RENO & ZAHM - Key Persons
Bio
Alex Meyer is an associate at Reno & Zahm LLP, where his practice focuses on estate planning, civil and commercial litigation, bankruptcy, and general business matters. Mr. Meyer is admitted to practice law in Wisconsin.
A native of the Rockford area, Mr. Meyer graduated from Hononegah High School in 2013. He earned his Juris Doctor from the Marquette University Law School, where he was a Student Bar Association representative for his class. He received his undergraduate degree from Loras College while working for a U.S. Congressman in Iowa and on Capitol Hill.
Prior to joining Reno & Zahm, LLP, Mr. Meyer worked as a legal intern with the United States Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. He also worked with the Marquette Legal Initiative for Non-Profit Corporations, where he assisted a wide range of clients starting non-profit organizations.
Bio
Anthony R. Phelps is a partner at Reno & Zahm LLP, where his practice focuses on civil litigation and general business matters. Mr. Phelps also counsels clients with estate planning and administration, real estate transactions, and personal injury matters.
Mr. Phelps received his B.A. with Highest Distinction in history and political science from Indiana University - Bloomington in 2005. He received his law degree, cum laude, from Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis in 2008.
Before joining Reno & Zahm, LLP, Mr. Phelps gained experience working with a central Illinois law firm representing school districts, units of local government, and business and manufacturing clients. He is admitted to practice before the courts of the State of Illinois and the United States District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois. He is a member of the Winnebago County Bar Association, the Boone County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the American Bar Association.
Mr. Phelps has served on the governing boards of local nonprofit organizations and government entities. Presently, he serves as a board member of the Center for Sight & Hearing and Rockford MELD.
Bio
Arthur Kielty is a partner at Reno & Zahm LLP, where he focuses on a general practice representing clients in business matters, civil litigation, insurance defense, matrimonial law, and personal injury law. He has significant experience in probate proceedings, estate planning, and real estate matters, making him a valued advisor to his diverse clients.
A lifelong resident of the Rockford area, Mr. Kielty graduated from the University of Illinois in 1988 with a B.A. in political science. He received his J.D. in 1991 from the University of Illinois Law School, where he was a member of the University of Illinois Law Review. He lectures in the community on topics of legal interest and he was an adjunct professor of business law at Rock Valley College for several years.
Mr. Kielty is admitted to practice in Illinois and is authorized to practice before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. He is an active participant in the Winnebago County Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and various other professional and civic organizations, including the First Tee of Greater Rockford and the Rockford Area Habitat for Humanity.
Bio
Mr. Thomas is a partner at Reno & Zahm LLP, having practiced with the firm since 1989. He represents business clients in a broad range of matters and works with individuals in addressing their estate planning needs. In these practice areas, he has significant experience in business formations, mergers, acquisitions, real estate, employee benefits, and human resources. His business clients range from newly formed entities to established multi-national corporations.
A native of New York, Mr. Thomas graduated from Beloit College in 1986 with a B.A. in economics. He attended law school at the University of Illinois, graduating with a J.D. in 1989. Mr. Thomas is an active member of the Winnebago County Bar Association, having served as chairman of several WCBA sections. He is also a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and various other professional organizations, and has lectured on numerous occasions before legal and business communities on topics ranging from estate planning to employee benefits.
Beyond his legal practice, Mr. Thomas is active in various civic and charitable organizations, including terms as President of the Beloit College Alumni Association, Coronado Performing Arts Center, and Friends of the Coronado. He is chairman of the Rockford Area Venues and Entertainment Authority.
Bio
Jamie Cassel is a partner at Reno & Zahm LLP and has practiced law since 1986. Her commercial practice emphasizes contract and corporate matters, bankruptcy, and related state and federal court litigation. She also has considerable experience in business, manufacturing and contract matters, UCC and lending issues, and mergers and acquisitions, making her a valued counselor to her clients.
