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Our Team
Marie Sarantakis, Esq. (Principal Attorney)
Concentration: Family Law
Marie Sarantakis is a prominent family law attorney, bestselling author, and nationally recognized divorce coach. She has appeared on the long-running daytime television program “Divorce Court”, Fox News Radio, and in Chicago Magazine.
Marie is licensed to practice law in Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin. She concentrates her legal practice exclusively in family law. In 2023, the Illinois State Bar Association named Marie ‘Young Lawyer of the Year’. She was recognized as one of the Top Forty Young Attorneys in the United States by the American Bar Association (as a 2023 On the Rise Award recipient). Marie has been named a Rising Star by Thomson Reuters Super Lawyers and featured in Chicago Magazine for seven (7) consecutive years. She has earned numerous other recognitions in the legal industry, some of which include being named one of the Top Ten (10) Family Law Attorneys in Illinois by Attorney & Practice Magazine, Ten (10) Best Attorneys in Illinois by the American Institute of Family Law Attorneys, and a Fellow of the National Association of Distinguished Counsel.
Marie has earned the designation of a Certified Financial Litigator (“CFL”) with the American Academy of Certified Financial Litigators. She is also trained as a mediator (by the Center for Conflict Resolution), arbitrator (by the DuPage County Bar Association), guardian ad litem/child representative (by Chicago Volunteer Legal Services), and collaborative law practitioner (by the Collaborative Law Institute of Illinois).
Marie is very active in the legal community, having published over thirty (30) articles in legal publications and taught over seventeen (17) continuing education seminars to Illinois attorneys. In addition to her own Amazon best-selling book, “How to Divorce a Narcissist and Win”, she has also contributed two chapters to Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education’s textbooks. Specifically, she authored a Chapter on Orders of Protection in “Family Law: Dissolutions of Marriage Court Proceedings” and a chapter on Parentage in "Family Law: Child-Related Issues in Dissolution Actions". Marie has been appointed and elected to numerous bar leadership roles over the years, including but not limited to, Assembly Member and ABA Young Lawyers Delegate of the Illinois State Bar Association, Vice Chair of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Family Law Committee, Chair of the Northwest Suburban Bar Association Ethics Committee and Judges Night Event, Board of Director of the DuPage County Bar Foundation, and the Board of Governors of the West Suburban Bar Association.
Prior to starting her own practice, she interned for Justice Thomas Kilbride of the Illinois Supreme Court, the Kenosha County District Attorney’s Office, and the Kenosha County Public Defender’s Office. Marie earned her Bachelor of Arts degree (manga cum laude) from Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin and her Juris Doctor degree (cum laude) from The John Marshall Law School (now known as University of Illinois Chicago | UIC Law). During law school, she received CALI Excellence for the Future Awards, earning the highest grades in her class for white collar crime, constitutional law, and evidence. She was also recognized with the inaugural Anthony J. Fornelli Emerging Leaders Award from the Justinian Society of Lawyers. During her undergraduate studies, Marie was a Wingspread Fellow of the Johnson Foundation, Clausen Scholar, and received a Patterson Leadership Award from Lake Forest College. Marie attended high school at Wilmot Union High School and in 2024 she was inducted into the Wilmot Hall of Fame.
Outside of her practice, Marie enjoys travel, culinary pursuits, fine automobiles, and spending time with her German Shepherds.
To learn more about Marie, click here.
Tracy Callahan, Esq. (Of Counsel)
Concentration: Family Law
Attorney Tracy Callahan was licensed to practice law in Illinois in 2002. She has been in private practice since 2007, with an office in Palatine. Prior to private practice, she was a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney. In both her work as a private attorney and as a prosecutor, she has worked zealously on behalf of her clients and victims. As private defense counsel, Tracy has handled all types of misdemeanor and felony cases. As a prosecutor, she was assigned to the Criminal Division, Juvenile Justice Bureau, and the Criminal Appeals Division.
In both private practice and as a prosecutor, she has taken hundreds of cases to trial and has successfully resolved thousands of others through her tireless efforts. In 2012, she was sworn into the United States Supreme Court as a practicing attorney before the highest court of our nation.
Since forming Callahan & Hockemeyer, P.C. in 2014, Tracy has focused her practice exclusively on the area of family law. Most of her cases are contested divorces, parentage matters, orders of protection, and other post-decree family law matters. Tracy acts as a zealous advocate for her clients and is prepared to litigate any matters to obtain a favorable result for clients. Tracy is also known for her infectious personality and is skilled at reaching agreed settlements for her clients in an efficient and cost-effective manner.
Tracy graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law, Cum Laude, where she received several honors for her legal research and writing ability, as well as her oral advocacy. She was also a finalist in the Frederick Green Moot Court Competition. Tracy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University Chicago, Summa Cum Laude, where she was awarded the Presidential Academic Scholarship for Academic Excellence
During law school Tracy taught Speech Communications at the University of Illinois and after graduation she continued to teach Speech at College of DuPage for four years. The Northwest Suburban Bar Association plays an important role in the legal community and serves its members and the public through their legal and volunteer work.
Tracy is an active and involved member of the Palatine community. She served on the District 15 Boundary Task Force in 2018 and she reported directly to the Superintendent of District 15.
In her free time, Tracy enjoys spending time with her husband and two sons.
A. Christine Svenson (Of Counsel)
Concentration: Family Law
Christine is a lifelong and proud fourth generation Chicago area attorney with over 28 years of experience successfully representing her clients in a vast variety of settings. She handles civil litigation matters involving family, workers’ compensation, employment, civil rights, and election law. She has represented businesses and individuals, on both sides — plaintiff and defendant — in federal and state courtrooms throughout the entire state of Illinois including the Appellate Court of Illinois and the Supreme Court of Illinois.
