What we handle, and what we do not
Land Law keeps its practice deliberately narrow. Real estate, business formation, and estate planning. Nothing else. A firm that takes every case that walks in has to be adequate at all of them.
Most of what goes wrong is a deadline nobody mentioned.
An attorney review period that expires. A notice served the wrong way. A summons answered late. A trust that was created but never had the house deeded into it. None of those are difficult problems while there is still time, and all of them are expensive afterward. Six of the areas below exist because that pattern repeats, and the seventh reason to call is simply that you are not sure which one you are in.
Real estate
The largest group by volume. Buying, selling, renting out, losing, or being refused a property, in residential and commercial matters across Cook County.
Real estate closings
In Illinois, an attorney reads the contract before you are bound by it. That is the whole job, and it is worth more than most people expect for what it costs.
Evictions
Eviction is one of the few areas of law where the paperwork at the very start decides the case at the very end. A defective notice restarts the clock no matter how good the underlying claim is.
Foreclosure and short sales
Illinois is a judicial foreclosure state, which means the lender has to sue you and you have the right to answer. Doing nothing is the option that costs the most.
Housing discrimination
Housing discrimination is rarely announced. It arrives as a unit that just became unavailable, an application that needs one more document, or an appraisal that comes in low for no reason anyone will put in writing.
Business
Getting an Illinois entity formed properly, papering who owns what, and putting the contracts you send customers in front of an attorney once so you can send them a thousand times.
Estates
Wills, estate planning, and deeds in trust. For most families the estate is the house, which is why this practice sits next to the real estate one rather than in a separate firm.
The areas are not really separate
A landlord matter that starts as an eviction often turns out to be a question about how the building is owned, which is a business law question. A foreclosure that resolves as a short sale ends in a closing. And an estate is usually a house, held some particular way, which decides whether it passes cleanly or becomes the thing the family argues about.
That is the practical case for one attorney holding all three rather than three firms holding one each. You can read more about who would be handling it, or go straight to the free consultation.
Questions before you call
Why only three areas of law?
Because the statutes, the local rules, and the way Cook County actually processes a filing all change, and staying current with three areas is achievable in a way that staying current with ten is not. A firm that takes every case that walks in has to be adequate at all of them.
What does Land Law not handle?
Criminal defense, family law, immigration, personal injury, bankruptcy, and employment. If you call about one of those you will be told on the first call rather than in month three, and pointed somewhere useful where possible.
Do these areas overlap?
Constantly, which is the argument for keeping them in one firm. A small business signs a commercial lease. An estate is mostly a house. A foreclosure becomes a short sale, which is a closing. The same attorney seeing all of it is worth something.
Is the first consultation really free for any of these?
Yes, for all of them. It is a conversation about whether you need an attorney and what it would cost, and sometimes the honest answer to the first part is no.
How are fees set?
By the matter and the scope, which is why there are no prices printed here. You get a number before you engage the firm rather than after, and it goes in a written engagement agreement.
Which counties and courts?
The firm practices in Illinois, with most court work in the Cook County Circuit Court. Ask when you call if your matter sits outside that.
The first conversation is free.
Describe what you are dealing with, in order, with the dates. You will get a straight read on whether you need an attorney and what it is likely to cost.
Contacting Land Law Firm, LLC does not create an attorney-client relationship, and nothing on this site is legal advice. Please do not send confidential information until a written engagement is in place.