Karen Conti
Attorney
(312) 332-7800
For more than 33 years, Karen Conti has been a dynamic and influential attorney in the local and national legal community. Karen has intensive and diverse trial experience from the Circuit Court of Cook County to the U.S. Supreme Court. At the same time, Karen has exceptional negotiation skills which allow her to quickly and creatively settle matters with the least possible expenditure of time and money. She is formally trained and certified as a mediator and in collaborative law. Karen’s handling of numerous high-profile cases has created her reputation for fierce advocacy among judges and other lawyers.
Karen now concentrates much of her practice in family law, where she has gained prominence among her peers and the bench. She was appointed by Illinois House Speaker to assist in redrafting the new family laws that took effect in Illinois in 2016. She was solely responsible for the statute regarding grounds for divorce, which modernizes and streamlines the dissolution of a marriage. Karen was a keynote speaker at the Family Rights Rally at the Lincoln Monument in Washington, D.C. on the issue of child custody and parental alienation. As a former partner with the prestigious family law firm of Beermann LLP, she handled cases from the highest net worth clients to simple matters of dissolution of marriage. She has represented sports celebrities, politicians, police officers, teachers, artists and stay-at-home mothers.
Karen further distinguishes herself from other lawyers because she is in constant contact with her clients. She and the client discuss goals and devise a game plan. This gives the case direction and allows Karen to prepare aggressively for hearings and arguments, achieving the very best results.
Some of Karen’s other accomplishments include:
- Member of the Illinois, California, and U.S. Supreme Court bars
- Handled a successful appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court in a nationally followed election dispute
- Represented a convicted serial killer in his death row appeals
- Adjunct Professor of Law at University of Illinois (15 years) and DePaul University (7 years)
- Taught and lectured at Stanford University and American University in Washington, D.C.
- Won a million dollar plus jury verdict against a nationally prominent home builder
- 40 under 40 Illinois Attorneys to Watch by Chicago Lawyer Magazine
- One of the 100 Women Making a Difference in Chicago by Today’s Chicago Woman
- Outstanding Alumni of the Year, Distinguished Graduate Award at University of Illinois College of Law
- Leading Lawyer, part of a network of elite lawyers in the State
- Recipient of the Impresa Award from the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans
- AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale Hubbell
For over 25 years, Karen has been a part of the local and national media. Her name recognition lends her instant credibility and authority wherever she practices. Among Karen’s vast media experience:
- WGN Radio host of “The Karen Conti Show”
- CNN: Regular legal commentator for over 10 years
- Fox Chicago: 25 years, Legal Analyst on local Fox affiliate, giving weekly commentary on diverse issues such as family law, business, criminal cases, and high-profile matters
- Regular appearances on MSNBC, Fox News, The O’Reilly Factor, truTV, and other media venues
- Over 20 years of experience in hosting and producing radio talk shows including “Chicago Law” on WJJD, “Legally Speaking” on WGN Radio in Chicago
- Columnist for Chicago Daily Law Bulletin
- Winner of numerous awards for radio broadcast including Achievement in Radio for Best Public Affairs and a Kogan Award
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Djuana Oshin
Attorney
(312) 964-9728
Djuana O’Connor Oshin has been practicing law for 29 years. She has 21 years of experience litigating contested divorce and parentage proceedings involving allocation (custody), parenting time (visitation), and maintenance.
Prior to this, Djuana represented abused and neglected children as a Guardian Ad Litem for eight years.
She recruited, trained, and supervised attorneys and paralegals, as well as managed day-to-day operations in her previous position at three Chicago-area legal aid agencies, as well as the Office of Cook County Public Guardian.
Djuana was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1991. She earned both her juris doctorate and undergraduate degrees from Loyola University Chicago. Djuana completed mediation training and obtained her certificate at Northwestern University.
She is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Chapter of the Association for Conflict Resolution.
Djuana has given presentations of family law and domestic violence to various groups, including the Chicago Bar Association, West Suburban Bar Association, 2014 and 2017 Illinois Legal Aid Advocate Conference, Illinois Parent Attorney Network, the Department of Children and Family Services, Cook County Juvenile Court personnel, and several domestic violence organizations.
She was a recipient of the Donald L. Hollowell Distinguished Service Award awarded by Loyola University School of Law, was named an Illinois Legal Advocate of the Month, and was recently honored by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys for client satisfaction for 2019-2020.
Djuana has an advanced-level proficiency in Spanish.
J. Christian Manalli
AttorneyOf Counsel
(312) 964-9727
For more than 23 years Christian has established himself as an influential attorney in the area of private wealth, estates and trusts. Christian specializes in estate planning, tax planning and tax preparation for individuals, trusts, tax exempt organizations and business entities, asset protection planning, probate and trust administration, contested trust and estate litigation, guardianships, the representation of parties in the sale or purchase of a business, and forming corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships and organizations exempt from tax under IRC section 501(c)3. Christian advises clients on sophisticated estate tax planning techniques, including GRATs, QPRTs, family limited partnerships, sales to defective grantor trusts, generation-skipping tax and dynasty trust planning, charitable remainder trusts, and insurance trusts. In addition, Christian drafts buy-sell agreements, shareholder agreements and premarital agreements. Christian also emphasizes representation of closely held businesses, not-for-profit organizations and private foundations. When necessary, Christian represents clients in income, estate and gift tax disputes with the Internal Revenue Service and represents clients in State and Federal income tax audits, including representation before the Federal Tax Court and the Illinois Department of Revenue Board of Appeals.
Christian concentrates much of his practice advising individuals who own small or privately held businesses and real estate investors, providing estate planning, income tax planning and preparation, asset protection planning and business organization and succession planning.
Christian is a prominent probate attorney handling large and small decedent’s estates and trusts as well as varied array of guardianship matters. Christian specializes in emergency guardianship matters working with hospitals and The Office of State Guardian to get emergency care, treatment and placement for patients who lack proper decisional surrogates.
Christian served as a guest estate planning expert on the radio show, The Legal Forum, delivered a seminar presentation on fiduciary income tax issues to Illinois attorneys and accountants for the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) and regularly conducts seminar presentations on the subjects of estate planning and probate for various groups.
Christian graduated from Purdue University in 1992 and from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1996.
Some of Christian’s CLE Presentations Include:
- “Estate Planning from A to Z,” for the National Business Institute July 24-25, 2017 at the University Center in Chicago, IL
- “Reopening Estates – When, How and Why?” and "Trusts for Tax Planning Strategies" for the National Business Institute in December of 2016 in Chicago and again in March of 2017 in Naperville.
Zaneta Brzezinski
Paralegal
(312) 332-7800
Zaneta is a seasoned paralegal and legal assistant. She earned a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Business Administration and has devoted her career to assisting lawyers in representing clients in family and business law matters. Her attention to detail, maturity, and compassion for clients sets her apart from other legal professionals. Her understanding of business issues allows her to facilitate the organization and synthesis of complicated financial documents which are used in the litigation process.
Zaneta is fluent in Polish and proficient in Spanish.