officers & directors

The executive board members of the Illinois Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys are the leaders in the field of elder law. Our executive board consists of prominent attorneys who are committed to this area of law as evidenced by the large number of articles, publications, and seminars authored by these individuals. These attorneys devote hours and hours of time to our organization and to furthering the practice of elder law in compliance with the NAELA code of ethics.

All of our executive board members continue their education through the attendance and participation in local, State, and National conferences, where they learn, introduce, present, and share the most sophisticated legal strategies and techniques available in the field of elder law.

We are truly honored to each of these esteemed attorneys as part of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Executive Board, and our proud to introduce these individuals to you:

Officers

MELISSA JOHNSON | 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.

MALLORY MORENO| PRESIDENT ELECT

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.

PAIGE FOX |VICE PRESIDENT

Paige N. Fox joined Elder Law & Estate Planning Attorneys of Illinois, P.C. in 2015, assisting clients with a variety of elder law matters including Medicaid planning, estate and special needs planning, probate, trust administration and adult guardianship. Paige attended law school at Chicago-Kent College of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor degree and a Certificate in Public Interest Law. Paige also received the Dean’s Certificate of Service in recognition of her commitment to public service and 200+ hours of volunteer work during law school. Paige completed her undergraduate at the University of Illinois where she majored in psychology with a minor in communications.

Paige currently acts as Co-Chair for Illinois NAELA’s Education Committee and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association and Illinois Bar Association, with memberships in the Human Rights, Mental Health Law, and Young Lawyers Divisions.

Paige is an active volunteer with the CBA’s Lawyers in the Classroom program, helping students to better understand the US Constitution and our legal system, and with Elara Caring hospice, offering support to patients and their families. Paige also acts as Co-Chair of the Messaging Team for FairVote Illinois, a nonpartisan and nonprofit organization advocating for Ranked Choice Voting. Paige also enjoys fundraising and volunteering with organizations such as the NAACP, Salvation Army, We The Action, Misericordia, Activate CHI, One Brick Chicago, etc. Her favorite pastimes include playing volleyball, softball, and fantasy football, attending and watching any and all sporting events, crafting, and spending time with family and friends.

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.

KAYE DESELMS DENT | SECRETARY

After almost a decade devoting herself to her Elder Law practice, the importance of this rewarding area of law hit home when Kaye’s husband and law partner was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2020 at the age of 51. Fortunately, after the initial struggle to obtain a diagnosis, the Dents were able to successfully execute the plan they’d never imagined using at this stage in life, with two teenagers still at home.

Kaye attended law school with plans to practice disability law. Having worked her way through college at the University of Illinois in Urbana assisting students with disabilities, she graduated from Hofstra University School of Law in 1996. She initially worked with a non-profit providing legal services exclusively to persons with disabilities, and, after years of practice as both a State’s Attorney and Public Defender, she now operates Dent Law Offices, Ltd., where she provides an array of Elder Law and estate planning services, focusing on Nursing Home Planning and Special Needs Planning. As a member of Elder Counsel, Wealth Counsel, Kaye also serves as Secretary for IL NAELA (National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Illinois Chapter), Kaye has an array of resources available for her clients’ planning needs. Kaye serves on the board of IL NAELA and as Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Advocacy Centers of Illinois. She also serves on the board of the Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation Advisory Board for Effingham County and Chairs the Fifth Circuit Pro Bono Committee of the Public Interest Law Initiative. She has also served as President of the Effingham Noon Rotary Club. Kaye enjoys accepting pro bono cases referred from various nonprofit agencies, a very rewarding part of the practice of law. Kaye speaks frequently to public groups regarding Estate Planning, Nursing Home Planning, Special Needs issues and other topics.

When not working, Kaye enjoys gardening and fishing with her family, as well as traveling. Seeing the world through her teenagers’ eyes is proving very rewarding and has provided them with a wide range of experiential learning opportunities. They have traveled the entire width of the country via automobile, visiting many Civil War battlefields and other National Parks sites, for a total of 29 states and 15 foreign countries visited together. Kaye believes that the security and peace of mind a good plan offers allows people to enjoy life more fully- and her family agrees, more than ever.

DAWN WEEKLY | IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT PRESIDENT

Dawn M. Weekly is a solo practitioner whose firm, Legacy Law Firm, LLC is in Sandwich, IL. Dawn received her J.D. from Northern Illinois University in 2004 and thereafter served a two-year clerkship with the Michigan State Court of Appeals in Grand Rapids, MI.

Dawn has been a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys since 2009 and she has served on the Legislative Committee for several years. She is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association as well as several local bar associations. She is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Fox Valley Community Services organization and the Veterans Legal Aid Society.

In her spare time, Dawn plays in the Indian Valley Community Band and the Talk of the Town Swing Band, where she plays clarinet, saxophone, flute, and oboe. Her bowling average is 165.

Directors

AMY DELANEY

ELIZABETH FINK

MELISSA KALLIO

CATHERINE LENERT
HELEN MESOLORAS

JAMES SIEBERT

The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. (NAELA) was founded in 1987 as a professional association of attorneys who are dedicated to improving the quality of legal services provided to people as they age and people with special needs.