C-K Law Group Practice Areas

The C-K Law Group has several areas of specialty, each headed by an experienced attorney who is known for their work. Additionally, we partner with the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic for their renowned, groundbreaking work in Environmental and Energy Law. Details on each area of practice are listed below.

All of our attorneys charge market rate legal fees for their services, which vary depending on the practice area and specific matter.

C-K Law Group Practice Areas

Criminal Defense Litigation: Veteran criminal defense attorney Richard S. Kling handles an extraordinarily wide range of cases including state and federal serious felonies including capital cases, state and federal appellate and post conviction matters, wrongful conviction cases, and civil rights litigation including excessive use of force cases.

Civil Litigation: Represents plaintiffs in cases that involve employment discrimination and retaliation, wage and hour law, whistleblower actions, consumer law, class actions, and other complex litigation. Its supervising attorney, Jamie Franklin, has been a plaintiff-side litigator her entire career.

Students will practice in federal court, state courts, arbitration forums, and government agencies. A unique aspect of this clinic is that Professor Franklin focuses on complex litigation. She brings class actions on a regular basis, allowing students to experience litigating a class case. She also specializes in qui tam (False Claims Act) litigation, in which whistleblowers recover lost funds for the government.  Learn More

Estate/Probate/Transactional Law:  Deadra Stokes provides representation to clients in the areas of Probate which include Decedent's estates.  Estate Planning representation includes, but is not limited to, Revocable and Irrevocable Trust creation, Land Trusts, Wills and Power of Attorneys.  She also provides representation in both Commercial and Residential Real Estate acquisitions and sales and small business advising.

Family Law: Represents parents and children in domestic relations matters ranging from pre- and post-nuptial agreements; legal separation; divorce; allocation of parenting time and responsibilities; child support; spousal support; and post-decree enforcement, from inception through settlement or trial.  We engage in mediation, litigation, collaborative law, and arbitration. The specialty is headed by veteran family law attorney Rhonda E. de Freitas. 

Employee Benefit Claims: Specializes in benefit claims made under employer-sponsored health, disability, life, and accidental death policies, both the internal appeals process and in litigation. Headed by experienced ERISA and insurance contract law attorney William Reynolds.

Immigration Law: Represents individuals and families in family-based, humanitarian relief, and removal defense throughout the United States under U.S. immigration and nationality law. Under the supervision of Victoria Carmona, who has been practicing immigration law for nearly a decade, the practice prepares affirmative applications and attending interviews before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, including applications for permanent residency, citizenship, and humanitarian relief including asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, DACA, stays of removal, U-visa and VAWA. Consultations are $90.00 per case; at the consultation, the attorney will determine whether representation is plausible, with services offered below-market at a flat-fee rate.

Intellectual Property, Entertainment & Entrepreneurship Law:  Represents clients in transactional trademark, copyright, and trade secret matters, as well as providing entrepreneurship, entertainment, and business legal counsel to innovators, entrepreneurs, entertainers, and business owners. Services offered include, but are not limited to, trademark clearances, trademark application filings, trademark prosecution, trademark monitoring, trademark opposition proceedings, and trademark registration maintenance. Additionally, we handle copyright issues, draft intellectual property agreements, conduct intellectual property audits, manage intellectual property portfolios, advise on trade secret identification and protection. We also provide contract review, contract negotiation, entity formation, and regulatory compliance guidance. We also offer customized fractional General Counsel services to a very limited number of state, national, multinational, and international businesses. Most services are offered for a flat-fee rate. The specialty is headed by experienced intellectual property and business attorney, Michelle J. Miller.

Tax Law: As a full-service federal tax controversy and transactions practice, we aggressively represent clients in a wide variety of disputes with the Internal Revenue Service. We primarily serve middle-income individuals and small business taxpayers in connection with IRS and Illinois Department of Revenue audits, administrative appeals, and trials before the United States Tax Court, the United States District Court, and the Illinois Independent Tax Tribunal.  Headed by C-K Law Group Director Jon Decatorsmith, a former IRS trial attorney and experienced federal tax litigator, the clinic has in recent years grown to offer not-for-profit organization formation and compliance, return preparer representation, and complex international tax compliance.