Christine describes her approach to each litigation as “big picture focused” and “outcome driven” to optimize client results while minimizing risks and costs. In addition, Christine provides advice and counsel to corporations, political committees, political campaigns, and candidates regarding compliance and litigation avoidance strategies.
In her community, Christine is an elected official as a Trustee of Palatine Township. She also serves as a board member of the Northwest Suburban Bar Association and of the local Chicago chapter of the Federalist Society. She has served as General Counsel and Parliamentarian for the Cook County Republican Party; Committeewoman for the Palatine Township Republican Organization; and as an officer for the Republican National Lawyers Association.
Christine earned her Bachelor of Arts from Northwestern University and her Juris Doctor from the Chicago-Kent College of Law. She is admitted to the Illinois Bar, the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois and Central District of Illinois. She is fluent in French, highly proficient in Spanish and Italian, and enjoys playing competitive tennis in the Chicago area.
Elizabeth Reed, Esq. (Of Counsel)
Concentration: Family Law
Elizabeth Reed has been litigating cases for over thirty-five years. She took on the practice of family law in 2008 after seventeen years as Senior Assistant DuPage County Public Defender, a position in which she worked passionately to protect individual's rights in criminal court. Respected not only for her courtroom talent and knowledge of the law, but also because of her deep empathy for her clients, Ms. Reed's family law practice emphasizes marital dissolutions, child custody and visitation, and a wide range of related issues. She has been appointed a children’s guardian ad litem by Domestic Relations Court in DuPage County and regularly represents clients there as well as in the courts of Cook, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.
As an experienced litigator, Ms. Reed has an open and honest courtroom style that brings out the human quality of her clients in ways that have a positive impact. She is compassionate yet strong in helping clients through the difficulties of family law disputes, is highly accessible, and completely open to client needs and requests. Although she seeks every possible resolution to a dispute short of going to court, Ms. Reed is not reluctant to litigate on her clients’ behalf and is aggressive at protecting their legal rights. In court or as a counselor, she strives to bring a sense of reassurance to clients and to help them put their lives back in order.
Ms. Reed is involved in the legal community and a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and DuPage County Bar Association.
Ms. Reed received her Juris Doctor degree from The John Marshall Law School located in Chicago, Illinois and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Faraz Nayyar, Esq. (Of Counsel)
Attorney Faraz Nayyar received his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve School of Law and is admitted to practice in Illinois, Missouri and the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. District Court).
Attorney Faraz Nayyar received his Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve School of Law and is admitted to practice in Illinois, Missouri and the Northern District of Illinois (U.S. District Court).
Before founding Khan Nayyar & Associates, Mr. Nayyar was a Trial Attorney for the United States Department of Labor (DOL). At the DOL, Mr. Nayyar worked relentlessly to obtain back wages owed to employees by employers.
Prior to that, Mr. Nayyar spent a considerable amount of time at the Missouri Attorney General's Office representing the State of Missouri in actions involving the safety and well-being of its citizens. Before working at the Attorney General's office, Mr. Nayyar was a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the United States Attorney's Office. There, Mr. Nayyar successfully teamed up with some of best litigators in the nation to obtain a large settlement in a high-profile civil fraud case.
Mr. Nayyar is a hard-nosed litigator with years of litigation experience. He is passionate about employees' rights and works tirelessly to achieve the best results possible for all of his clients. In his spare time, Mr. Nayyar enjoys watching/playing basketball, reading, and spending time with close family and friends.
Omar Khan, Esq. (Of Counsel)
Attorney Omar F. Khan received his Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University – Moritz College of Law and is admitted to practice in Illinois and in front of the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
Attorney Omar F. Khan received his Juris Doctorate from The Ohio State University – Moritz College of Law and is admitted to practice in Illinois and in front of the Executive Office for Immigration Review.
Before founding Khan Nayyar & Associates, Mr. Khan was an Assistant State's Attorney working for the Winnebago County State's Attorney Office. Prior to that, Mr. Khan was a law clerk for Judge J. Edward Prochaska in the 17th Judicial Circuit Court of Illinois.
With experience in both criminal and civil litigation, Mr. Khan has handled intricate and delicate matters. As a law clerk, Mr. Khan drafted numerous published opinions. He has the ability to speak the language of the judiciary, understanding the legal process from start to end. As a prosecutor, he represented the People of the State of Illinois in numerous hearings and trials.
Mr. Khan's experience as a litigator uniquely qualifies him to anticipate potentially troublesome situations that can arise in immigration and criminal proceedings. He is dedicated, motivated, and experienced to handle the case properly.
Mr. Khan graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Dayton, with a Bachelors in Economics, while working two jobs to pay his way through college. The foundation of his determination stems from his parents, both immigrants, who worked tirelessly to support him and his two sisters. Mr. Khan, as an immigrant himself, can empathize with the struggle, confusion, heartache, and time associated with the immigration process.
In his spare time, Mr. Khan enjoys spending time with his family and friends and playing with his dog, Lulu.
Amy Garechana (Paralegal)
Amy Garechana is a Paralegal with a certificate in Paralegal Studies from the College of DuPage’s ABA-approved program. Ms. Garechana is the former President of the College of DuPage Paralegal Club and a member of Lambda Epsilon Chi. She holds an NSLT (National Society for Legal Technology) certificate in Legal Technology. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Information Technology from the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington.