David Arena joined DiMonte & Lizak located in Park Ridge, Illinois in 1996, and became an equity partner at Di Monte & Lizak in 2005. David is the Chairman of the firm s Litigation Committee, and is an accomplished trial lawyer. He handles matters in state and federal court, including trial and appellate work, and represents clients in mediations and arbitrations. David s practice focuses on commercial law matters, including business disputes, contract and construction law, mechanics liens, mortgage foreclosures, bankruptcy and debt collection, municipal law and probate litigation.
Hon. Lisa R Curcio (Ret.) is a senior mediator and arbitrator with ADR Systems, Inc. She served as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County for more than 15 years, the last 11 of which were in the Chancery Division. From 2010 to 2018, she primarily presided over cases involving mechanics liens, construction contracts, and construction defects. Prior to becoming an attorney, Judge Curcio worked in residential and commercial real estate, business, and in banking. She earned her J.D. at Loyola University of Chicago, and is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and American Bar Association.
James M. Dash is a founding member of Carlson Dash, LLC, with offices in Chicago, Illinois and Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, where he concentrates his practice in the areas of construction, mechanic s liens and real estate-related litigation. Mr. Dash currently serves as Chair of the Illinois State Bar Association s Construction Law Section Council and vice president of the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys. Mr. Dash also is a past chair of the Construction and Mechanic s Lien Subcommittee of the Chicago Bar Association. He served on the joint ISBA- CBA committee writing the draft legislation that, with some changes, became the Mechanics Lien Act effective January 1, 2006. Mr. Dash has been recognized by Leading Lawyers Network, Best Lawyers, Illinois SuperLawyers and Chambers USA. He has lectured to various professional groups on construction and mechanic s liens and has been involved in several important decisions by the Illinois courts in this area of law. He also is a frequent lecturer for the ISBA and National Business Institute on mechanic's lien law and other construction and real estate-related topics.
Matthew J. Gardner is a member of Robbin Schwartz s construction law and commercial transaction practice groups. He represents clients over the course of construction projects, from the contract negotiation and bidding, to protecting his client s interest in litigation arising from any defaults, delays or other construction defects. Matt also represents clients in an array of matters involving real estate development and commercial transactions. Before joining Robbins Schwartz, Matt s practice involved product liability and civil litigation defense. Matt also performs pro bono services representing clients through Chicago Volunteer Legal Services and is involved with Franciscan Outreach s Lawyers United for the Homeless as well as the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless. He also volunteers as an investigator for the Chicago Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee. Matt earned his B.S. at the University of Utah in 2004 and his J.D. at the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2008. He is admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Supreme Court of Illinois, the Supreme Court of Utah, and the Supreme Court of Wisconsin. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association.
Samuel H. Levine is of counsel to Bryce Downey & Lenkov LLC. His practice covers a broad spectrum of activities in the area of real estate litigation, including construction disputes, mechanics lien and bond claims, mortgage foreclosures and other proceedings to enforce creditor s rights. He is a previous chair of the ISBA Construction Law Committee now known as the Construction Law Section Council, the Commercial Banking Collections and Bankruptcy Committee and the Real Estate Law Committee. He is co-editor of the ISBA Building Knowledge Construction Law Newsletter, and previous chair of both the Chicago Bar Association Mechanics Lien and Construction Law Subcommittee and DuPage County Real Estate Law and Practice Committee. He obtained his BA from Washington University in St. Louis and his JD from Chicago Kent College of Law.
Hon. Clifford L. Meacham (Ret.) is a seasoned mediator and arbitrator with expertise in settling a variety of disputes, particularly those relating to construction, mechanics lien, and engineering issues. He also has extensive experience in employment, bankruptcy and commercial contractual disputes. Since joining ADR Systems in 2014, Judge Meacham has served as a full-time mediator, arbitrator, tri-panel chair, special master and neutral fact finder. Prior to his role at ADR Systems, Judge Meacham spent 19 years as an Associate Judge for the Cook County Circuit Court (1989-2008) and 13 years serving the legal community, including Assistant U.S. Trustee, United States Department of Justice (1983-1989) and the Illinois Attorney General s Office, Consumer Protection Division (1976-1983). Judge Meacham earned his B.A. (with honors; Illinois Merit Scholarship) at Elmhurst College and his J.D. (with honors; Order of John Marshall) at the John Marshall Law School. He is a member of the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys and Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Character and Fitness. He was named a Leading Lawyers Top Ten for ADR.
