312.758.1121

OFFICE LOCATIONS:
10 S LaSalle Street, Suite 2510
Chicago, Illinois 60603

5620 West 95th Street
Oak Lawn, IL 60453

Consultations Available in all
Chicagoland Suburbs by Appointment
– We Travel to You

O'Keefe Rivera & Berk, LLC Attorneys at Law

Real Estate & Bankruptcy Attorneys with offices in Chicago, Oak Lawn, & Joliet.

Real Estate Law August 15, 2021

Real Estate Agent Listing Agreements – Know what’s in them.

Hey, If someone tells you don’t need to have a contract reviewed, it’s a bad sign! Should you have your real estate listing agreement reviewed by an attorney? The short answer is yes. And I think the great real estate agents we work with would agree with me. Why? Because quality agents want you to […]

Bankruptcy Law April 16, 2020

Illinois suspends wage garnishments & bank account freezes.

On April 14, 2020, by executive order, Governor Pritzker temporarily suspended all consumer creditor judgment collection practices. The suspension is for the duration of the shelter- at-home order which is currently running through April 30, 2020, but we expect that it will be extended into May. We applaud the Governor for taking this action to […]

Bankruptcy Law April 15, 2020

Social distancing has made the bankruptcy process easier than ever.

As COVID-19 continues its devastating impact in America, like you, I am mourning the incredible loss of human life and thinking about those of us who have lost jobs and are struggling financially. Psychologically, we can only take so much bad news, and it can be helpful in this difficult time to think about some […]

Bankruptcy Law April 13, 2020

O’Keefe Rivera & Berk defeated a creditor in important bankruptcy discharge case, preventing an eviction. Read the Judge’s opinion.

A client recently came to us who had filed for bankruptcy without an attorney, and received a discharge, but was being evicted from her property by her condominium association. The client told us that she had asked many attorneys for help, but, but none were willing to take her case. We listened to the story, […]

Chicago Real Estate Law February 13, 2020

Before you close on a Chicago condo purchase, read that 22.1 Disclosure twice!

You’re under contract and you’re 30 days away from moving into that beautiful, Instagram- worthy Lincoln Park condo with the brand new hardwood floors and the shiny counter-tops. You’re excited and you’ve got furniture shopping to do. So why should you give a crap about this document called the 22.1 which you will receive by […]

Bankruptcy Law August 24, 2019

New City of Chicago parking ticket forgiveness program is the most dramatic and positive change for Chicago area bankruptcy filers in the past 10 years

On January 1, 2019, the City of Chicago implemented a new bankruptcy parking ticket and speed camera ticket policy, called, “FRESH START,” marking the most dramatic change to benefit our bankruptcy filers in the past 10 years. The policy gives you the opportunity to discharge ALL of your parking tickets which were issued more than 3 years ago. […]

Bankruptcy Law October 10, 2018

Student Loan Companies try to take advantage of Chapter 13 Clients by cancelling income based repayment plans. We won’t let them.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy clients who are in the income based repayment (“IBR”) program for their student loans are at risk of having those plans cancelled by the lenders during their Chapter 13 cases.   What this means is that upon filing the Chapter 13, the lender will place the loan into a forbearance status, continuing […]

Short Sales as an Alternative to Bankruptcy

We’re now in 2018, and many properties have regained market value since the financial crisis of 2008, which caused a short sale boom.   However, in  the Chicago area, many properties continue to be underwater, meaning that their market values are less than the balance owed to the mortgage lienholders.    So, while not a […]

Real Estate Law September 19, 2017

Real Estate buyers, was the property a mess on your walkthrough? Here’s what we can do.

  THE MESS Imagine yourself on closing day. You’re nervous. You’re excited. You’re going on 2 hours of sleep. After all, you’re about to make the largest investment of your lifetime. You meet your agent at the house for your walkthrough, planning to do a little mental decorating before the closing.  You’ve even been watching […]

Real Estate Law August 29, 2017

Own your home? A new Illinois law allows you to pass it to your heirs without probate.

I GET so many calls at the office from people who want to know how they can get the title to a property they have inherited placed in their name. And then I have to give the ugly bad news, because the answer usually is: PROBATE. Probate is a process by which assets are transferred […]

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