuhak & Tecson congratulates its Super Lawyers and Rising Stars for 2024.
Representing a natural progression and enhancement of the complex estate planning and asset protection work that has been a calling card of the firm for more than 35 years, Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. is proud to announce the launch of its new Elder Law practice.
The attorneys in our Elder Law practice combine the most sophisticated planning strategies with a deep appreciation and understanding of the unique issues, concerns and challenges of seniors and their families. With a combination of compassion and commitment, experience and empathy, our team of highly skilled professionals works closely with our clients to protect their assets, interests and well-being throughout their golden years.
“In many ways, this new practice is hardly ‘new’ for us at all, given the work we’ve done for decades helping clients prepare themselves and preserve their resources for the health, housing and quality of life issues that all of us face as we age,” says principal and practice leader Mallory Moreno, one of two attorneys in the group (and one of only 17 in the state of Illinois) holding the Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) designation from the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF). “But breaking out our work for seniors into a separate yet integrated practice group allows us to better serve their needs and coordinate our efforts on their behalf
Chuhak & Tecson’s Elder Law practice covers all of the legal, financial and practical aspects of planning for older clients, including long-term care planning, Medicaid and V.A. benefits pre- and emergency planning, disability, special needs and incapacity planning, Medicare and Medigap coverage, guardianships and elder abuse concerns.
Moreno says that it isn’t just substantive capabilities and knowledge that distinguishes the practice’s attorneys.
“What makes our team particularly well-suited to this work is our ability to forge close, genuine connections with the individuals and families who come to us for help,” she says. “We meet our clients where they are, communicate with them in language that brings clarity to complex issues, and give them the confidence and peace of mind that comes from knowing that they now have and will have the resources and assistance they need for many years to come.”
You can learn more about Chuhak & Tecson’s Elder Law practice on the firm’s recently relaunched and reimagined website here.
Reflective of both our continuous investment in exceptional client service and our foundational commitment to being right there with you, Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. is proud to announce the launch of our new and reimagined website.
The new site was designed for visual clarity, ease of navigation and a seamless user experience. The goal was to mirror the accessibility and responsiveness of our attorneys and convey the firm’s core values, services and capabilities in a conversational and informative manner. The site provides actionable insights for clients and visitors as to the latest developments in the law and other matters relevant to their interests and goals, and spotlights the talents, perspectives, endeavors and accomplishments of our attorneys and staff.
“When we embarked on this project, we wanted to build a website that wasn’t just an extended ad for the firm,” says firm president, Mitch Weinstein. “We are certainly proud to share who we are, what we believe and what we can do for our clients. We also sought to make our online presence a valuable resource and a useful, informative tool for those seeking to learn more about substantive legal issues facing businesses and individuals. Significantly, visitors to our site can also do a deeper dive into what makes Chuhak & Tecson such an attractive place to work and build a career.”
In addition to highlighting the firm’s work for clients, the site also prominently features the importance we place on serving the communities in which we live and work and improving the lives of others by contributing our time, talents and efforts to a wide range of philanthropic initiatives. It also reflects Chuhak & Tecson’s long-standing and demonstrable commitment to fostering a diverse, inclusive and supportive workforce and workplace.
The debut of the new site is a product of the tireless efforts of many people within and outside of the firm. We are grateful for all of their hard work in bringing this project to fruition.
Chuhak & Tecson is pleased to announce the names of its attorneys who have been selected as Leading Lawyers and Emerging Lawyers in Illinois for 2024.
Leading Lawyers are recommended by their peers in their respective areas of practice. Less than 5% of all lawyers licensed in Illinois receive the distinction of Leading Lawyer. Lawyers cannot buy their way onto the list of Leading Lawyers, which is the result of surveys mailed to all lawyers in the state of Illinois. The survey asks which of their peers they believe comprise the top lawyers within their respective region and/or area(s) of law. Only those lawyers who are most often recommended and are also approved by the advisory board are selected as Leading Lawyers.
Emerging Lawyers are those lawyers recognized by their peers who are 40 years old or younger and have practiced for no more than 10 years or fewer. Only 2% of all licensed lawyers in Illinois receive the distinction of Emerging Lawyer.
