Mary J. Rocco has joined our firm as an Associate Attorney and practices out of our Oak Brook Office. Mary has over seventeen years of experience practicing law. She worked for ten years as a litigator with Administration of Children’s Services in New York City, focusing on assisting families and children touched by the foster care system.

In 2015, Mary moved to Illinois with her family and opened up her own law practice specializing in family law focusing on special education matters. With her years of experience in advocating on behalf of families, Mary has the background to advocate on behalf of school districts. She has experience with IEP compliance, 504 Plans, mediation, due process hearings, disciplinary matters, expulsion and residency hearings.

Mary earned her J.D. from The University of San Diego School of Law, her B.A. from Villanova University and obtained an M.S.W. from New York University. Mary is licensed to practice law in Illinois and New York. In 2007, Mary was the recipient of the Family Court Legal Service’s Permanency Award, recognized for her outstanding dedication and hard work.

Graeme J. Quinn has joined our firm as an associate and practices out of our Oak Brook office. Graeme graduated from the University of Notre Dame School of Law in 2015, and cum laude from Loyola University Chicago in 2011. He represents school districts and municipalities in a wide array of areas, including litigation, employment matters, property tax appeals and general school and municipal law. Prior to joining the firm, Graeme spent two years as an assistant attorney general within the General Law Bureau working primarily in administrative review and civil prosecutions and nearly three years as an assistant state’s attorney in Kankakee County working in the civil division.

Ninnette Gregory has joined the firm as an associate and practices out of our Downers Grove office. Ninnette received a Bachelor of Science degree from University of California, Davis in 1991 and a Master’s Degree in Environmental Law at Vermont Law School in 1992. Thereafter, she received her Juris Doctor degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1996. During her law studies, she received the Academic Excellence Award in Dispute Resolution. Ninnette’s law firm experience is diverse and includes civil litigation, insurance coverage and defense, personal injury, products liability, landlord-tenant, and employment law.

Jennifer K. Schwendener has joined our firm as a partner and practices out of our Downers Grove office. Jennifer has over 16 years of litigation experience and is recognized as an Illinois “Super Lawyer.” She has litigated and successfully tried cases in numerous counties throughout the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Oklahoma and in the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Jennifer earned her J.D. from The John Marshall Law School and her B.A. from Indiana University. Jennifer is licensed to practice law in Illinois and Indiana.

It is with mixed emotions and an extreme sense of gratitude that the Firm announces the retirement of our partner, mentor, and colleague Raymond A. Hauser at the end of this year. While we will miss collaborating with and learning from Ray, the commitments and contributions he has made to the legal profession over his nearly 40 year career and to our Firm individually over the past 16 years have more than earned him the opportunity to pursue other passions and interests.

“It is always bittersweet to say goodbye to a friend and mentor,” said William Gleason, one of the Firm’s partners. “I will miss his passion for aggressively protecting our clients and I am grateful for the guidance and example that he provided to me and many other attorneys who have worked with him. On behalf of the Firm and all of its team, we wish Ray the absolute best in retirement.”

Ray has focused his professional work in representing the interests of school and municipal clients. The Illinois Educational Labor Relations Act had just come into existence as Ray began his practice of law and he was intimately involved in shaping the law in this field while collaborating on the working relationship between schools and public employee unions throughout his career. When the need to litigate arose, he was always up to the challenge and has successfully represented clients in State and federal court with great success. He is well-respected by clients for being readily accessible and providing common sense advice to enable them to achieve successful outcomes in alignment with each client’s individual goal. He is confident that the law firm will carry on this legacy. Ray joins Lorri, his wife of 40 years, a former teacher and principal, in retirement. He is grateful for the many friendships and people with whom he has worked since 1982.

JANUARY 4, 2021 – Hauser, Izzo, Petrarca, Gleason & Stillman, LLC has proudly named Eric S. Grodsky, as the firm’s newest partner. 

Grodsky brings nearly two decades of career experience to the partnership including his time as a corporate litigator to his work as a charter school administrator and as the Deputy General Counsel at the Illinois State Board of Education. In addition to his successful litigation work, Grodsky regularly provides counsel to his clients on employment matters, drafting and negotiating contracts and intergovernmental agreements, and advising on board governance and regulatory matters.

“During his five years with the firm, Eric has built an excellent reputation with the firm’s long-standing clients,” said Ray Hauser.  “Eric’s addition to the partnership upholds our emphasis on deep experience that we continually strive for.  We are thrilled to have him on board.” 

Grodsky represents clients before state and federal agencies and courts, leads internal investigations, and advises client on student rights and disciplinary matters, and compliance with the Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and unfair labor practice charges.  

“Eric’s approach to his work has proven to be invaluable to our clients.  He has been instrumental to our growing practice while providing counsel to help our clients navigate all aspects of the challenges they face,” said Bill Gleason.  “We’re delighted to welcome such a talented attorney like Eric to our partnership.”

Grodsky earned his J.D. and B.B.A from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Ohio, and Wisconsin.  

Hauser, Izzo, Petrarca, Gleason & Stillman, LLC provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of school law, business transactions, labor and employment, employee benefits and litigation.  The firm has provided more than 70 collective years of service to local government entities, school districts and private clients in a diverse set of industries. For more information, or to contact Eric Grodsky, please visit https://www.dev.hauserizzo.com or [email protected].

Please See Announcement Here

We are very pleased to announce that Jack Canna will be joining our firm in an “Of Counsel” position, effective August 1, 2019. Jack brings decades of experience representing school districts and other local governmental entities. Throughout his distinguished career, Jack has earned the respect of his clients and colleagues. The addition of Jack is a great benefit to our law firm and will enhance our ability to continue to provide our clients with the highest quality legal representation.

Please see the full announcement here.

Hauser, Izzo, Petrarca, Gleason & Stillman, LLC is pleased to announce that Jennifer K. Schwendener has joined the firm.