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MICHAEL J. DURKIN is a partner and member of Pedersen & Houpt's Wealth Preservation Practice Group, where his areas of practice include wealth preservation and trusts and estates. He has been practicing law since 1983 as an estate planning attorney for many successful entrepreneurs, professionals, executives and their families. Mr. Durkin has had the opportunity to represent clients in a wide variety of probate, trust and taxation issues. He is a previous lecturer for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education and the Chicago Bar Association on tax and estate planning issues, as well as having written The 2001 Act - An Immediate Impact on Your Estate Plan. Mr. Durkin is admitted to practice in Illinois, where he also is a certified public accountant. He earned his B.S. degree from the University of Illinois, his J.D. degree from DePaul University College of Law and his LL.M. degree in taxation from The John Marshall Law School. Mr. Durkin is a member of the Chicago Bar Association (trust law committee, probate practice committee), the Chicago Estate Planning Council and the Illinois State Bar Association. DANIEL O. HANDS is the principal of the Daniel O. Hands P.C. law firm in Oak Brook. Since 1975 he has devoted his practice primarily to estate planning, including probate, wills, trust law, estate and gift taxation, tax reduction, business transactions, and elder law. Mr. Hands is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, as well as a member of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys. He is a frequent lecturer on elder law, estate planning, wills and trusts, asset protection and Medicaid. Mr. Hands also has lectured on long-term health care to the National Association of Health Underwriters at their 2001 annual convention. He earned his B.B.A. degree from Western Michigan University and his J.D. degree from Valparaiso University. Mr. Hands is a member of the Illinois State and American bar associations. KIRSTEN L. IZATT is an estate planning attorney at The Estate Planning Law Group in DuPage County, Illinois. Her legal expertise includes estate planning from a parent's perspective, wealth preservation, special needs and Medicaid eligibility planning. Ms. Izatt received her B.A. degree with honors from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, and her J.D. degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. She also holds teaching certification from the Royal Society of Arts, Cambridge, England. Ms. Izatt served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Senior Judge Harriett Lansing and the Honorable Chief Judge Edward Toussaint of the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She is quoted frequently in the New York Times, and is a requested speaker on a variety of topics including special needs planning, family wealth planning, Medicaid eligibility planning, wealth preservation, and asset protection of inheritances. Ms. Izatt also routinely speaks to parent groups regarding protecting minor children as well as plan for the future of children with special needs. She is a member of the board of DayOne Network, a disability service organization in Kane County. Ms. Izatt is a former board member of SEA 200, a District 200 group serving families who have children with special needs. She is a member of PEO Chapter EN and has served on the board of the Wheaton Newcomer's Club. GEORGE W. SPELLMIRE JR. is a member of the law firm of Spellmire & Sommer, where he practices in the areas of legal ethics and professional responsibility, accountant professional liability, professional ethics, commercial litigation and securities litigation. He is an adjunct professor at Northwestern University School of Law. Mr. Spellmire has numerous publications and has spoken at several CLE seminars in his area of expertise. He is a member of the Chicago, Illinois State and American (Standing Committee on Professional Liability) bar associations. Mr. Spellmire also is a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel (Advocacy Practice and Procedure Committee; Legal Malpractice Committee; Medical Malpractice Committee; Professional Errors and Omissions Substantive Law Committee), the Society of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers (Fellow). He earned his B.A. degree from Ohio State University and his J.D. degree from DePaul University.
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