Illinois Lawyers

Real Estate Law

333 W Wacker Dr 19th floor, Chicago, IL 60606, USA

Mr. Rock is a founding member of the firm and concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, real estate matters and municipal litigation. He represents individuals and corporate clients in a wide variety of litigation matters including commercial disputes, labor / employment law, construction litigation, real estate taxation. Mr. Rock handles all aspects of real estate matters: acquisition, disposition, leasing, tax incentives and real estate tax abatement. Mr. Rock advises and represents municipalities and governmental agencies in various issues including civil rights defense, labor and employment, eminent domain, and tax increment financing. Mr. Rock also represents condominium associations and its board members regarding various issues related to the Illinois Condominium Property Act. Mr. Rock has significant experience in complex, high-stakes litigation matters and has taken many cases to verdict and defended successful verdicts at the appellate level. Mr. Rock is a member of the Federal Trial Bar and has successfully represented clients in hearings, bench trials and jury trials in both State and Federal Courts as well as before various administrative tribunals. Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Rock was an Assistant State’s Attorney with the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. Mr. Rock authored dozens of appeals on behalf of the People of the State of Illinois and prosecuted hundreds of misdemeanor and felony cases in both bench and jury trials. In addition to his professional duties, Mr. Rock is honored to serve as a Commissioner of the Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission, for which he was appointed by Illinois Senate President Don Harmon. Mr. Rock was a member of the Alumni Board of Governors for his alma mater, Loyola University School of Law for two terms, from 2011 to 2017. Additionally, Mr. Rock is a former member of the Chicago Bar Association’s Judicial Evaluation Committee and has served as a mentor to law students at Loyola and young lawyers through the Illinois State Bar Association. Mr. Rock is active with GiGi’s Playhouse, Inc. a not-for-profit network of Down Syndrome awareness and educational centers that provide resources, specialized teaching, and support to individuals with Down Syndrome, their families and the community. Mr. Rock is also a lifelong Cubs fan – but isn’t a hater and enjoys watching the Sox as well. Mr. Rock has been named a “Super Lawyer” by Law and Politics Magazine and was honored by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company by being named one of the “40 Attorneys Under 40 in Illinois to Watch.”

Real Estate Law

200 S Wacker Drive, Suite 2700, Chicago, IL 60606

John Morse is a partner and chairs the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group. Steve Jobs once said “the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work, and the only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Fifteen minutes with John and you’ll know one thing for certain: He flat-out loves what he does! John tells a funny story about growing up on the outskirts of a small Illinois town – about how, while his older brother would wake up in the summer and throw a ball against a net pretending he was Nolan Ryan until the sun went down, John would wake up and head to his dad’s office where he’d occupy a vacant desk and “play business” until the sun went down – cutting imaginary deals over the phone, mapping out expansion strategies on a chalkboard, and punching random keys into an adding machine to net out imaginary profits. Some might not want to admit that their childhood aspirations didn’t include taking to the mound to pitch in the game. But John wasn’t your ordinary kid; and he’s not your ordinary lawyer. For when the name of the game is “practicing” law, John’s been practicing law since he was 5 years old – more intrigued by the concept of closing the big deal than closing the big game. Playing for real now, John specializes in representing clients in the areas of real estate, finance, loan restructuring, and workouts, as well as representing closely held businesses and professional athletes in general corporate matters. In his real estate practice, John works with clients on the acquisition, disposition, financing, leasing, management, and construction of hotel, industrial, multi-family, office, and retail properties and developments throughout the country. As part of his finance practice, John represents lenders and borrowers on a regional and national basis in the negotiation, structuring and documentation of secured and unsecured credit facilities, including, asset-based financing, real estate and construction financing, private equity, syndications, participations, and mezzanine credit facilities, as well as the restructuring and workout of distressed or nonperforming loans. Catering to the middle market, John sees his role as not only being a legal advisor but also being a business confidant. John understands what it means to run a business because he has sat in the same chair as his clients. For a period of time, John helped oversee and run the day-to-day operations of his family’s oil and gas business. Because of this experience, John has a unique ability to appreciate his clients’ needs, desires and challenges. John understands the challenges facing business owners, e.g., acquisitions and expansions, budgets, employee matters, healthcare issues, regulations, and succession planning just to name a few. For most of his clients, John serves as outside legal counsel and is often called upon to counsel his clients on day-to-day matters as well as major transactions. John utilizes his business experiences to assist his clients on day-to-day matters so that his clients can focus on their core businesses. But when it comes time for a major transaction, John’s clients again turn to him to deliver legal recommendations grounded in business judgment and to help relieve the stress that a large transaction can sometimes cause. In his constant desire to provide value to his clients, John visits each of his clients at their offices during the first quarter of each year to review the client’s goals for the upcoming year. John understands that to provide the most effective business solutions he has to understand his clients’ businesses and goals. John’s zeal for understanding the businesses and cultures of his clients carries over into one of his other great loves—-TRAVEL. “I have been fortunate to travel extensively and whether I am traveling abroad or simply camping with friends in the U.S. national parks, I try to appreciate and learn about the culture of where I am.” In addition to travel, John enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, the performing arts, Chicago sporting events, and golf. John graduated with honors from DePauw University (B.A., 1995) with a major in European History and was president of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity. He received his law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1998. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Chicago Bar Association, the Chicago Real Estate Council, and the Turnaround Management Association. He has spoken and written on a number of finance and real estate related topics.

Personal Injury Law

200 N LaSalle St, Ste. 2830, Chicago, IL 60601

Mr. Schlack is a personal injury attorney who has been serving the people of Illinois for the past 12 years. Mr. Schlack attended the University of Wisconsin Law School where he earned his Juris Doctorate degree. Mr. Schlack was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in 2002. Mr. Schlack’s areas of practice include personal injury and workers compensation. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association as well as the Chicago Bar Association and the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association. Mr. Schlack has been a member of Lawyers of Distinction since 2020.

Family and Divorce Law

150 N Michigan Ave #3600, Chicago, IL 60601, USA

Jonathan represents individuals from all walks of life going through a divorce. Equally adept at both the financial and family-centric aspects of the law, Jonathan consistently employs creative solutions to all matters of varying complexity. Whether assertively advocating for his clients’ rights in the courtroom, or cementing deals at the negotiation table, Jonathan has a proven track record of results and brings a thorough approach to every legal issue his clients encounter. Jonathan is an avid jogger and lives in Chicago with his wife, who practices plaintiff’s personal injury law, and their daughter.

Personal Injury Law

230 West Monroe St., Suite 1900, Chicago, IL 60606

Joseph graduated with honors from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1985. He did so while playing NCAA Division One hockey for the university. He earned his Juris Doctorate Degree with distinction from John Marshall Law School in 1988. He joined Beverly & Pause in 1988. He has extensive trial experience involving premises, products liability and automobile accident claims. He has also briefed and argued cases in the Illinois Appellate Court and Federal Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. While litigating coverage issues in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court he has also served as an independent arbitrator in both uninsured and underinsured motorist claims. He currently belongs to the Illinois State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and American Trial Association and is also a member of the Defense Research Institute, Illinois Defense Counsel and the Justinian Society of Lawyers.