Professions

This month we highlight the distinguished career of architect John Vinci. Subjects for this column come to the attention of the author in various ways. An article in the Chicago Tribune about the controversial three sets of copper-clad wood exterior doors at the cost of nearly $670,000 in our state capitol brought this month’s subject to our attention — John Vinci. The article read as follows: “Revenge is sweet, but winning design awards isn’t bad either. Just ask the architects of the much-maligned restoration of the Illinois Capitol’s west wing. “A year ago, citing the state’s pension funding crisis, Gov. …

Anthony B. Ferraro has been elected president of the Illinois Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Ferraro is the founder and managing member at the Law Offices of Anthony B. Ferraro. He received his bachelor of commerce in accountancy from DePaul University and his master of science in taxation. After receiving his CPA designation in 1978, he enrolled in law school, earning his juris doctor in 1983 from De Paul University. A VA accredited attorney, Ferraro is a past president of the Justinian Society of Lawyers and a past member of the AARP panel of participating attorneys. He is …

This month we highlight the career of a female trailblazer of the family law practice in the state of Illinois and throughout the country – Gemma B. Allen. Gemma B. Allen is a partner in Ladden & Allen, Chartered, a family law firm she established in 1999 to offer professional, caring and accessible representation in the areas of marriage, divorce, mediation, financial settlements, and custody matters. Prior to starting this firm, she was a partner in the notable Chicago law firms McDermott, Will & Emery, and Pretzel & Stouffer, where she was co-head of the divorce division. Not only is …

Attorney Michael Monico was honored at St. Ignatius College Prep’s 34th annual Law Luncheon on Feb. 27 at the Union League Club. Recognized as one of the premier criminal defense attorneys in the country, Monico served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois from 1973 through 1977 and has spent the last 35 years representing defendants in white collar, Medicare, antitrust, public corruption and securities fraud investigations and prosecutions throughout the United States. He co-authored a treatise on federal criminal law titled “Federal Criminal Practice: A Seventh Circuit Handbook,” now in its thirteenth edition, and has …

Thomas Salvino has been named to Barron’s 2015 Top Advisors in America. The magazine’s annual state-by-state listing recognizes America’s top financial advisors and places Salvino in the Illinois ranking. Salvino; his father, Al; and his brother, John, are financial advisors with the Salvino Wealth Management Team at William Blair & Company. Ton joined the firm in 1993 and became a partner in 1998. Tom began his career at Paine Webber. He received his M.B.A. in finance from Loyola University Chicago and his B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.

If Italian family traditions begin at home, then so, too, should Italian family business ventures. While Lewis Affetto was only 16, he helped his father, Bernard, with tax work he did out of their residence in Chicago’s Galewood neighborhood. “I’d do bookkeeping for family businesses and some simple tax returns,” recalls Lewis Affetto, who’s of Sicilian lineage. “It just came naturally to me. Then I took some accounting classes in high school and did very well, so I decided it was the right way to go.” Boy, was it ever. Today Lewis and his sister Maria Gambino run Bernard A. …

The North American Transportation Employee Relations Association announced the appointment of local attorney Mark Spognardi as its new chairman. Spognardi is a partner at the Chicago branch of the Pautsch, Spognardi, & Baiocchi Legal Group, and has more than 30 years of experience in management-side labor and employment law. “I look forward to leading NATERA forward as we continue with our increased focus on giving superior value to NATERA’s membership. We believe that NATERA will continue to take a leading role in helping our member organizations tackle issues surrounding the changing regulatory landscape and workforce in trucking and transportation, including the critical need …

The name Ciardelli is very well known in our ethnic community, and certainly in the legal community. Victor Ciardelli, now an elder and highly respected lawyer and statesman, has been a leading litigator for decades. This month we highlight the career and successes of his son, Victor. It seems lately that we are highlighting the careers of the children of our leading lights. I guess that old adage has merit: “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” Victor Ciardelli, CEO and founder of Guaranteed Rate, is an innovative entrepreneur who is revolutionizing the mortgage industry. After graduating from Columbia …

This month, we highlight the distinguished career of a rising star in the Chicagoland community, and a proud and contributing member of the Italian-American community, Emilia DiMenco. Although Emilia DiMenco has never owned a business, she has spent her entire professional career helping them grow. One of her most satisfying achievements was to lead BMO Harris N.A., as an executive vice president. There, she developed initiatives to support and empower women-owned businesses. In 2010, she became chief operating officer at the Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC) and was recently promoted to president and CEO of the 28-year-old organization, selected by …

While divorce usually involves enlisting a lawyer, it need not descend into the kind of backbiting and mayhem often seen in Hollywood films (or Hollywood marriages for that matter). In fact, a few lawyers specialize in Collaborative law — a powerful, voluntary alternative to traditional divorce litigation where the parties and their attorneys work together as a team to achieve a fair outcome for all. “Although my firm does a significant amount of litigation, we are more oriented toward Collaborative law and alternative dispute resolution,” says Carol Di Giacomo of Di Giacomo & Somers L.L.C, a Northfield-based law firm that …