She is admitted to practice in Utah and Illinois, before the United States District Court for the District of Utah, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and the United States Court of Appeals-Seventh Circuit. She is a seasoned litigator who is well-versed in state, federal, and bankruptcy procedures as well as utilization of alternative dispute resolution forums as a certified arbitrator.
Ms. Cassel's expertise is highly regarded. She writes and lectures frequently in the areas of bankruptcy, transactions, debtor/creditor matters, and perfection and priority of liens. In the course of her practice, she advises, negotiates, and prepares documents for individuals and businesses on matters involving contracts, employment, estate planning, and real estate.
Ms. Cassel is active in numerous professional organizations, including the Winnebago County Bar Association, for which she served on the Board of Directors and as chairman of both the Federal Trial and Bankruptcy sections, the bar associations for the states of Illinois and Utah, and the American Bar Association. Ms. Cassel has been appointed a Section Counsel for the Illinois State Bar Association Commercial Banking, Collections and Bankruptcy Section. She is also a member of the American Bankruptcy Institute, serving on the Trade Creditor and Uniform Commercial Code Committees. She has represented secured and unsecured creditors in cases involving Linens 'N Things, Ames, Kmart, Ingersoll, U.S. Office Products, KB Toys, eToys, and Heilig-Meyers. She has been named by her peers as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois in the areas of business law and bankruptcy law.
Civic involvement is also important to Ms. Cassel. She has been appointed as a member of the Board of Directors for the Rockford Local Development Corporation and serves on its executive board. She has also served on the Rockford Park District Foundation. Ms. Cassel has also served as a Fire and Police Commissioner for the city of Rockford and has been named a chairman and member to various other boards and action committees.
Bio
Jan Ohlander is a partner at Reno & Zahm LLP, where he has practiced since 1979. Mr. Ohlander has successful trial experience in a wide variety of cases tried before juries in state and federal courts, including injury, negligence, commercial, contract, employment and construction claims. He serves regularly as a mediator and arbitrator for major civil cases in state, federal, and private claims. He was selected as one of the first mediators in the Illinois Supreme Court Pilot Mediation Program, as well as the initial federal court mediation program for the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois.
A Rockford native, Mr. Ohlander received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 1976 and his law degree in 1979 from Marquette University, where he was a member of the Law Review. He is admitted to practice in Illinois and Wisconsin State Courts, the United States District Courts for Illinois and Wisconsin, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the Trial Bar for the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois. He has served as Chair for the Winnebago County Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Section and Trial Section. He is a member of the Federal Bar Association and was elected the first President for the P. Michael Mahoney Chapter for the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Western Division.
With a business and civil trial practice developed over 40 years, Mr. Ohlander serves as counsel for individuals, corporations and businesses including medical service corporations, clinics, and physician groups. In the course of his practice, he advises, negotiates, and prepares documents for businesses and individual clients in real estate, contract, employment and estate planning matters.
Mr. Ohlander has the highest possible preeminent AV judicial and peer rating by Martindale-Hubbell representing the highest level of skill and ethics. His peers have recognized him, through the Leading Lawyers Network, as one of the top Illinois lawyers in personal injury, commercial litigation and alternative dispute resolution (personal injury and commercial). He is an Illinois Super Lawyer. He is a member of the American Association for Justice and Illinois Trial Lawyers.
Mr. Ohlander remains active in community and national charitable organizations.
Bio
Attorney Clay's practice includes business transactions, advising on corporate matters, estate planning, personal injury litigation and business litigation. He is licensed to practice in Illinois state and federal courts.
Attorney Clay has advised his clients on multi-million dollar transactions as well as successfully litigated numerous jury and bench trials.
Attorney Clay obtained his law degree from Regent University School of Law, where he also served as the Executive Editor of the Regent Journal of Law & Public Policy. He earned his undergraduate degree from Evangel University, where he graduated with honors and played college basketball.
