Merger & Acquisition

I began my practice over 11 years ago with the determination to make things better for my clients and my community. That continues to be the focus of my practice, and I look forward to many years of future service to my neighbors and friends. I grew up in Libertyville, graduating from Copeland Manor, Highland Jr. High, and eventually Libertyville High School in 1997. I attended college at Miami University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Business, Majoring in Marketing. During college, I was president and judicial board chairman of my college fraternity, and was involved with Associated Student Government, various volunteer, and civic groups, and volunteered as a tutor. I attended law school at the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where I was active in Student Court, Moot Court Honor Board, the Tenant Information Project, the Human Rights Quarterly, and was a member of the Dean’s list. During this time I also volunteered as a youth mentor for the Cincinnati Youth Collaborative, taught a High School class curriculum in civics called StreetLaw, and worked part-time for Kaplan tutoring and preparing students for the Law School Admissions Test. I continue to be actively involved in the community. Currently, I sit on the Board of Directors of the Affordable Housing Corporation of Lake County, a non-profit tasked with improving housing options throughout Lake County. I am also currently exploring the formation of a non-profit to rehabilitate abandoned, nuisance homes to stabilize housing values and rid neighborhoods of dangerous and often unsanitary hazards. I am regularly appointed by judges to serve as guardian ad litem in guardianship matters. I currently live in Mundelein with my wife, Dr. Amanda R. Johnston, DVM (veterinarian), our son Merritt, and our dog and cat. In my free time, I enjoy gardening, keeping aquariums, bicycling, hiking, canoeing, golf, coaching youth lacrosse, and rooting for the Chicago Cubs. Effective, knowledgeable, and ethical criminal defense. Call for a free consultation. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire Please describe a case(s) in the last year or two where you made a big difference. A homeowners association recently tried to enforce long-dormant deed restrictions (ignored for 30 years against) my client, in a discriminatory manner. The association followed none of its own rules, and was ostensibly re-formed solely to discriminate against my client by forcing the costly removal of valuable improvements on his land. A neighbor filed suit, arguing the dormant deed restrictions against my client, who is a person of color and substantially younger than others in the neighborhood, while ignoring blatant violations on their own property and at nearly every other property in the neighborhood. At the close of discovery, we successfully moved the court for summary judgment on the grounds that there was no way the suing neighbor could possibly prevail. My client’s property rights were maintained and the discriminatory action was thwarted. How did you build a successful practice? Mutual respect. I am proud of the fact that my firm offers free initial case consultations. This stems from a recognition that, while my time is valuable, so it the time of my clients. I strongly believe that initial case consultations, even if valuable to clients, should be free, because I do not believe it is fair to charge for time spent evaluating whether my firm can help a certain client, and in developing the plan of action. Once we come up with a plan of action, we communicate that proposed scope of work to the client so they can accept or reject our proposal for representation. Only after a client has agreed to hire us, based on the agreed plan, are legal fees assessed. This approach, based on mutual respect, has been crucial to our firm’s success. What should clients look for in a lawyer? It’s a personal relationship as well as a professional one. Clients must be comfortable with their attorney on both these levels. Clients should be sure that they can communicate well with their attorney. A knowledgeable professional in any field should be able to explain even the most difficult contexts in terms a layperson can readily understand. If you cannot understand your attorney, its probably not a good fit. How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? The saying goes “A good attorney knows the law, a great attorney knows the judge.” This is true because the practice of the law is not only theoretical, but also practical and pragmatic. An experienced local attorney will typically know the courts, judges, clerks and local procedures better than an attorney who does not practice in the county on a regular basis. Thus, clients represented by local attorneys will reap numerous advantages in the course of a case. What information can you provide in a free phone consultation? Typically, after learning enough about the case for a proper evaluation, I explain how the law works in the area, how I expect the law will be applied to their situation, and how my firm can potentially be of service to the person (and how we would charge for our services). Often, in order to properly conduct an initial consultation, I will need to review relevant paperwork, but with smart phones, scanners and teleconference software, it is increasingly easy to share documents electronically. What information do you need in a free phone consultation? Every case is different, but in general, I will need to know the parties involved in a case (so that I can make sure there is no conflict of interest), I will need to know the location of the case, and often it is very helpful to review relevant documents. Every case is different, and many of the documents I would need to review may be available online (like court records), so a potential client should not be dissuaded from calling to schedule a free consultation. If we need more information, we will let you know. What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community? I do my best to build a strong professional network both within and outside of the legal community. If a potential client comes to my firm and, for whatever reason(s), the case is not a good fit for my firm, we do our best to match the client with the right attorney. What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? Helping people. This is how attorneys help ensure equal justice under law. That’s why good attorneys enter the practice. What are your other interests in addition to law? My hobbies include: canoeing, hiking, bicycling, golf, fishing, disc golf, and keeping aquariums. Causes that I support include Affordable and Just Housing, Medical Research, and community efforts to foster local, small businesses. Are you involved in your community? Yes, I am active in my local and state bar associations, the GLMV, and business networking groups. I am regularly appointed by judges in Lake County to serve as a Guardian ad Litem. I serve on the Lake County Chamber of Commerce as a Board Member. Additionally, I serve as President of the Affordable Housing Corporation of Lake County (AHC), which works closely with Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) to serve the joint mission of fostering safe, affordable housing in our area.