Chuhak & Tecson congratulates its Leading and Emerging Lawyers for 2024
Leading Lawyers
John P. Adams
Mark J. Altschul
Adam K. Beattie
David J. Bloomberg
Steven P. Bloomberg
Kimberly T. Boike
Mark E. Broaddus
Edmond M. Burke
Kevin M. Coyne
Michael W. Debre, III
William F. DeYoung
Phyllis K. Fasel
Barry A. Feinberg
David J. Feinberg
Mitchell S. Feinberg
Brandon R. Freud
Daniel J. Fumagalli
Andrew Luczak Glubisz
James B. Gottlieb
Ryan A. Haas
Jeffrey M. Heller
Terrell J. Isselhard
Edwin I. Josephson
Arnold E. Karolewski
Loretto M. Kennedy
Lindsey Paige Markus
Bryan M. Montana
Adam R. Moreland
Donald J. Russ, Jr.
David B. Shiner
Andrew P. Tecson
David J. Tecson
Will Trevena
Janet Wagner
Molly A. Ward
Mitchell D. Weinstein
Anne M. Wolniakowski
Stephen A. Wood
Emerging Lawyers
Christine A. Barone
Missy T. Firmage
Julie F. Gardner
Christina M. Mermigas
Mallory A. Moreno
Margaret M. Salinas
Chuhak & Tecson, P.C. congratulates Christina M. Mermigas, principal in the Estate Planning & Asset Protection and Corporate Transactions & Business Law practices groups, who has been honored as one of the “40 Under 40 Illinois Attorneys to Watch” by Law Bulletin Media. The award recognizes talented and successful attorneys from across the state.
Licensed in both Florida and Illinois, Christina represents businesses and individual clients in private wealth service, particularly estate planning, complex wealth and tax planning, and the administration of trusts and estates. She prepares individually crafted estate planning documents, including revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney and other estate planning vehicles for clients of all net worth, including those with large, complex portfolios.
“Christina is a brilliant and creative practitioner with experience and wisdom far beyond her years.” said Lindsey Paige Markus, leader of the firm’s 25-attorney Estate Planning & Asset Protection practice. “We are delighted that Law Bulletin Media has recognized her for her extraordinary accomplishments and contribution to the field of law.”
An accomplished transactional attorney, Christina has extensive experience representing clients in all phases of a business’ life cycle, including entity formation, restructuring and reorganization, the sale of stock or assets and the transition of ownership and management. Most unique to her practice, she thrives in advising clients in the creation of a comprehensive and effective business succession plan ensuring that a client’s greatest source of income during life (i.e. their business) does not become the greatest source of debt and liability for their surviving family after passing.
“Christina has been an exceptional addition to our firm,” said Mitchell Weinstein, president of Chuhak & Tecson and a respected business, tax and estate planning attorney. “Her ability to relate and educate so effectively to a wide variety of our clients is a testament to her knowledge. Her skills and ability to solve the most complex of problems exceed her years of experience. In addition, she has incredible positive energy. We are thrilled that she is being recognized as the talented attorney that she is and we are fortunate to have her here at our firm.”
Christina has been named an Illinois Super Lawyer Rising Star for the years 2021-2023, an honor given to only 2.5% of attorneys in the state. She also has earned the honor of Emerging Lawyer from Leading Lawyers for the years 2020-2023, which is awarded to less than 2% of all lawyers in Illinois.
Law Bulletin Media conducts an annual survey to determine who Illinois attorneys believe are the “up and comers” of law in Illinois. This is the 24th year for the 40 Under 40 awards and more than 1,000 nominations were received.
Sometimes, for a child who is fighting a devastating disease, the best therapy in the world is the excitement and possibility of a superhero to assist in the battle. From action figures to thrilling books and art projects to comforting blankets, these kinds of toys are often the key to helping children express difficult emotions, be comforted and focus on staying as well as they can.
Yes, there are superheroes all around us, especially when more than 170 super women gathered for Chuhak & Tecson’s Women Helping Women’s Mix & Mingle networking event, delivering a big-hearted array of superhero-themed toys, books and accessories to support Anthony’s Avengers, an organization whose mission is to fight for research funding and to support children and their families battling DIPG, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, an overwhelming pediatric cancer.
It was a “Marvel-ous” event with women business leaders, entrepreneurs and strategic partners in attendance, enjoying the superhero-themed gathering as Women Helping Women (WHW) welcomed its 20th not for profit partner and wound up its 14th year of this festive event. Great food and great drink (the special Sensational She-Hulk C-Tini created for this occasion) helped set a fantastic tone for a very special evening; everyone was able to spend time with dear friends, make some new friends and most importantly, develop valuable and meaningful connections.