Howard M. Turner earned his A.B. at the Law University of Chicago in 1957 and his J.D. at the University of Chicago in 1959. He is admitted to practice in Illinois, the U.S. District Court (Trial Bar), and the Court of Appeals 7 th Circuit. Mr. Turner has been Of Counsel at Nigro, Westfall & Gryska, P.C. since 2011. His professional background includes construction law (litigation and transactional), all types of commercial litigation, and corporate and real estate transactional practice. He has over 45 years and 900 cases of mechanics lien experience. He is the author of Turner, On Illinois Mechanics Liens (Illinois State Bar Association, April 2016). Mr. Turner is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys. Mr. Turner served upon the Select Committee that drafted the 2006 amendments to the Illinois Mechanics Lien Act. He also served on the committee that drafted the Substitution of Bond For Lien Act. In addition to writing Turner on Illinois Mechanics Liens, Mr. Turner has written published articles or has presented in legal education programs on construction law twenty one times.
Stanley N. Wasser is a partner of FeldmanWasser, Springfield, Illinois. Mr. Wasser received his B.A. Degree from the Pennsylvania State University in 1972, majoring in political science, and his Juris Doctor Degree from Catholic University, Washington, D.C. in 1975. Mr. Wasser is admitted to practice before the Illinois state courts and the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Second Circuits, and the Central and Southern District Courts in Illinois. Mr. Wasser served as a staff counsel to the Illinois State Comptroller from 1975-76; as an Assistant Attorney General in the Illinois Office of Attorney General in 1977; as an Assistant, then Deputy Chief Counsel of the Illinois Department of Transportation from 1977-1984; and as General Counsel to the Illinois Bureau of the Budget in 1984-85. He returned to the Illinois Department of Transportation where he served as its Chief Counsel from 1985-1986. In 1987 he joined with Mr. Howard Feldman in private practice. Mr. Wasser is a member of the Lincoln-Douglas American Inn of Court (present board member); a member of the Society of Illinois Construction Attorneys (present steering committee member); a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Section Councils on Construction Law (2016-2017 chair) and Federal Practice and Procedure (2017-2018 chair). Mr. Wasser is recognized in the field of construction law by both Leading Lawyers Network in Illinois and by Illinois Super Lawyers. Mr. Wasser has tried civil and criminal trials to verdict in both state and federal courts. Mr. Wasser has spoken at seminars on the following topics: Illinois public contract code and competitive public bidding in Illinois covering the subjects of competitive bidding, bid protests, public contract requirements, suspensions and debarments, key contract clauses and issues, contract claims and design-build; laws and regulations bearing on public contracting, including state and federal prevailing wage laws, DBE/MBE/WBE requirements, and project labor agreements; ethics and criminal risk issues in public contracting; Illinois mechanics lien claims; change orders, extras work and differing site conditions in Illinois construction projects; contractor liability for and risk management of residential construction defects; construction damages; construction bonds and suretyship; alternative dispute resolution of construction claims; ethics issues arising from insurance, surety bonds and bankruptcy construction issues; Illinois public procurement laws bearing on public-private partnerships; the Federal Arbitration Act; and federal civil jury instructions. Mr. Wasser is a co-author of the chapter entitled Representing the Public Owner in the IICLE 2009 Practice Handbook, entitled Pre-Construction Issues, and a co-author of the chapter entitled Labor Issues in the Transactional Side of the Project in the IICLE 2010 Practice Handbook entitled Construction Law: Transactional Considerations. Mr. Wasser has authored newsletter articles on FRCP Rule 12(c) motions; FRCP 30(b)(6) discovery practice; FRCP 12 (a)(4)(a); FRCP Rule 50 and 59 post-trial motions; federal court appointments for prisoner litigation; and the effect of the federal removal laws when securing testimony from federal officials and employees.
Adam B. Whiteman is serving as the 2017-2018 peer appointed Chair of the Real Estate Property Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association. He is also a member of the ISBA's Construction Law Section Council. He has been involved in drafting amendments to the Illinois Home Repair and Remodeling Act and has written extensively on various areas of real estate law. Adam serves as an arbitration judge for the American Arbitration Association and maintains a law practice in Chicago Illinois with concentrations in litigation and real estate. His practice involves a broad range of real estate matters including real property transactions, quiet title/trespass/easement cases, landlord/tenant law, mechanics liens, construction and home repair cases, and general real estate and business related litigation. Adam earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison in 1991. He then clerked for Justice Robert McLaren in the Illinois Second District Appellate Court. He established his own firm in 2002, and is a chair certified arbitration judge for the mandatory arbitration programs in both the Lake and Cook County Circuit Courts.