D. Grant Seabolt, Jr. is a practicing lawyer in the state of Texas.

Scott Cain is a general practice lawyer with an emphasis on corporate matters and complex business litigation. Scott was born and raised in Cleburne, Texas. After graduating from Cleburne High School, he received his Bachelor of Arts from the Criswell College in 1989. In 1999, Mr. Cain received his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the Texas Wesleyan University School of Law. During law school, Mr. Cain was a member of the Phi Delta Phi honorary legal fraternity, and served as an Editor for the Texas Wesleyan Law Review, treasurer for the Student Bar Association, and as a traveling member of the moot court team. Mr. Cain is licensed to practice law in Texas by the Supreme Court of Texas and in federal courts in the Northern District of Texas. He is a member of the Texas, Johnson and Tarrant County Bar Associations. He has extensive civil jury trial experience and has handled numerous bench trials and appeals. Mr. Cain is active in many local and state civic activities. He has served on numerous boards of directors including the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce, the Cleburne Pregnancy Center, Johnson County United Way, Wakeboard Church, the Cleburne Economic Development Foundation, Christian Lodge, Big Bear Foundation, vice chair of the Johnson County Elected Officials and served on several city boards and advisory committees. He frequently assists organizations such as the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children, Johnson County Children's Advocacy Center, Cleburne High School Swim Team and numerous churches throughout Johnson County. As a state champion wakeboarder, he coaches an area wakeboard team and promotes wakeboarding events for underprivileged children. He works with children and teenagers in various other sports, including soccer and has taught adults and teenagers in Sunday School classes. He believes that effective representation also involves community service. Mr. Cain is a certified mediator and is frequently appointed by courts to help parties resolve disputes. His practice consists of all areas of business and commercial law, appeals, real estate, and estate planning. Mr. Cain was selected as Johnson County's number 1 lawyer in 2010, 2011 and 2012 by the Cleburne Times Review Reader's Choice Poll and is AV-Preeminent rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Cain also serves as the Mayor of the City of Cleburne. To schedule an initial consultation with a Cleburne Business Lawyer, visit our website or call 817-645-1717.

Louis Cole attended Baylor University and graduated from the Baylor School of Law. He is currently a member of the State Bar of Texas and the Dallas Bar Association and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, as well as the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. During the course of his legal career, in addition to his many years in the private practice of law, he has been a member of the legal staff of a large corporation and also served as general counsel for another publicly traded company, as well as a corporation which was privately held. Additionally, Mr. Cole has represented clients in many facets of the commercial real estate business, including multi-family, retail, hotel and office development, financing, structuring business entities, negotiation and drafting of leases and other real estate related documents, acquisition and disposition of real estate, closing complex real estate transactions and even represented real estate clients in business related litigation. Business law and representing companies with respect to their legal needs is also one of the main focuses of his practice. He has represented many diverse types of businesses, including healthcare, high tech, manufacturing, service and financial. His comprehension of client needs, as well as the legal implications inherent in related transactions, coupled with a broad legal background and significant experience, enable him to engage an aggressive negotiation style in an effort to provide the best results for his clients.

