State and Local

Attorney Eric J. Blatti was born in the state of Illinois, specifically the Joliet area. He has since remained a part of the local community. Eric graduated from Joliet Township High School and attended Joliet Junior College where he received his Associate's Degree in Arts. After junior college, he continued his education and graduated from Lewis University with a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science (Cum Laude). Eric then attended the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. He earned his Juris Doctor agree in January of 2008 (Dean's List). While in law school, Eric interned for the Will County Public Defender's office. In 2008, he passed the Illinois State Bar and was hired as a full-time-attorney. As an Assistant Public Defender, Eric earned the respect of fellow attorneys and judges. He had a reputation as a fearless litigator and persuasive negotiator. He gained valuable experience by trying over 50 cases, including both jury trials and bench trials. Utilizing his extensive legal knowledge and effective trial skills, Eric now operates his own practice and serves Chicagoland in the areas of criminal defense, traffic crimes, DUI, expungement, driver's license reinstatement, and divorce and family law. He maintains active memberships in the Will County Bar Association and Illinois State Bar Association. Attorney Eric J. Blatti and our law firm can assist you with your Will County, Kendall County, or Grundy County case. Call 815-666-2740 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation at our Plainfield law office.

In 2017 Kelly Simon became associated with Aaron B. Wentz, P.A. Kelly was born and raised in Fort Walton Beach. After graduating from Fort Walton Beach High School in 1997, she received her Associate Degree from Okaloosa Walton Community College and then her Bachelor Degree from University of West Florida. She graduated from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2004 and immediately took a position with the State Attorney’s Office in Pensacola. After working as an Assistant State Attorney for three years, she went on to represent children on behalf of the State of Florida at the Department of Children and Families. After almost 10 years practicing dependency litigation, she has joined the firm of Aaron B. Wentz, P.A. Kelly’s practice at Aaron B. Wentz, P.A. includes personal injury, family law, criminal defense, estate planning, probate, and general civil litigation. When Kelly is not practicing law, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

A sole practitioner, Ian W. Thompson handles a variety of legal matters through his Indianapolis law office. He is known throughout the state of Indiana for his far-reaching legal knowledge, as well as his aggressive courtroom demeanor and effective legal strategizing. He consistently goes above and beyond, for he desires nothing more than to secure the favorable legal outcomes his clients desire. Whether you require criminal representation or assistance with a personal injury, social security disability or workers’ compensation claim, you can count on Ian W. Thompson Attorney at Law for high-quality legal service. Ian W. Thompson’s law office is located in downtown Indianapolis, but his clients include those residing throughout Marion County and all of Central Indiana. Clients speak highly of Mr. Thompson’s extensive understanding of the local legal system and ability to explain the legal process in terms that are easy for his clients to understand. A lifetime Indiana resident, he completed both his undergraduate and graduate education at the esteemed Indiana University — and he remains passionate about the local community to this day. Notoriously versatile, Ian W. Thompson has a firm grasp of several practice areas, including both criminal and civil law. He works extensively as a criminal lawyer, providing superior defense for those who have been accused of committing misdemeanor and felony crimes. His aggressive representation has helped numerous clients achieve favorable outcomes. In addition to criminal cases, Ian Thompson handles a variety of civil matters. As a personal injury attorney, he helps those who have been injured by the negligence of others to secure compensation for their medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering. He also handles workers’ compensation cases, representing those injured on the job in Indiana. If you require high-quality legal support, you can benefit greatly from a FREE one-on-one initial consultation with Ian W. Thompson. A passionate, results-driven attorney, Ian Thompson offers a range of legal services. The counsel he provides his clients is always compassionate, but in the courtroom, he is notoriously aggressive. He will fight to ensure that your rights are respected, both in and out of court.

Chris Johnson is a native of Philadelphia and graduated from the William Penn Charter School. He received an academic scholarship to the University of Delaware where he majored in Economics and also competed on the Division I Indoor & Outdoor Track & Field teams. He graduated from Widener University School of Law in December 2009 and immediately went into private practice with the firm of Shanese I. Johnson & Associates, P.C. Chris currently practices in the firm's Family Law, Real Estate, and Criminal Law practice areas. Even though Chris is fairly new to the practice of law, Chris has already represented hundreds of clients in local Family Law matters in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Chester, and Berks counties. Chris prides himself on his commitment to serving his clients with excellence by providing experienced, detail oriented, high quality and affordable representation. Chris also has worked at several other diverse legal agencies including the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Domestic Relations Division, the State of Delaware Attorney General's Office Criminal Division, and also a major civil litigation firm in Lancaster County, PA. Chris is currently a very active volunteer as he gives his time to represent clients in both civil and criminal matters for Philadelphia VIP, the Consumer Bankruptcy Assistance Project, and South Jersey Legal Services. Chris also serves national and local political campaigns as a voter protection attorney. His other activities include the Philadelphia Bar Association (Family Law Section, Criminal Justice Section), Pennsylvania Bar Association (Young Lawyers Division), Camden County Bar Association, Support Center for Child Advocates, Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia.