Attorney Clay happily lives in Rockford with his wife, Stephanie, and their children.
Bio
Jeffrey Powell is a Partner at Reno & Zahm LLP. He has extensive experience representing business clients in commercial matters, including advising on organizational and governance issues, drafting and reviewing contracts, litigating contract disputes, consulting on the purchase and sale of businesses, and assisting with human resource matters.
Mr. Powell has significant experience with employee-related matters, including advising on discipline, terminations, sexual harassment training and investigations, policies and procedures, and compliance with federal and state employment laws. As part of this practice, Mr. Powell regularly drafts and consults on employee handbooks and related policies, employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, non-competition provisions, and non-solicitation agreements.
Mr. Powell has represented employees and management litigating employment disputes in federal court, state court and administrative hearings. This experience includes litigating employment cases involving wrongful termination, employment discrimination, harassment, retaliatory discharge, wage and hour disputes, unemployment, breach of contract, restrictive covenants, trade secret theft, and embezzlement.
Mr. Powell graduated magna cum laude from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 2008, where he was a member of the Board of Editors for the Law Review. His note "Marshall v. Burger King Corp.: Making a Mess of ‘Duty' for Businesses in Illinois" was published in the Northern Illinois University Law Review and has been cited by several appellate courts.
Before attending law school, he gained experience as a consultant at CRA International, a leading global consulting firm, where he was involved in a broad range of financial and economic engagements, including the evaluation of damages in intellectual property and anti-trust disputes.
Mr. Powell is active in the community. He is a former President and Director of the Golden Apple Foundation. He also served as a Director for the Rockford Area Arts Council and the Winnebago County Bar Association.
Mr. Powell is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois. He has also been admitted to practice in the U.S. District Courts for the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of Illinois, and the Western District of Wisconsin. Mr. Powell is also a member of the Trial Bar for the Northern District of Illinois.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association
Bio
Robert Fredrickson started with Reno & Zahm LLP in 1971 and has been a partner since 1974. His practice focuses primarily on multi-faceted civil litigation, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts. In this area, Mr. Fredrickson has more than 40 years of experience. He also has considerable experience related to commercial transactions, wills and estates, and alternative dispute resolution.
A Rockford native, Mr. Fredrickson attended the University of Wisconsin Madison, where he received his B.B.A., with honors, in 1967 and his J.D., with honors in 1971. He is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts, including the Trial Bar of Illinois and Wisconsin and the United States Supreme Court, and on a selected basis has appeared in state and federal courts throughout the United States.
Mr. Fredrickson is a member of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, State Bar of Wisconsin, American Association for Justice, and the Winnebago County Bar Association. He has been selected and certified as a mediator for the 17th Judicial Circuit Court major civil Alternative Dispute Resolution program, and has been a panel arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association for many years.
As testaments to his capability, Mr. Fredrickson has been recognized as a leading Illinois lawyer by the American Law Research Corporation and has been continuously rated AV pre-eminent by the Martindale Hubbell, the leading lawyer directory reference for more than 30 years (highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards).
Beyond his legal practice, Mr. Fredrickson has been active in judicial election committees and is a member of Rockford Downtown Rotary Club. He attends or speaks at 15 hours of seminars annually.
Mr. Fredrickson's interests and hobbies include spending time with his children and grandchildren, snow skiing, water sports, golf, horseback riding, outdoor activities (including hunting and fishing), building design and construction, dogs, and attending all University of Wisconsin home football and basketball games.
The majority of Mr. Fredrickson's clients are repeat clients, former clients, or referrals from existing clients, lawyers, and those familiar with his legal ability. His clients are from all walks of life, including persons very familiar with the legal system such as retired judges, sitting judges, civil court bailiffs, court reporters, insurance adjustors, and local businesses.
The practice goal of Mr. Fredrickson is to provide excellent outcomes and solutions to legal problems by applying his experience and abilities with high integrity in a practical, cost-effective manner.
