officers & directors

Officers

ELIZABETH FINK | PRESIDENT 

Elizabeth Fink focuses her career on the practice of Elder Law, Estate Planning, Probate and Trust Administration, Guardianships, and Medicaid Planning.  She has been practicing law in Chicago, IL since 2009 and has represented clients throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.

Elizabeth received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Denison University and spent a semester  of study at Justus-Liebig-Universität in Giessen, Germany.  She received her Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, IL and was admitted to the Illinois State Bar in May 2009.  

Elizabeth is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), Illinois Chapter and was elected to its Board of Directors in 2013, where she continues to serve as an active Board Member.  Elizabeth is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, participating in the Elder Law Committee and Probate Practice Committee, and is a former mentor with the Chicago Bar Association lawyer-to-lawyer and group mentoring programs in Probate and Estates.  Elizabeth is a member of the Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE) Elder Law Short Course planning committee and presented at the 11th Annual Course in November 2015.  She has also been named to the Illinois Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2016-2019, and has been selected to the 2020 Illinois Super Lawyers list.

DAWN WEEKLY | PRESIDENT ELECT

Dawn Weekly is an elder law attorney who assists individuals with long-term care planning and Medicaid/VA planning. She is a VA Accredited Attorney who also does consulting for other elder law attorneys across the country. She has given multiple presentations to national organizations on VA benefits. She is also well-versed in Medicaid planning and attended Medicaid Practice Systems training in 2007.

MELISSA JOHNSON | VICE PRESIDENT

Melissa joined Generation Law in 2015 as their litigation counsel and was promoted to managing attorney in 2019. She has handled hundreds of contested motions and trials throughout her career. Her focus at Generation Law is on contested probates and guardianships for disabled adults with an emphasis on citation proceedings involving the financial exploitation of the elderly and presumptively void transfers. In addition, Melissa vigorously represents clients in the areas of trust litigation, including land trusts, elder law, estate planning and estate administration. Melissa began her career with the Law Offices of Howard Lee Schiff in Connecticut, followed by seven years as a litigator and managing attorney at Freedman Anselmo Lindberg LLC.

LINDA M. STROHSCHEIN | TREASURER 

Linda M. Strohschein is the principal of Strohschein Law Group, LLC, a boutique estate planning and elder law firm with offices in St. Charles and Wheaton, Illinois. She concentrates her practice on Estate and Long-Term Care Planning, Guardianship, Estate and Trust Administration and Probate Litigation. Ms.Strohschein is Certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation. Although CELA is not required by the State of Illinois, this title is earned through a multi-faceted process and the attorney must successfully pass a comprehensive certification exam to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of Elder Law. She is a frequent speaker on a variety of estate planning and long term care topics. Ms. Strohschein is a current member of the Kane County Bar Association. In addition, she is also a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and serves as the Treasurer of the Executive Board for the Illinois chapter.  Ms. Strohschein received her B.A. from George Mason University and her J.D. from the John Marshall Law School.

MALLORY MORENO| SECRETARY

Mallory A. Moreno joined DeLaney DeLaney & Voorn, Ltd. as an associate attorney in 2013. Prior to that time, Mallory worked as a law clerk at DeLaney DeLaney & Voorn, Ltd. Mallory now devotes her legal practice to Elder Law where she is a tenacious advocate for elders and people with disabilities. She focuses her practice on the prevention and civil prosecution of financial exploitation, and has successfully litigated cases in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Probate Division. Ms. Moreno also focuses her practice on adult guardianships, estate administration, trust administration and litigation, long-term care planning, Medicaid, and Medicaid appeals. Ms. Moreno is board certified as a Certified Elder Law Attorney* (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation; the Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law, and the recognition is not required to practice law in Illinois. There are currently only fourteen CELAs in the State of Illinois.

Ms. Moreno is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and currently serves Secretary of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys – Illinois Chapter. She is a recent panelist on the DePaul University College of Law Elder Law Career Panel and currently serves as a Board Member and Vice Chair of W.A.L.L.S., Inc., a non-profit life skills center for adults with disabilities. Mallory is also a member of the Chicago Bar Association and Co-Chair of the Young Lawyers’ Section “Serving Our Seniors” committee.

Ms. Moreno graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in English/Creative Writing and Political Science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and earned her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, also earning her family law certificate. Although a native of Indiana, she now resides in Mount Prospect with her husband, Dave, and dog, JoJo.

Awards:

Distinguished Lawyer Designation from the Expert Network©, conferred upon the Top 3% of Lawyers in the U.S.

2017-2019 Emerging Lawyer© in the practice areas of Elder Law and Trust, Will & Estate Planning Law, earned by fewer than 2% of all lawyers licensed to practice in Illinois who have proven themselves professional, ethical and experienced at an early point in their career.

HEATHER VOORN| IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Heather E. Voorn is a partner with the law firm of Delaney Delaney & Voorn, Ltd.  She dedicates her legal practice to Elder Law.  Heather is a Certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation.*  She is one of only 13 CELAs in the State of Illinois. 

Heather is a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) for disabled adults and minors in Will County.  She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Will County Bar Association, the South Suburban Bar Association, and the Estate Planning Council of Greater Joliet.  She is also a director on the board of the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE).     Heather is also accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and serves on the faculty of the National Business Institute and the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education (IICLE).  She is a co-author of Advising Elderly Clients and their Families published by IICLE, and has spoken locally and nationally on elder law issues.

Heather earned her Bachelor’s degree in Criminology from The Florida State University, magna cum laude.   She earned her J.D. at The John Marshall Law School, where she also graduated magna cum laude.   While in law school, Heather was on the Law Review and externed for the Honorable Charles R. Norgle of the Northern District of Illinois District Court.  She also has been published in the Forum on Public Policy:  A Journal of the Oxford Round Table.

*The Supreme Court of Illinois does not recognize certifications of specialties in the practice of law, and the recognition is not required to practice law in Illinois.

Directors