Edith Marsh
Partner
Wills, estates, farm succession and real estate. Edith grew up two ridges east of town and still drafts every plan herself.
Attorneys at law in Galena, Illinois
Counsel for the families, farms and shops of Jo Daviess County
Three lawyers in a brick building on Bench Street, handling what a town brings to its law office: wills and land, custody and closings, charges and contracts. You meet the lawyer who does the work.
Firm facts
The firm, in brief
The short version of who we are, for anyone deciding whether to call.
Founded
1952, by Walter Hollister
In the same building, one flight up from the street
Lawyers
Two partners and an associate
Each with their own clients and their own phone line
Licensed in
Illinois
All three lawyers
Iowa
Edith Marsh
Wisconsin
Hanna Novak
Courts we appear in
Jo Daviess County Circuit Court
The county seat, on Bench Street
Stephenson and Carroll County Circuit Courts
Iowa District Court for Dubuque County
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Where clients come from
Galena, Elizabeth, Stockton, Hanover and Scales Mound
And Dubuque and Grant County, across the river
A first meeting
About half an hour, at the office or by phone
We tell you what the work will cost before any of it starts
Practice areas
Six kinds of work under one roof
Most of what a small town asks of its lawyers falls in these six areas. If yours doesn't, call anyway: we'll tell you plainly whether we can help, and who can if we can't.
Family law
Divorce, custody and the arrangements that come after, handled with as little upheaval as the facts allow.
Divorce and legal separation
Parenting time and child support
Adoption and guardianship
Wills and estates
Wills, trusts and powers of attorney written for your family, and patient help settling an estate after a death.
Wills and living trusts
Powers of attorney
Probate and estate administration
Real estate
Closings, deeds and title questions for houses, lots and the old commercial buildings downtown.
Home and commercial closings
Deeds, easements and boundaries
Leases for landlords and tenants
Criminal defense
A careful defense from the first court date, for anything from a traffic ticket to a felony charge.
DUI and traffic matters
Misdemeanor and felony charges
Juvenile matters and record sealing
Small business
Setting up, running, buying and selling the shops, inns and trades that keep Main Street open.
LLCs and partnerships
Contracts and commercial leases
Buying or selling a business
Farm and ranch
Farmland, leases, and the plan for who works the ground when the current generation steps back.
Farm succession planning
Cash-rent and crop-share leases
Buying and selling farmland
Our lawyers
The three people you'll sit across from
Each of us keeps our own clients and answers our own phone. Read a bio to see who handles what.
Hanna Novak
Partner
Divorce, custody, support and adoption. Hanna works toward arrangements a family can live with for years, not just through the hearing.
Arjun Mehta
Associate
Criminal defense and small business. Arjun takes the calls nobody plans for, and the contracts people should plan more carefully.
From clients
What neighbors have told us
“Edith sat at the kitchen table with my mother and me and went through the farm plan twice, until Mom understood every page. Nobody hurried us.”
Marian K.Farm succession plan, Elizabeth
“I had never set foot in a courtroom. Arjun told me what would happen at each hearing before it happened, and he called back the same afternoon every time I worried.”
Tom R.Traffic case, Galena
“Hanna kept our parenting schedule about the kids instead of about who came out ahead. Two years later it still works for all of us.”
Dana P.Parenting plan, Stockton
Shared with each client's permission. Every matter is different, and what we did for one client doesn't predict the result in yours.
Questions
Before you call
What people most often ask us on the phone, answered here first.
What does a first meeting cost?
We tell you on the phone, before you come in. If your matter isn't one we handle, we say so then and suggest someone who does.
How do you charge for the work?
It depends on the matter. Wills, deeds and business filings usually carry a flat fee we quote in writing. Court matters are usually billed by the hour against a retainer. Either way, the terms are in a signed engagement letter before we start.
Can one small firm really handle all of this?
In a small town, matters run together: a divorce touches the house, an estate touches the farm, a business sale touches a lease. With three lawyers under one roof, those pieces get looked at together instead of in three offices.
Do I have to come to the office?
No. We meet on Bench Street, by phone or by video, and when it's easier for an older client or a farm family, at the kitchen table.
Will I talk to a lawyer or to staff?
One lawyer is responsible for your matter from start to finish, and you'll have their direct number. Our staff help with scheduling and paperwork.
Can you help across the state line?
Often. Between us we're admitted in more than one state, which matters in a tri-state corner. Each lawyer's page lists where they're licensed; ask us about your court.
What should I bring to a first meeting?
Anything with a date or a signature on it: letters, court papers, deeds, the old will. Bring the papers in person rather than sending them through this site.
Write to the office
Ask for a first meeting
Tell us in a sentence or two what it's about. One of the lawyers will call or write back to set a time.
Phone(815) 555-0147
HoursWeekdays 8:30 to 5, evenings by appointment