Elizabeth Felt Wakeman

Liz Wakeman combines her skills as a litigator and mediator to reach effective results for her clients involved in litigation. Her law practice focuses primarily on the events that frequently bring people to court, including all aspects of family law, personal injury and medical malpractice.

FAMILY LAW EXPERIENCE

Liz has handled a wide variety of family law matters including complex, high-value estates, custody contests, paternity claims, DCFS investigations, and post-decree disputes. Her approach focuses on the continued interaction of the family members under a changed living arrangement. She works hard to get her clients to an equitable and workable result while trying to limit the long-term damage that can arise in a hotly contested divorce. While it is often considered best to avoid the court room in family law matters, staying out of the court room very often depends on being well prepared for a court hearing.

PERSONAL INJURY EXPERIENCE

Wakeman has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in personal injury litigation. Her experience in the medical malpractice and personal injury fields includes cases involving such matters as:

• automobile accidents
• construction site injuries
• slip and fall accidents
• intentional torts
• false imprisonment
• dental health care
• orthopedic surgery
• obstetrics and gynecology (including vaginal mesh issues)
• emergency room care
• critical care
• oncology care
• wrongful death

Wakeman has defended complex class action cases, including blast fax litigation brought under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). She also has handled many cases involving commercial transportation including common carriers, such as taxicabs, and trucking companies. She served as national counsel for a trucking company, a role in which she supervised litigation defense for pending cases across the country. Wakeman also served as counsel for the Illinois Insurance Guaranty Fund and monitored the defense of  medical malpractice cases across the northern region of Illinois.

CIVIL LITIGATION EXPERIENCE

Wakeman has tried many jury and non-jury cases, has participated in alternative dispute resolution in multiple formats, and is a trained mediator for civil litigation cases. Wakeman has trained lawyers in ADR and mediation techniques. She serves as a judge annually for international law school and undergraduate mediation tournaments as part of the International Academy of Dispute Resolution. She serves as an arbitrator for the 22nd Judicial Circuit and as a mediator for the 19th Judicial Circuit in Lake County and the 22nd Judicial Circuit in McHenry County.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPERIENCE

Wakeman, a longtime resident of Lake in the Hills, has been actively involved in its governance since 1995. She served on the airport advisory committee and on numerous committees to hire various staff members. She was a co-founder, vice chair and chair of the Lake in the Hills Parks and Recreations board from 1996 to 2000. Wakeman also served as a village trustee from 2004 to 2007, when she left that position to join the firm of Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle, the law firm representing the village of Lake in the Hills.

Wakeman was born in Oak Park and raised in the area of Inverness and Palatine, where she graduated from Fremd High School. She studied business administration and graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign before earning her law degree from DePaul University College of Law.

HONORS AND AWARDS

Wakeman has been recognized in 2012 by her Illinois peers as a Leading Lawyer in the field of family law.

PRIOR EMPLOYMENT

Before joining Zukowski, Rogers, Flood & McArdle in 2007, Wakeman practiced in the Chicago litigation firms of SmithAmundsen, Landau Omahana & Kopka, and Williams Montgomery. Prior to beginning a career in law, she worked for Union Oil/Unocal 76 in sales, accounting, marketing and management. Eventually she managed 20 of the company’s convenience stores.

CIVIC AND CHARITABLE

Wakeman is a member of the Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Chamber of Commerce and its Alliance of Professional Women. She serves on the Lake in the Hills Sunset Festival Committee for which she organizes two days of free children’s activities for the Kids’ Korner. She is a former member of Women in Management and the Jaycees and has previously volunteered for United Way and Junior Achievement. She was a member of Joy Community Presbyterian Church in Lake in the Hills where she has coordinated numerous children’s programs and events. Currently Wakeman volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America

PRO BONO

With Small Claims Mediation Supervisor Judge John D. Bolger, Wakeman mediates matters pro bono in the civil division of the McHenry County Circuit Court. She also has represented certain clients pro bono in family law matters.

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS

McHenry County Bar Association (Civil Practice and Rules Committee), Illinois State Bar Association (Standing Committee on Judicial Evaluations and former Assembly Member), International Academy of Dispute Resolution (board of directors), Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel (former member).

PUBLICATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Wakeman has spoken to doctors, chiropractors, hospital staff and health insurance companies on such subjects as:

• deposition preparation
• “What to Do when the Lawyer Calls or Writes”
• proper medical charting to avoid difficulties during litigation
• preventing malpractice claims
• insurance claim practices

She has also:

• trained insurance company representatives on handling the personal injury claims of minors
• addressed business owners on mediation opportunities and other legal developments
• spoken to business leaders on the implications of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
• discussed family law issues at Willow Creek Crystal Lake as part of its Divorce Recovery program.