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Sandra M. Emerson, the principal attorney of the firm, received her Bachelor of Arts in 1993 and her Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 1997. In law school, Ms. Emerson received the prestigious CALI awards for the highest grades in Legal Writing, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Labor Law. She served internships with the Honorable Ruben Castillo, a federal judge with the United States District Court for the Northern District Of Illinois, and the employment discrimination/civil rights litigation group of the Chicago-Kent College of Law legal clinic. 

Ms. Emerson's legal experience includes working in the legal department of American County of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31, the nation's largest public sector labor union. Prior to founding the Law Office of Sandra M. Emerson, LLC, she practiced law with two Chicago-area law firms. Her background includes a wide variety of labor relations and employment matters. After working in other areas of the law, including real estate, collections, general business matters, contractual disputes, construction law, and mechanics' lien litigation, Ms. Emerson opened her practice in Oak Park in 2000, where she now concentrates her practice in real estate and commercial litigation matters. Ms. Emerson also serves as an arbitrator for the Cook County, Illinois mandatory arbitration program.

Ms. Emerson is admitted to practice in the state courts of Illinois and Georgia and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois. Currently, Ms. Emerson, a long-time resident of Oak Park, serves as the president of the Near West Business Association. She is also an affiliate member of the Oak Park Board of Realtors.