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WENDY DREFAHL is president of WFA Econometrics Corporation in Muskego, Wisconsin, where she assists family law attorneys with the valuation and division of retirement benefits as marital property in divorce. Ms. Drefahl's experiences with hundreds of different plan administrators allow her to relay creative insights to QDRO preparation. She has assisted in the preparation of more than 5,000 QDROs and has dealt with plan administrators for hundreds of different plans across the country. In addition to valuing and dividing qualified retirement plans, Ms. Drefahl also works with non-qualified, municipal, state, federal and military plans. As an authority on QDROs and pension valuations, she lectures to various professional organizations and has testified before the court in DuPage, Cook, McHenry, Lake, DeKalb and Will counties. Ms. Drefahl earned her B.B.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. BRUCE L. RICHMAN CPA/ABV, CVA is a principal with Reznick Group, P.C. in their Valuation and Transaction Advisory Group (VTAG). Based in the firm's Chicago office, Mr. Richman has more than 25 years of broad valuation experience which includes business valuations; mergers and acquisitions; and other financial and tax consulting matters. He serves clients in a wide range of industries that includes real estate, manufacturing, distribution and private equity funds. Mr. Richman's valuations have been used for estate and gift, mergers and acquisitions; financial reporting; federal tax; and litigation purposes. He also has experience in the area of tax planning and compliance as well as the financial analysis and structuring of a wide variety of real estate projects, including real estate syndications, due diligence, workouts, and the strategic planning for troubled real estate. Mr. Richman has directed hundreds of engagements and has been involved in major litigation support projects as an expert witness, having testified in numerous courts and arbitration panels. With specific experience in divorce and matrimonial disputes, his litigation experience also includes partner and shareholder disputes and corporate reorganizations/bankruptcy. Mr. Richman is a certified public accountant and holds numerous other distinctions including Accredited Business Valuator, certified valuation analyst, certified divorce financial analyst and certified in financial forensics. He earned his B.S. degree from North Adams State College, his M.S. degree from The Ohio State University, his M.S. degree in from Bentley College and his M.B.A. degree from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management - Northwestern University. C. JOHN RUDDY is a managing member in the firm Ruddy, Milroy & King LLC, in Aurora, Illinois. Mr. Ruddy concentrates his practice in the areas of litigation concerning real estate, bankruptcy reorganization, commercial matters and consumer disputes. He has been in practice since 1977. Mr. Ruddy advises and represents the firm's clients on real estate foreclosure proceedings, including the implementation of sheriff's sales. He also advises and represents loan borrowers on defenses and counterclaims to mortgage foreclosure proceedings, including the Fair Credit Agreements Act; the Real Estate Settlement Protections Act; the Truth in Lending Act; the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and the Illinois Consumer Fraud Act. Mr. Ruddy earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Denver and his J.D. degree from John Marshall Law School. He has been the chairperson of the Commercial, Banking and Bankruptcy Committee of the Kane County Bar Association from 1994 to the present and is a former bankruptcy trustee. DAVID N. SCHAFFER is the principal of Schaffer Family Law, LTD, in Naperville. Mr. Schaffer has been an attorney for more than 26 years and practices exclusively in the area of family law. He is vice president of the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and chair of its highly praised Continuing Legal Education Committee. Mr. Schaffer is also a fellow of the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a portion of his practice is devoted to international child custody disputes. A frequent national speaker and author on matrimonial law topics, Mr. Schaffer has served on the Illinois Bar Journal Editorial Board and is co-editor of the Illinois State Bar Association's Family Law Section Council Newsletter Committee (of which he is a past chair). He has taught at AAML's nationally renowned Institute for Family Law Associates. Last year, he was appointed by the Illinois House Minority Leader to serve on the Speaker of the House's Family Law Study Committee. The committee is charged with the first complete overhaul, in 30 years of the family law statutes. Mr. Schaffer earned his B.A. degree from the University of Illinois, Urbana and his J.D. degree from Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington. LEAH D. SETZEN is an attorney in the Naperville law firm of Grunyk & Associates, P.C., where she focuses her practice on all aspects of family law, including custody matters, adoptions, divorce, mediation and appeals. Ms. Setzen has authored numerous articles related to family law, including dissolving same-sex relationships and life insurance considerations for divorcing couples. She also has served as speaker in continuing legal education seminars on issues ranging from civil unions to updates in Illinois law on family matters. Ms. Setzen is a member of the DuPage County Bar Association, where she co-authors the Family Law Section's monthly Case Updates, and is a member of the Will County Bar Association. She earned her B.A. degree from the University of Illinois and her J.D. degree from the University of Illinois College of Law.
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