I am an attorney, CPA, and software engineer helping entrepreneurs start, grow, manage, and exit their ventures. In addition to my law practice, I also teach Business Law to undergraduates at Florida Gulf Coast University. I have served in operations and finance with the world’s largest accounting firm, airline, and bank. I chose to pivot to pursue law as my next profession and am admitted to The Florida Bar and the State Bar of Texas. I completed my Juris Doctor on full tuition merit scholarship. While in law school, I served on the Law Review Editorial Board where my monograph—Transhumanism: Morality and Law at the Frontier of the Human Condition—was selected for publication. I passed the Florida Bar Examination in July 2022 and the Texas Bar Examination in February 2023. Following my J.D., I completed the Real Property Development LL.M. program at the University of Miami School of Law. I hold active CPA licensure in Florida and Texas and undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting and taxation, respectively, from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Before my career in law, I developed business intelligence and reporting on commercial banking clients in the Dallas and Chicago offices at JPMorgan across a variety of industry verticals—with a special emphasis on FIG and CRE clients. Previously, I supported capital investment decision-making and financial reporting for the commercial real estate, security, and legal divisions at American Airlines at their headquarters in Fort Worth. Prior to that, I founded Food on the Fly, a data mining and logistics startup leveraging mobile connectivity and transactional analytics to deliver premium meals in-terminal to transiting, time-constrained air travelers. My work on this venture continues. Before making the jump to the entrepreneurial realm, I began my career in the private equity and financial services tax compliance and consulting practice (“SALT-FS”) at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their Dallas office where I engineered solutions to more effectively serve VC/PE clients including Texas Pacific Group, Goldman Sachs, and others. I also hold the Certified Management Accountant, Certified Internal Auditor, Forensic Certified Public Accountant, Certified Information Systems Auditor, Certification in Risk Management Assurance, and Certified Fraud Examiner credentials. In my spare time, I explore the taxation and novel applications of virtual assets. I also serve as a mentor for university-age creators. I divide my time between sunny South Florida and Dallas, Texas.

T. J. Jesky began his corporate career working for a Fortune 500 company that was acquired by a Fortune 50 Company. He spent 23-years working for the International Fortune 50 Company. As Division Manager, his responsibilities included commercialization of pharmaceutical products, negotiating and writing contracts with suppliers and customers, working with government agencies. He was one of the spokes in the wheel in changing State and Federal laws for the benefit of the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Jesky spent 20-years as a business consultant whose responsibilities included designing capital structures, negotiating contracts/business opportunities, assisting companies in going public, completing due diligence for a wide variety of businesses. He was involved in mergers and acquisitions with approximately 100 companies. For the past few years, his law practice, includes, but not limited to: business, corporate, securities law, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, medical malpractice lawsuits. He is fluent in the Spanish language.

With over 30 years of experience handling Illinois workers compensation claims, you’d be hard pressed to find a workers’ compensation circumstance Mark DePaolo hasn’t handled. Having briefed and argued numerous high-profile cases before the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and the Appellate Court of Illinois, Mark’s vast knowledge base and experience puts his clients in the very best of hands. Mark’s impressive line of credentials include having served as a past President of the Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association, an organization he is still a current member of. Super Lawyers, an organization dedicated to recognizing exceptional lawyers through independent research and peer nominations, has selected Mr. DePaolo as an Illinois Super Lawyer a whopping seven times. But that’s not all! In 2010, Best Lawyers in America honored Mark as one of the finest Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in the field. Mark DePaolo’s educational journey began in the Windy City, where he received his Bachelor of Arts undergraduate degree from DePaul University before earning his Juris Doctorate from Northern Illinois University Law School. Since being admitted to the Illinois State Bar Association and the United States District Court for Northern Illinois in 1979, Mark has dedicated his career to helping people injured on the job find the compensation they are entitled to. His compassionate client focused approach and wealth of experience truly put Mark DePaolo a cut above the rest when it comes to Workers’ Compensation Law.

With deep experience in family law, high-asset divorce, estate planning, and civil litigation, Collin McKean brings a strategic, no-nonsense approach to legal challenges across Oregon and Washington. As a founding partner of McKean Smith, Collin combines sharp legal insight with a background in business and accounting to help clients resolve emotionally and financially complex disputes. Known for his compassion, creative problem-solving, and unwavering advocacy, Collin is a trusted ally for clients who need clarity, confidence, and results.