“I am unbelievably honored to have had our foundation chosen for this year’s event,” said Katie Gaskin, mother of Anthony Pappalas, who bravely battled DIPG for 19 months before passing away in 2017, and the founder of Anthony’s Avengers. “We are thrilled to be able to gift children with these wonderful donations so many have given. A toy brings smiles and comfort to children that are going through the absolute toughest times. Thank you for supporting our mission to not only find a cure for this terrible disease, but help these families during their struggles.”
The generosity of guests garnered more than $1400 in cash donations and more than six dozen superhero-themed books of all sorts, including journals, art and activity kits, coloring books and gifts ranging from Lego sets, Marvel action figures, Mr. Potato Heads, Marvel-themed kids watches, weighted blankets, bath towels, pillow covers, fun capes and masks — all to support and encourage children fighting this crushing cancer.
“Our Women Helping Women guests were privileged to hear my longtime friend and Anthony’s mom, Katie, speak from her heart about her unforgettable son, who was a brilliant boy, filled with positivity, compassion, smiles, laughter and love,” said Kim Boike, co-leader of the firm’s Corporate Law practice. “Chuhak & Tecson is most proud to support Anthony’s Avengers in raising awareness and funds for research to find a cure for DIPG, which currently has no cure and only a 1% survival rate.”
When the firm launched Women Helping Women in 2009, it was with three objectives in mind — to create a setting where professional women could meet and connect; to support a not for profit, as community service is a passion for women and for the firm’s women attorneys, paralegals and managers who comprise WHW; and to hold the event at a convenient time and place that would allow women to come, mix and mingle and then still have time to tend to their busy lives. As WHW embarks on its 15th year, it is most pleased to have supported its 20th not for profit partner, Anthony’s Avengers, and hold true to the WHW mission.
To learn more, visit Women Helping Women or anthonysavengers.org.
Chuhak & Tecson is pleased to announce that Markeya A. Fowler and Nicholas W. Zausch have joined the firm as associates.
Fowler focuses her practice on employment, labor defense and civil litigation defense. She counsels clients on employment law, including advice on terminations and disciplinary actions, drafting and revising handbook policies for legal compliance and responses to charges and representations before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and state agencies. She has experience presenting and defending cases before the Illinois Workers Compensation Commission (IWCC) and preparing proposed decision and appellate briefs to support case decisions for the IWCC and Illinois Appellate Court.
Fowler received her B.A. degree in social relations and policy, political theory and constitutional democracy from James Madison College at Michigan State University. She received her J.D. and a health law certificate from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She is an executive board member on the auxiliary board for Lawyers Lend A Hand, which provides on-on-one tutoring for children in the Englewood and Grand Crossing neighborhoods of Chicago.
Zausch is an associate in the Estate Planning & Asset Protection practice and is involved in most aspects of estate and trusts, including estate planning, simple and complex estate and trust administration, estate litigation and guardianship. He brings well-rounded experience to the firm having worked on both sides of the bench where he was a staff attorney for the Probate Division of Cook County, writing more than 70 opinions on contested estate matters. After leaving the court, Zausch joined a boutique estate administration and litigation firm where he represented clients in routine and contested estate matters. He also worked at a multinational law firm where he advised high net worth clients on how to achieve their wealth transfer goals.
Prior to attending law school, Zausch was a member of AmeriCorps, a federal program for national service and volunteerism, working in a 6th grade classroom.
Zausch received his B. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in sociology and legal studies. After serving in AmeriCorps, he earned his J.D. degree, magna cum laude, from Loyola University Chicago School of Law.
Janet Wagner, principal in Chuhak & Tecson, P.C.’s Banking practice, will be a panelist in Byline Bank’s annual WEBB (Women Empowered By Byline) Women’s Leadership Panel on September 14. This is a virtual program presented to the women of Byline Bank.
The panel consists of Wagner, Rebekah L. Kohmescher, chief executive officer and chief compliance officer at Altair, and Shawna Ryan, director of marketing at Gatorade. Panel moderators are Lana Fortel, and Maria Alhasoon, both vice presidents at Byline Bank. The discussion will focus on the panelists’ insights, their backgrounds and how they achieved success to leadership.