About Us

Neiburger Law's office has many friendly people ready to help you:

Ben Neiburger, JD, CPA, is our founder and lead attorney.  His complete bio is below.

Amy Pokras, JD, is an associate attorney.  Scroll down for her resume.

Sandra Blanco, JD, is an associate attorney.  Scroll down for her resume.

Barbara A. Dolan is our roller skating marketing director.

Jodi Leto and Thomas Murtagh are our paralegals.

Cheryl Malloy is our helpful bookkeeper.

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BEN NEIBURGER, JD, CPA - "SUPER LAWYER 2010"

Ben Alexander Neiburger is one of the few Elder Law attorneys in Illinois who also holds a State of Illinois Certified Public Accountant (CPA) Certificate. This makes Ben uniquely qualified to understand financial issues as they relate to the specific legal needs of the mature market, and is just part of the reason he has been selected for the second time as an Illinois "Super Lawyer" in the field of Elder Law, according to the publishers of Law & Politics and Chicago Magazine.  Check it out for yourself at www.SuperLawyers.com.

Mr. Neiburger is an active member of The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and is in continuous pursuit of knowledge and insight to the laws and finances that affect our senior citizens.

Previously a senior associate in the Chicago office of Baker & McKenzie, one of the largest law firms in the world, Ben decided to leave the executive compensation and employee benefits practice group to start his own law firm.  He wanted to practice law that would benefit families instead of corporations (and that would let him see his kids at night).

After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in Finance, Ben sat for and passed the CPA exam. He continued on to pass the Illinois State Bar Exam after receiving his law degree from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. Ben was an Adjunct Professor of Law at IIT Chicago-Kent for four years and a top regional instructor for the Becker CPA Review course.  During his tenure at Baker & McKenzie Ben was also chair of the Chicago Bar Association's Employee Benefits Law Committee.

Mr. Neiburger is a frequent speaker and writes many articles in his specialty areas of law.  Please take a look at some of his upcoming and past speeches on the Resources page.

Experience

Neiburger Law Ltd.
Elmhurst, IL

• Elder Law
• Long-Term Health Care and Medicaid Planning
• Estate Planning, including Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney for Healthcare and  Property, and much more
• Tax planning
• Probate proceedings
• Guardianships
• Residential Real Estate
• Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation
• Consumer Bankruptcy

Associate, Baker & McKenzie
Chicago, IL

• Negotiation, design, implementation, and operation of benefit and compensation arrangements for clients’ domestic and international operations
• Advising multinational corporations extending their equity-based plans to domestic and international employees
• Assisting businesses with employee benefits issues in mergers and acquisitions
• Negotiation and drafting of employment and change-in-control agreements for executives
• Representation of clients before the IRS regarding plan qualification, deduction, and other tax issues

Legal Manager, HPL&S Inc.
Arlington Heights, IL

• Drafted, designed, and filed hundreds of qualified plans with the IRS
• Wrote documentation, submitted applications, and conducted negotiations for Prohibited Transaction Exemptions and Advisory Opinion Letters with the U.S. Department of Labor
• Representation of clients undergoing Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Department of Labor audits
• Performed annual administration accounting on qualified plans

Chicago-Kent College of Law, Adjunct Professor
Chicago, IL

• Designed and taught Employee Benefits Law class

Becker CPA Review, Instructor
Des Plaines, IL

• Instructor for the Law and Pension Accounting portions of CPA Review Course
• Second highest rated instructor in Illinois, Spring 1997
• Top 15% of instructors in USA

Education

• Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
  Chicago, IL
  Juris Doctor, June 1994
• Certified Public Accountant, May 1991
• University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, IL
  Bachelor of Science, Finance, May 1991

Memberships

• Member of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States of America , April 2009
• Member of the Bar of the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2003
• Member of the Bar of the State of Illinois, 1994
• College of DuPage Paralegal Program Advisory Council, 2007-2009
• American Association of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants, 2008-2009
• Board of Directors, Bensenville Home Society, “Lifelink” 2008-2009
• Board of Directors, Ray Graham Association for People with Disabilities, 2006-2009
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, 2003-2010
  •   Fall 2007 Institute Planning Committee
  •   Telephonic Education Committee, 2006-2007
  •   Illinois Chapter Treasurer, 2007-2010
  •   Chair, 2009 & 2010 Unprogram
• Oak Park Township Senior Services Committee, 2006-2007
• DuPage County Senior Services Commission Health Committee 2004-2005
• DuPage County Estate Planning Council Member, 2007-2010
• DuPage County Bar Association 2003-2010
  •   Estate Planning Committee, 2003-2010
  •   Real Estate Law Committee, 2003-2005
• Chicago Bar Association 1995-2005
  •   Employee Benefits Law Committee, 1995-2002, Chairman 1999-2000
  •   Elder Law Committee, 2003-2005
  •   Trust and Estates Committee, 2003-2005
• Board Member, American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries, Benefits Council of Chicago , 1999-2002
• Park District of Oak Park Infrastructure Committee, 2000-2001

Personal

• I enjoy traveling, scuba diving, running, wood working, rock climbing, sailboat racing, martial arts, cooking, gardening, and being a good dad.

