Ronald M. Hem | Daniel A. Reed | James C. James, III | Gretta E. Bieber | Abigail M. Chiesa
Benjamin P. Alschuler (1933-2001) | Donald J. Simantz, of Counsel
Ronald M. Hem
Along with Don Simantz, Ron is a founding member of Alschuler, Simantz & Hem, LLC. He concentrates his practice in the areas of estate planning, estate administration, and commercial and residential real estate. Ron grew up in Oswego, Illinois and attended Western Illinois University where he received a Bachelor of Science in Accountancy in 1971. In 1975, he received his Juris Doctorate from John Marshall Law School and was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois.
Ron’s community activities include serving as a Member of the Aurora University Board of Trustees (Board Chair from 2013 to 2015). He also serves on the Board of Directors of Rush-Copley Hospital and Rush-Copley Medical Center (Board Chair from 2011 to 2013). He has been a member of the Aurora Noon Rotary Club for over 35 years and served as its President from 1991 to 1992. In 2008, Ron was awarded the Community Service Award by the Kane County Bar Association in recognition of his service to the community.
Ron is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Kane County Bar Association, and served as Chairman of the Probate Practice Committee from 1985 to 1986. Ron is also a member and Past President (1980-1981) of the Fox Valley Estate Planning Council. He has spoken on estate planning topics at Kane County Bar Association Continuing Legal Education Seminars and has authored a series of articles on estate planning matters, published by The Beacon News and the Naperville Sun. Ron was selected as one of the “Leading Illinois Attorneys” in the area of Trusts and Estate Planning, and has been named in Illinois Super Lawyers magazine.
Daniel A. Reed
Dan was born in West Virginia, raised in the farmland of New Jersey, and spent some time on Kwajalein, in the Marshall Islands, before his family relocated to Illinois in 1974.
Dan received his accounting degree (Bachelor of Science in Accountancy), with honors, from Southern Illinois University, in 1980, and his law degree, from the University of Illinois, in 1983. Since then, he has practiced in Aurora, Illinois.
In 1993, he and William C. Schanlaber formed Schanlaber & Reed, A Professional Corporation, along with M. Katherine Moran and Gretta E. Bieber. Upon Bill Schanlaber’s retirement in 2001, Dan joined Alschuler, Simantz & Hem, LLC as a Member.
Dan represents sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability companies (LLCs) from start-up through dissolution. He advises them in all types of matters with which small businesses must deal, including: employment law; retirement plans [401(k), profit sharing, and pension plans]; contracts of all kinds (including employment contracts; sales rep and independent contractor agreements; confidentiality and non-compete agreements; supplier agreements; and terms & conditions of sale); buying and selling businesses; mergers and acquisitions; real estate (purchase, sale, and lease); the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC); and Buy-Sell Agreements and other types of ownership agreements.
In addition, Dan advises individuals with succession planning, estate planning, wills, trusts, life insurance planning, and real estate.
Nearly everything on which Dan advises his clients has tax consequences. So, much of his time is spent analyzing and advising clients on the tax aspects of their proposed endeavors.
Dan is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois Bar Association, and the Kane County Bar Association. He is past general counsel for the Kane County Bar Association, and has been a speaker on business, tax, and estate planning topics at many of their Continuing Legal Education Seminars.
Dan is a born-again Christian. He taught 6th grade Sunday School and sang in the choir at Grace Pointe Church – Naperville for thirteen years. He recently ended his tenure on the Board of Directors of Two Rivers Head Start Agency, in Aurora, but continues to be available to the Agency on an as needed basis.
James C. James, III
Jim concentrates his practice in civil litigation. He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois in 1980 and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1983. Born in 1958 in Aurora, Jim has been a life-long resident of Kane County, presently residing in Geneva with his wife, Michele, and two children.
Jim serves as a court-appointed arbitrator for the Kane County Mandatory Arbitration System where he is chair-qualified. He also serves as a court-appointed guardian ad litem for children whose parents are involved in matrimonial disputes involving custody and visitation. Jim also has served as a pro bono attorney for the CASA program in Kane County.
Jim has served as a Board member and Past President of the Aurora Exchange Club and also as a Board member and Past President of Friends of Child Advocacy. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Illinois Creditor Bar Association, the Kane County Bar Association, and the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley’s Council of Professional Advisors. Jim has also been a contributor to The Beacon News and the Naperville Sun on legal topics relevant to both individuals and businesses.
Jim’s civil litigation practice includes creditors’ rights, family law, personal injury, commercial disputes, estate litigation, landlord tenant disputes, condemnation and appellate practice.
Gretta E. Bieber
Gretta concentrates her practice in the areas of planning for corporations, limited liability companies and other business related entities, wills, trusts, probate and estate administration, special needs trusts, and buying, selling and leasing of residential and commercial real estate. She represents small to medium sized companies and their owners in a wide range of business related matters, including start up of new business, buying and selling businesses, drafting and negotiating contracts, and succession planning. Gretta also counsels not-for-profit corporations and other charitable organizations.
Gretta has practiced law in Aurora, Illinois since 1988. She was formerly associated with the law firms of Drendel, Schanlaber, Horwitz, Tatnall & McCracken and Schanlaber & Reed.
Gretta received her undergraduate degree from Western Illinois University in 1974 and her law degree from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1987. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Kane County Bar Association.
Gretta currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Aurora and is a member of the Kendall County Advisory Council for The Conservation Foundation. She formerly served as a director of the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley and The Association for Individual Development, and as a trustee of Fox Township and the Newark Fire Protection District.
Abigail M. Chiesa
Abigail concentrates her practice in the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, elder law, residential and commercial real estate, and business transactions and planning. In 1993, Abigail received her law degree from George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. and was admitted to the Maryland Bar. After relocating to Illinois, she was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois in 2003. For her undergraduate degree, Abigail attended Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas where she graduated magna cum laude in 1990 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and a minor in Economics.
In 1996, Abigail received the American Bar Association Award for Professional Merit for attaining the highest standing upon graduation from the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s School. She then served four years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps stationed in Germany and Fort Bragg, North Carolina. She also served as a legal advisor in Bosnia with the First Infantry Division, earning the NATO Medal, Armed Forces Service Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal.
Abigail is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the Kane County Bar Association, Fox Valley Estate Planning Council, and the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley’s Council of Professional Advisors.
Abigail’s community activities include serving as a member of Rush-Copley Medical Center Board of Governors and as a member and Past President of the Aurora Noon Rotary Club. She has also served as a pro bono attorney and was awarded the DuPage Bar Legal Assistance Foundation Pro Bono Award in 2007.
Abigail is a published author with The DuPage County Bar Association Brief, and has taught business law courses at the University of Maryland’s European Division. Abigail has been named in the Illinois Super Lawyers and Rising Stars magazine in the area of Estate Planning and Probate.
