Julia has over 20 years of experience representing diverse business industries and individuals as debtors in reorganizations, bankruptcy, and debt restructuring. She has been lead and co-counsel in Chapter 11 bankruptcies on behalf of real estate developers, hospitality companies, commercial landlords, manufacturers, fabricators, logistic companies and high net-worth individuals. She also has significant experience representing lenders and creditors in bankruptcy court and state court, including stay modification litigation, adversary actions, priority lien disputes and commercial collection and foreclosure, as well as contractors and homeowners in construction and mechanic’s lien litigation. Julia has in-depth experience drafting contracts, leases, business sales transactions and settlement agreements with an eye toward anticipating potential litigation and protecting her clients. Additionally, she represents condominium and homeowners’ associations in litigation, collection, negotiations with vendors and disputes with utilities and municipalities. Julia is experienced with drafting estate plans and representing estate and beneficiaries in probate litigation. As a seasoned attorney, Julia handles all aspects of litigation including investigations, pleadings, discovery, pre-trial matters, trial, and if appropriate, settlements and/or appeals of trial decisions. Julia is a frequent speaker with the Illinois State Bar Association on topics in Bankruptcy, Mechanics Lien and Collection Strategies. Julia is the Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Practice, and a third year honoree for the 2026 Illinois Super Lawyers® list.

Nicholas C. Giordano is a highly experienced criminal defense attorney with over 30 years of experience. He has a proven track record of success in negotiating settlements and winning trials. He is skilled in all aspects of criminal law, including plea bargaining, jury trials, bench trials, preliminary hearings, grand jury hearings, and appeals. Nick is also a member of several bar associations and has served on the board of directors of the NWSBA since 2002. In addition to his legal practice, Nicholas Giordano is also actively involved in the legal community. He is a member of the NWSBA, Justinian’s, and the Chicago Bar Association. He has served on the board of directors of the NWSBA since 2002 and has been co-chairman of the NWSBA Fund Raising Committee for five years. Furthermore, he was a past chairman of the NWSBA Criminal Law Committee. Nick is an active participant in all Bar Association dinner meetings, social events, Moot Court and committees.

Alexander Gruzmark immigrated to the United States in 1978 from Lvov, Ukraine. After earning his Juris Doctorate from Loyola University School of Law, Alexander established Gruzmark Law, Ltd. in 2001. Concentrating on personal injury representation, Attorney Gruzmark is dedicated to helping injury victims receive justified financial compensation. Having more than 20 years of legal experience, Attorney Gruzmark also practices in medical malpractice, workers' compensation, criminal defense, and business transactions. Located in Glenview, IL, Alexander Gruzmark serves clients throughout Cook County, Lake County, and DuPage County. To schedule a free consultation with Attorney Gruzmark, visit his website or call 847-729-7660.

Since 1985, Riccardo A. DiMonte has been our most active trial lawyer. He concentrates in commercial law matters, contract disputes, construction law, mechanic’s liens, mortgage foreclosures, bankruptcy, civil rights cases and corporate and partnership dissolutions. He has tried multi-million-dollar lender liability and lottery prize cases to verdict, handled numerous state and federal court appeals and regularly practices before the American Arbitration Association. Riccardo is a current member of RD’s Executive Committee. Riccardo has lectured at continuing legal education seminars on commercial law and bankruptcy topics.

Eric G. Patt has a broad-based transactional practice, with a focus on contracts, business acquisition, real estate, and employment-related issues. He also has extensive experience representing municipal governing bodies in the Chicago area, and in counseling their various boards and commissions in municipal law and land use issues. Additionally, Eric has extensive litigation experience, having conducted numerous bench and jury trials in state and federal courts, with substantial appellate experience. Eric is Chair of the Firm’s Municipal Law Practice Group and is actively involved in all aspects of RD’s municipal client representation. He also is the author of Chapter 9: “Representing a Home Rule Municipality” for IICLE’s Municipal Law: Contracts, Litigation, and Home Rule, 2024 and 2020 Editions.

Artur Zadrozny is a dedicated attorney providing comprehensive legal services to individuals and businesses in real estate, business transactions, and trusts and estates. With over a decade of experience since earning his J.D., Artur has developed an articulate practice, offering strategic counsel and personalized solutions tailored to each client’s unique needs. In real estate, Artur assists clients with residential and commercial transactions, leasing, and financial matters. He also helps individuals legally establish their business, through entity formation and maintenance and contract negotiations. Additionally, he provides estate planning and probate services to both individuals and businesses, creating customized plans to protect assets and plan for the future. Fluent in Polish, Artur frequently provides bilingual legal services to the Polish speaking community, which includes his time as a pro-bono attorney at the Amicus Poloniae Legal Clinic. With a practical, results-driven approach, Artur leverages his experiences to help his clients navigate complex legal matters with confidence.

Anastas Shkurti brings two decades of experience negotiating and closing complex transactions, including commercial loan documentation, loan modifications, forbearance agreements, asset-based lending, intercreditor agreements, workouts, corporate mergers and acquisitions, asset and stock buys and sales, factoring, equipment leases and sales, franchise agreements, IT service agreements, master agreements, employment agreements, and organizing new businesses. Anastas also possesses unique insight in all aspects of commercial real estate construction, bidding, development, land use, leasing, management, rezoning, and municipal law. His litigation experience focuses on complex data analysis, damage calculations, forecasts, modeling, projections, and expert witness preparation. By offering in-house services to several national companies, Anastas has developed a broad perspective for evaluating legal consequences of all aspects of business operations. Anastas also leverages his research and technological background to offer clients cost efficient legal services of uncompromising quality.

Lee Poteracki concentrates his practice on transactional matters such as business acquisition and sale, entity choice and formation, and commercial real estate transactions as well as leasing of commercial premises. He also counsels on estate planning and administration of trusts and estates, including not only straightforward distributions but also the disposition or succession to ownership of family business interests owned by the trusts or estates of entrepreneurs.

James J. Riebandt concentrates his practice in the areas of business transactions, real estate, trusts & estates, and labor and employment. Early in his career, he handled a variety of civil litigation cases before developing a transactional practice which now includes business sale and acquisition, formation and representation, residential and commercial real estate sale, purchase and leasing, drafting and review of a variety of financial documents and estate and trust planning and administration. He served as a member of the Palatine Zoning Boarding of Appeals and for twenty-one years he was a Director of the Oakton Community College Educational Foundation including two terms as President. Jim was a founding member of the Holy Cross High School Alumni Education Endowment Fund, serving as President as well. He began his practice with Daley, Reilly and Daley in 1975 and joined Palmer, Blackman and Mancini in 1978 which became Riebandt and DeWald in 1990, where he served as President and Managing Partner until his affiliation with Di Monte & Lizak on January 1, 2013. He is also the long-time public address announcer for the Chicago Bears and the DePaul Blue Demons Men’s Basketball Team.

Jeffrey S. McDonald brings to Robbins DiMonte his background not only as a lawyer, but as a CPA with a masters in Taxation. Early in his career, he was a prosecutor assigned to the Financial and Government Fraud Unit of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s office in Chicago. Jeff was responsible for prosecuting many high profile cases involving embezzlement, insurance fraud, conspiracy, high technology computer crimes. Jeff currently concentrates his practice in the areas of closely held businesses, real estate, tax, estate planning and probate. Jeff is a former chair and current member of the Illinois Institute of Business Law, a successor to the Illinois Secretary of State’s Business Laws Committee. This group has been instrumental in writing the Illinois corporations and limited liability acts as well as modifying other Illinois business statutes. Jeff was the chair of the subcommittee that drafted the Illinois Entities Omnibus Act which allows company conversions and domestications in Illinois. Jeff also is a member of the MultiBoard Real Estate contract drafting committee. The committee periodically updates the standard real estate contract used by residential buyers and sellers in Northern Illinois and has been adopted by a majority of the local bar associations. Jeff serves on the Board of Directors of Versiti, a not-for-profit blood center and blood research organization with facilities in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Jeff is an adjunct faculty member at Harper College where he combines his training as a professional chef with the practice of law, teaching hospitality students.