Bio
Ryan T. Straw is an Partner at Reno & Zahm LLP where his practice focuses on civil and commercial litigation and general business matters. He is admitted to practice law in Illinois and Wisconsin. Mr. Straw is also admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Prior to joining Reno & Zahm LLP, Mr. Straw worked as an Assistant State's Attorney in Winnebago County for three years where he gained substantial trial experience. As a prosecutor, Mr. Straw spent time in the misdemeanor, felony, and juvenile delinquency courtrooms. He worked in all phases of prosecution from the initial investigation, to obtaining warrants, to pretrial motion hearings and jury trials. Mr. Straw also underwent training in criminal litigation with the Illinois Appellate Prosecutors' Advanced Trial Advocacy Program.
A native of northern Boone County, Mr. Straw graduated in 2005 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Economics. He received his law degree from Southern Illinois University School of Law in 2008, where his accomplishments include serving as Law Journal author and editor.
His articles, The Knock and Announce Rule: More Trouble Than It Is Worth and The Unique Case of Conflicts of Interest and The Need for an Exception to Sixth Amendment Automatic Reversals were published in the Southern Illinois University Law Journal. Mr. Straw also worked as a legal intern in the Jackson County State's Attorneys' Office while in law school.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Illinois State Bar Association
Bio
Scott Calkins is a partner at Reno & Zahm LLP, where he has practiced since July 2005. His practice focuses on general business matters, commercial litigation, appellate litigation, and real estate matters, and he brings his clients more than 18 years of experience to meet their needs.
An Illinois native, Mr. Calkins received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 1991, where he was a member of the University of Illinois golf team. He received his J.D. from Creighton University, magna cum laude, in 1995. Prior to joining Reno & Zahm, Mr. Calkins practiced law in Omaha, Nebraska, for 10 years. Mr. Calkins is admitted to practice in the Illinois and Nebraska state courts, the United States District Courts for Illinois, Wisconsin and Nebraska, as well as the Seventh and Eighth Circuit Courts of Appeal. He has been admitted as a member of the Trial Bar for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
In addition to forming and advising businesses in matters involving corporate, partnership, limited liability and employment-related issues, as well as mergers and acquisitions, Mr. Calkins is an experienced litigator, having a significant amount of trial experience, both in jury and non-jury settings. He is also an accomplished appellate litigator, having briefed and argued cases before various state and federal appellate courts and contributed to appellate briefs filed with the United States Supreme Court.
Mr. Calkins is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Nebraska State Bar Association. He is also involved in various community activities, including youth ice hockey.
Bio
Victor M. Zamora is an associate at Reno & Zahm LLP, where his practice focuses on estate planning, civil and commercial litigation, and general business matters. Mr. Zamora is admitted to practice law in Illinois. He is fluent in Spanish and can assist Spanish-speaking clients.
Mr. Zamora earned his Juris Doctor from the Northern Illinois University College of Law, where he was a competitor on the College of Law's Negotiation Team.
Prior to joining Reno & Zahm LLP, Mr. Zamora drafted wills, complaints and motions, and handled subpoenas and discovery requests as a licensed 711 law student with the Zeke Giorgi Legal Clinic. He graduated with honors from Cleveland State University, where he played college soccer.
Bio
Wesley Lindberg, a former partner at Reno & Zahm LLP since 1965, is now associated with the firm as an of counsel attorney. Among his many accomplishments and notable cases, Mr. Lindberg has organized a national bank; converted a federal mutual savings and loan association to a shareholder federal savings bank; and represented banks and corporations regarding mergers and acquisitions, employment disputes, shareholder disputes, bankruptcies, real estate development matters, and foreclosures. He also has considerable experience in real estate development issues and personal injury matters.
Mr. Lindberg graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1956 and a J.D. in 1959.
He is admitted to practice in the State Courts of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, including Federal Trial Bar, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.