About Us

History

SNSF traces its history back more than forty years to the firms of White & Shaheen which eventually became Shaheen, Lundberg, Callahan & Orr.  In January 1998, the firm combined with Griffin & Staat to form Shaheen, Orr, Pearce, Griffin & Staat, P.C.   On October 31, 2000, the firm changed its name to Shaheen, Novoselsky, Staat & Filipowski, P.C.   The Firm name included "Eccleston" from 2003 through 2010.    Raymond Shaheen, deceased, retired from practice in 2005.

During its history, the firm developed a substantial business practice in the areas of corporate and commercial law, real estate, securities, taxation, banking and debtor-creditor relations, labor relations, litigation, estate planning and probate, employee benefits, and consumer protection.

Main Areas of Practice

Individuals, entrepreneurs and closely held businesses, major international financial institutions, public and private corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, institutional fiduciaries and not-for-profit entities rely on us to deliver superior results and guidance in the following practice areas:

In addition to the conventional practice groups identified above, we also provide services in markets requiring firm-wide collaberation across many practice areas, such as in the Mergers and Acquisitions and Investment Fiduciary practice groups.   Contact us for more information.

Attorneys

We work within multiple jurisdictions and courts, and currently have admittance to many state bars, the U.S. Court of Appeals (Seventh Circuit), several U.S. District Courts, and the U.S. Tax, Claims, and Supreme Courts.

Our attorneys are frequent speakers and writers, contributing articles, columns and quotes to trade magazines,  legal journals, and in leading print, broadcast and online media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, Smart Money, Sky Radio, First Business, Chicago Lawyer, Investment News, On Wall Street, and Registered Representative.

Philosophy

The philosophy of our firm is a simple one - we make it our business to advance your business. 

We work across practice disciplines in a rational, business-oriented approach, working closely with you to understand your needs and objectives. 

We handle your legal matters with the same concern for the bottom line that you bring to your affairs.  Your objective is where we begin and end each assignment.

Clients

Our clients are individuals, entrepreneurs, public and private corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies from local, national, and international sectors... in banking, manufacturing, distribution, automotive, giftware, radio, broadcasting, education, energy, film production, engineering, architecture, construction, real estate, healthcare, leisure, recreation and numerous other industries. Emerging industries rely on our years of experience to handle their new legal issues as well.

Long-time clients remain loyal because the firm partners with them to address their present needs and to plan for their future.

Representative clients include:

American Bank and Trust Company
American Pacific Financial Corp.
Bethlehem Industries, Inc.
Consolidated Steel & Supply Co.
Country Gas Co.
Country Properties, LLC
County Line Properties, Inc.
Diamond Industrial Tools, Inc.
Doheny Enterprises
Fifth Third Bank
Galloway Plastics, Inc.
Holum & Sons, Co., Inc.
Industrial Television Service, Inc. (ITS)
JPMorgan Chase, N.A.
Johnsonville Sausage
Kosmek (USA) Ltd.
LaSalle Bank, N.A.
Liberty Creative Solutions, Incorporated
Luminair Film Productions
Master Control Systems, Inc.
Merrill Lynch Trust Company
Mid-States Wire Processing Corp.
Montessori Education Centers Associated - M.E.C.A.
National City Bank
North Shore Community Bank
REB Steel Equipment Corp.
Roman, Inc.
Scandinavian Design, Inc.
Steve Foley Cadillac, Inc.
The Huff Company
The Northern Trust Company
Trust Company of Illinois
U.S. Messenger & Logistics, Inc.
Waldmann Lighting Co.

We'd be happy to provide you with a client reference.   Contact us for information.

Recognitions

SNSF is rated "A-V" in the Legal Ability and General Recommendations Rating published by Martindale-Hubbell, representing professional excellence at the highest levels of skill and integrity. Martindale-Hubbell and the AV Rating

We have attorneys named to the Illinois Super Lawyers list, identified as the top candidates out of more than 60 practice areas, representing the top 5% of Illinois attorneys as selected by their peers and verified by the attorney-led research staff at Law & Politics magazine. 

Additionally, many of our attorneys are recognized as an Illinois Leading Lawyer, a  peer review recognition confirmed by the Leading Lawyers Network, a division of the Law Bulletin Publishing Company.  The number of attorneys earning this distinction is no more than 5% of the total number of attorneys licensed to practice law in Illinois.