The Law Office Of Rachel J. Hess
525 South Tyler Road
Ste Q2
St Charles,
IL
60174
525 South Tyler Road Ste Q2 St Charles, IL 60174
About
Ms. Rachel J. Hess
Owner
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND LICENSES
• Licensed Illinois Attorney, J.D., Mississippi College School of Law, 1994
• Registered Title Insurance Agent, Ticor Title, Chicago Title
• Past Member, Traffic Laws and Courts Section Council, ISBA
• ISBA, Sub-Committee Chair, Traffic Laws and Courts Section Council, Legal Technology, 2005
• Certified Arbitrator, Cook, Kane, DuPage Counties, since 1999
• Kane County Bar Association, member
WORK HISTORY
2010-Current Hess & Haskell Defenders, P.C.
• Joint Venture with Law Office of Ronald Haskell to represent clients with DUI/traffic and criminal matters
2000-Current Law Office of Rachel J. Hess
• Owner, DUI/traffic and criminal defense; Civil litigation; Appeals; Real Estate; Small Claims; General Practitioner
2000-Current Office of State Appellate Defender, Panel Attorney, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Districts
• Represent indigent clients on appeal in juvenile, misdemeanor and felony cases.
1999-2003 Van Der Snick Law Firm, Geneva, Illinois
• Associate/Independent Contractor. DUI/traffic and criminal defense.
1999-1999 Law Offices of Lawrence Friedman, P.C., Chicago, IL
• Associate. Plaintiffs counsel representing clients in Foreclosure, Contract and Collection cases.
1998-1999 Assistant State's Attorney, LaSalle County State's Attorney's Office, Ottawa, IL
• Felony prosecutor; responsible for total case management involving the prosecution of complex felony cases throughout all stages of trial. First chair jury trial experience.
1998-1998 Assistant Appellate Defender, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Ottawa, IL
• Felony and misdemeanor criminal appeals. Management of large caseload. Presented oral argument before Third District Court of Appeals.
1996-1998 Schaffner & Van Der Snick, P.C., Geneva, IL
• Associate. Defense of traffic, misdemeanor and felony cases as well as civil practice, simple estate planning, family law and real estate transactions. First chair civil jury trial experience.
1995-1996 Assistant State's Attorney, Kane County State's Attorney's Office, St. Charles, IL
• Misdemeanor prosecutor; Responsible for prosecution of ordinance violations, traffic, misdemeanor and DUI cases throughout all stages of trial. First chair criminal jury trial experience. Guest speaker: Zonta, Legal Ease, DARE.
1994-1995 Staff Attorney, Sixteenth Judicial Circuit, St. Charles, IL
• Small claims court assistant, legal research for local judiciary, family court assistant.
OTHER WORK HISTORY
1996-1996 Part-Time Instructor, Waubonsee Community College, Sugar Grove, IL
1993-1994 Founder, Phi Alpha Delta Pro-Bono Legal Referral Service, Jackson, MS
• Established the only not-for-profit legal referral service in the State of Mississippi in 1994. The referral service provides legal aid to indigent members of the Jackson community.
EDUCATION
• 1999-2003 L.L.M., Information Technology, John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Illinois, June 2003
• 1991-1994 J.D., Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, Mississippi
• 1993 Pepperdine University School of Law, Institute for Dispute Resolution, Malibu, California
• 1987-1991 B.S., Criminal Justice Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, Illinois
About The Law Office Of Rachel J. Hess
Background
My name is Rachel Hess. I have been a licensed attorney and practicing law in Illinois since 1994. I practice primarily in Kane, Kendall, DeKalb and Du Page (and other counties on a case-by-case basis).
Experienced
I am a former DUI, misdemeanor and felony prosecutor for both Kane and La Salle Counties. I was also an Assistant Appellate Defender for the Third District Office of the State Appellate Defender and have continued as an independent contractor since I moved back to St. Charles in 1999. In that capacity, I submitted over 75 appellate briefs to the State appellate courts and I have argued before the Third District Court of Appeals and have been published. I have also successfully petitioned the Illinois Supreme Court for Leave to Appeal and have had a brief successfully argued before the Illinois Supreme Court which effectively changed the law in Illinois. I worked as an Assistant State's Attorney and Assistant Appellate Defender for almost 5 years. After that, I worked as a private defense attorney concentrating in both civil and criminal cases. Altogether, I worked in Kane (and La Salle) County for 20 years. I have also worked for local and/or State government, in some capacity, for my entire career. As such, I have developed strong relationships with, prosecutors, public defenders, caseworkers, police officers, judges, clerks, bailiffs and other county personnel. Relationships are crucial to the successful practice of law.
Published
I have been published in the areas of, criminal, traffic, landlord-tenant and Cyber Crimes in many formats including practice manuals, bar journals, newsletters and appellate opinions.
Involved in Changing State Law
I am a former member of the Illinois State Bar Association Traffic Laws & Courts Section Council. The Section Council is directly involved in reviewing, commenting upon and proposing new legislation involving traffic and Illinois. Additionally, several of my successful appeals have effectively changed state law.
Trusted and Respected
I have been selected by the Kane County Judiciary to serve as one of four criminal and juvenile-abuse/neglect conflict attorneys in Kane County.
Serves the Community
I have made public speaking appearances to groups such as MADD, SADD and ZONTA and have appeared as a guest speaker on a local network to discuss issues related to domestic violence.
Philosophy
My philosophy is that communication is the key to client satisfaction and effective case management. I understand that every case is unique and personal to each client. Since my satisfied clients are my best referral resource, I am committed to serving their needs in the most economical and efficient manner possible. To ensure quick and effective communication with my clients, I use the latest computer technology to manage my cases and communicate with my clients. I am available by phone, fax, voicemail, website and e-mail. I pledge to give each case the utmost attention and to promptly communicate any development affecting case status as soon as reasonably possible.
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Contact Us
Phone
Business Hours
| Mon: | 8:30am - 4:00pm |
| Tue: | 8:30am - 2:00pm |
| Wed: | 8:30am - 4:00pm |
| Thu: | 8:30am - 2:00pm |
| Fri: | By appointment |
| Sat: | By appointment |
| Sun: | Closed |