• I have been with my wife, Barbara A. Dolan -- who also happens to be Marketing Director for the firm -- for over 15 years.  We've produced two boisterous sons, 10 & 6.  We all live in Oak Park, Illinois with our dog Fido, cats Dweezil and The Alleged Bob, and the occasional goldfish.

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AMY POKRAS, JD

Experience

Neiburger Law, Ltd., Elmhurst, IL

Associate Attorney

Elder Law, Estate Planning, Medicaid Planning, Disability Law, Estate Administration, Litigation and Motion Practice, Legal Writing and Drafting

The Prep Kitchen, Forest Park , IL

Owner and Manager

Create and implement all aspects of meal assembly business, make all management decisions, create and test recipes, coordinate all financial aspects of business, manage personnel, make staffing decisions, and create schedules, advertise and market business.  Member of Madison Street Merchants Association, Forest Park Chamber of Commerce.

Baker & McKenzie, Chicago , IL

Staff Attorney - Knowledge Officer

Information Technology and Commercial Law

Knowledge Management : Create and populate Knowledge Bank with precedent and legal advice. Create and maintain client and internal extranets. Research legal issues for practicing attorneys.

Business Development : Conduct client research to ascertain business opportunities. Create client dossiers. Target potential clients and potential growth markets. Write responses to Request for Proposals (RFPs) and other marketing requests. Organize and manage symposia and presentations.  Member of Pro Bono Committee, Chicago Women Attorneys Committee.

Prairie State Legal Services, Inc., Carol Stream , IL

Staff Attorney

Represent clients in court proceedings, administrative hearings, and

arbitration hearings. Plan and manage all aspects of litigation, including interviewing clients, evaluating legal claims, conducting research, writing briefs and memoranda, motion practice, and representation at trials and hearings. Advise clients. Train and assist newer attorneys. Provide counsel to social service organizations. Conduct legal presentations.

Projects and Practice Areas included: HIV Legal Services Project Attorney, Housing Court Project. Housing Law, Education Law, Disability Law, Public Benefits, and General Civil Litigation.

Education

University of Michigan Law School

Ann Arbor , MI

JD Degree, May 1996

    Editorial Board: Michigan Journal of Gender and Law

    Student Attorney: Women and the Law Clinic, Family Law Project

    Intern: Student Legal Services

Williams College

Williamstown , MA

B.A. in Political Science, cum laude , June 1992

Concentration in African and Middle Eastern Studies

Honors: Dean's List, Mead Scholarship, Alfred J. Knapp Scholarship

National Institute for Trial Advocacy

Notre Dame, IN - March 2000

Trial Advocacy training

Admitted to the Illinois Bar

Member: American Bar Association

Volunteer: Public Allies Chicago (ImPAct 2003 event coordinator),

The Children's School, Glasser Preschool Board of Directors.

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SANDRA M. BLANCO, JD

Experience

Neiburger Law, Ltd., Elmhurst, IL

Associate Attorney

• Elder Law
• Estate Planning, including Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney for Healthcare and Property
• Medicaid Planning
• Probate Proceedings
• Legal Writing and Drafting

UBS Financial Services, Inc., Chicago, IL                                               

Financial Advisor

• Creation of financial goal analysis reports for new and existing clients
• Advising clients on their long-term financial picture
• Analyzing current client investment portfolios and recommending adjustments

NASD Dispute Resolution, Inc., (now FINRA) Chicago, IL

Staff Attorney II

• Administration of securities arbitration disputes
• Managing team personnel
• Creation of training procedures modules and in-person training for staff

Education

1996 - 1998 University of Iowa College of Law Iowa City , IA, Juris doctor, with honors, Legal Opportunity Fellowship and Dean's List

1992 - 1996 Columbia University New York, NY, B.A. Urban Studies, Lauren Mendelsohn Memorial Scholarship and Dean's List

Professional Memberships and Licenses
Empowering Women's Network, Leadership Committee       
Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce of Illinois, Board of Directors

Holmes Parent Teacher Organization, Treasurer    
NASD Series 7, 31 and 66 licenses           

Illinois State Bar

Illinois Life Insurance license

Awards
NASD Dispute Resolution President's Award for Excellence in Service, 2004
NASD Dispute Resolution Above and Beyond Award, 2003

Languages
Fluent in both spoken and written Spanish, with proficiency in financial terms

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