Merrill Gordon is an honest, aggressive, tough attorney with more than 35 years of experience in fighting for clients in divorce and family court proceedings along with all manners of civil actions, including personal catastrophic injuries, wrongful death claims, auto accidents, drunk driving representation, insurance coverage disputes, dog bites , slip-and-fall cases, medical malpractice and civil litigation matters. Lawyer.com Member Questionnaire How did you build a successful practice? By always being responsive to clients needs and effectively communicating with clients What should clients look for in a lawyer? Some one who is tough, aggressive and puts their needs first, it is also important to look for someone who can effectively coomunicate with them How important is local knowledge to the success of your cases? It is very important to have someone who knows the court, judges and court system well so that effective representation can be provided What information can you provide in a free phone consultation? I always provide information about the family law process and an evaluation of the facts of the clients particular case and my thoughts on a proposed plan of action What information do you need in a free phone consultation? Any information the client wishes to share although the more information that I have the more targeted my response can be What differentiates you from other lawyers in your community? I am a sole practionar who can give all of my clients individual attention. I work extensively with divorce, custody, support and other family law cases so that my personal service to my clients us unmatched What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? Helping clients navigate a difficult period of their life and seeing that they maintain personal relationships with their children and remain healthy financially following the conclusion of their case What are your other interests in addition to law? Bicycle riding, cross country skiing, hiking, and all forms of outdoor activity Are you involved in your community? I am involved in both my Temple and other community activities

Firm has 35 years experience, continuing a family tradition of lawyers stretching back 100 years.

Dion U. Davi is the principal and founding attorney of Davi Law Group, LLC, a private practice dedicated to helping those in need. Knowledgeable in many areas of law, Attorney Davi concentrates his practice on family law, divorce, estate planning, personal injury, and criminal defense. Committed to providing legal representation to many different clients, Attorney Davi has offices located in Naperville, Wheaton, Joliet, Chicago, and Plainfield, Illinois. Additionally, Attorney Davi handles motorsport business legal matters, including motorsport business company formation, contracts for motorsport businesses, operations management, and more. To schedule a free consultation with Attorney Davi, visit his website, or call 630-657-5052.

Mr. Guttman is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest recognition possible in the legal industry, for his professionalism and ethics. Consistent with the concentration of the firm, Mr. Guttman continues to focus his law practice in the areas of real estate assessments, property tax incentives and tax exemptions. He has extensive experience with representing a variety of property owners including multi-unit residential, commercial and industrial properties, as well as downtown Chicago office buildings. Mr. Guttman has considerable experience with litigation including acting as associate counsel before the Circuit Court of Cook County on a number of cases that challenged the constitutionality of the assessment methodology applied by taxing officials. His trial experience includes one of the first tax objection cases to be heard in the Circuit Court under the amended 1995 Revenue Act, which abolished the antiquated constructive fraud standard. Mr. Guttman co-authored two chapters, “Tax Objection Complaints” in the book, “Real Estate Taxation” and “Real Estate Tax Considerations” in the book “Residential Real Estate Transactions” for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education. He also co-authored the article “Five Things Every Attorney Should Know About Appealing Their Client’s Real Estate Taxes” appearing in the January, 2004 edition of the “CBA Record.” He was the former Chairman of the main committee, Legislative Liaison, and Chairman of the Assessment and Appeals Sub-committee of the Chicago Bar Association’s Real Estate Taxation Committee. He currently acts as Treasurer of the Illinois Property Tax Lawyer’s Association – an advocacy and lobbying group established to inform, educate and promote tax policies and legislative efforts affecting tax payers throughout the State of Illinois. Mr. Guttman lectured before the Chicago Bar Association’s continuing legal education seminar entitled, “Real Estate Taxation: An Overview for the Non-Specialist” in 2005 and acted as Special Assistant State’s Attorney on behalf of Maria Pappas, Cook County Treasurer, as Trustee of the Indemnity Fund in the defense of a claim against the Indemnity Fund. He also served on the Cook County Treasurer, Maria Pappas’ Joint Committee for the automation of the Illinois Transfer Tax Form.

John has dedicated over 30 years, to serving the needs of personal injury clients in Michigan, and across the country. Some of his resilience may have come from playing Big Ten Football for coaching legend Duffy Daugherty at Michigan State University, where he was also a Rhode Scholar Candidate. He then went on to the University of Notre Dame Law School and passed the Michigan bar exam and hung out his shingle as a Personal Injury Sole Practitioner, a first for Livingston County Michigan. He is licensed in both State and Federal Court in Michigan and is a member of the Bar in California. Mr. Schalter views Personal Injury Law as his life calling. His father experienced a massive heart attack and stroke due to carbon monoxide poisoning at his job. For 11 years John’s father, once a healthy man, sat in a wheelchair watching his family suffer and feeling constant confusion and despair. He never thought about talking to a personal injury lawyer, or realized he could even afford one. Since then, John has made it his life’s mission to help bring justice to innocent victims of reckless conduct. Consequently, Jon is constantly trying to bridge the gap between law and the people it was designed to protect. The evolution of OurAdvocate is the product of these efforts. He sees this firm as a "work in progress," constantly evolving into a "better way" of protecting his clients and serving their unique needs in Michigan, and throughout our country. He has been a long-standing member of almost all state and local bar associations. In his free time, he writes screenplays for major studios in Hollywood. Also, he and his wife Carrie have spent the last year building schools in Kenya, Africa. OurAdvocate has a network of lawyers throughout the state who we think are the “best in the business.” This gives our clients the unparalled service at no extra cost to our clients!

Christopher D. Cavazos is a knowledgeable Criminal Law and DWI attorney who has more than 15 years of experience. Mr. Cavazos previously worked as a criminal prosecutor in the state of Texas, where he familiarized himself with both sides of the legal process. Attorney Cavazos is a founding partner of BRCK Criminal Defense Attorneys with offices located in Floresville, Jourdanton, and Karnes City. Attorney Cavazos is an Executive Member of the Atascosa Bar Association and was previously named one of the Top Criminal Defense Lawyers in San Antonio. Throughout his career, Mr. Cavazos has shared his vast legal knowledge with local communities and law students. Chris graduated in 2003 from the University of Texas at Austin with his Bachelor of Arts in Government. Following his undergraduate degree, Chris went on to receive his Juris Doctorate from St. Mary’s School of Law in 2005. To schedule a free consultation, contact Attorney Cavazos by calling 847-749-4182