Our Attorneys
Attorney John Buchmiller
John Buchmiller attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois for his undergraduate degree in Political Science, and attended Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan to obtain his Juris Doctor. Upon passing the bar exam and entering into the practice of law, John Buchmiller initially started a firm that helped homeowners who were in Foreclosure save their homes. He did this by restructuring the Homeowner’s current mortgage with the lender bringing their loan current. While practicing Foreclosure Defense and Loan Modifications, he noticed that several of his clients also had problems with their home life. He therefore decided to expand his practice to include family law, so he could get solid citizens out of unfortunate situations.
Attorney Brendan Davis
Brendan Davis attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for his undergraduate degree in Political Science and attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law for his Juris Doctor. Brendan brings extensive consumer law experience to the firm after getting his start in a national consumer bankruptcy law firm. He now takes great pride in applying his skills to family law so he can help secure and protect his clients’ futures. He has helped hundreds of clients over the years and believes everyone should have access to high quality, efficient, and affordable legal representation.
Attorney Angela Curry
Angela received her bachelor’s degree in History from Northeastern Illinois University, graduating Suma Cum Laude. She then went on to attend law school at the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois, where she would work all three years in the student run clinic for Fair Housing. In addition to the clinic, she also clerked for several different agencies including the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, Agruss Law Firm, the John Marshall Domestic Violence Legal Clinic, and the Chicago Legal Clinic’s Foreclosure Defense Help Desk.
Angela Graduated from the Jonn Marshall Law School in December of 2018 and began her law career with John Buchmiller & Associates, LLC after passing the February Bar Exam. Her enthusiasm for swift and fair divorce proceedings has led to successful trial results and many peaceful divorce reports. She continues to strive for successful negotiations as a result of effective communication. Angela more recently assisted the firm in opening a new branch in Lake County Illinois. She currently manages and oversees that office.
Attorney Evelyn Hernandez
Evelyn started working with John Buchmiller & Associates, LLC in 2019. She received her bachelor’s degree in history, cum laude, from the University of Illinois at Chicago and received her Juris Doctor in 2016 from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Evelyn was admitted to the Illinois bar in 2017 and is currently a member of the Chicago Bar Association.
Evelyn started her work in family law early in law school. She served as a Judicial Law Clerk for Honorable Judge Raul Vega in the Cook County Domestic Relations Division. After that, she gained invaluable experience working as a Law Clerk for several family law firms throughout Chicago. While attending Chicago-Kent College of Law, Evelyn received the Dean’s Achievement Awards, was an executive board member of the Child and Family Law Society, served as a member of the school’s nationally-ranked trial advocacy team and participated in the alternative dispute resolution team. Evelyn also earned a certificate in Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution from Chicago-Kent.
After being admitted to the Illinois Bar, Evelyn worked in unemployment administrative law for two years, serving various nonprofit and private employers throughout the State of Illinois. Evelyn then returned to working in domestic relations in 2018.
Over the course of her legal career, Evelyn has assisted clients in various family issues such as high asset divorce, child support, custody, paternity and civil domestic violence matters. Evelyn’s experiences make her aware of the unique psychological and emotional stresses family law issues can produce. She also recognizes the importance of not only serving as a lawyer but also as a trusted counselor to her clients. She strives to make the process as painless as possible while being a fierce advocate for her clients.
Attorney Elizabeth Mavec
Elizabeth joined the firm as a law clerk in 2018 and received an immersive education in the world of family law and immigration. This background has given her a holistic experience on how to manage sensitive family issues while meeting client expectations and goals. In 2019, she was sworn as a licensed attorney and immediately put her knowledge and experience to work. She has already handled several divorce and parentage cases from initial filing to settlement. Simultaneously, her immigration experience has led to visa, green card and citizenship approvals.
Elizabeth received her bachelor’s degree in History and International Studies from Loyola University Chicago. From there, she went on to receive her Juris Doctorate from John Marshall Law School. During law School she spent her three years working in the student run International Human Rights Clinic. There she helped attain asylum status for Syrians fleeing the Assad regime. Working with Syrian asylum seekers, taught her how to be a strong voice for clients who are often voiceless.
In Elizabeth’s free time she enjoys travelling to new places, hiking, and anything animal related.
Attorney Kalima Swain
Kalima Swain was admitted to practice law in the State of Illinois in 2019 and joined the John Buchmiller and Associates, LLC team in 2020. Kalima received her Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies with minors in Philosophy and Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois at Springfield in 2016 and her Juris Doctor from University of Illinois Chicago Law School in 2019.
Kalima concentrates her practice in the areas of Family and Matrimonial Law. She has significant experience in litigation involving children. Kalima works on a broad range of family law matters and provides representation for clients who require assistance with complex financial issues, division and valuation of property, allocation of parental responsibilities, child support, relocation, spousal maintenance, and preparing and negotiating settlement agreements. Through all of Kalima’s experience, she has gained an understanding of the complex issues involved with any family law related proceeding and the necessity to provide each client with individualized attention.
Kalima is an active member of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association, the Chicago Bar Association, and the Cook County Bar Association.
Attorney Jacob Brown
Jacob Brown attended The Ohio State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Art History with a minor in Business Administration. He enrolled in Law School at the UIC John Marshall Law School in Chicago. While at John Marshall Jacob represented clients through the John Marshall Fair Housing Legal Clinic and at Chicago Volunteer Legal Clinic as a student attorney helping clients navigate housing and foreclosure related issues.
After graduating Law School, Jacob worked for a consulting company contracted with the Chicago Housing Authority. He also spent several years at a large bankruptcy firm providing access to justice for many clients who would have been otherwise unable to afford quality legal representation. During his time at John Buchmiller & Associates Jacob has successfully represented numerous clients in all phases of litigation from initial case filing through trial. Additionally, he has represented multiple clients in both obtaining and defending orders of protection.
As a managing attorney, Jacob brings his extensive knowledge of the complexity of interjurisdictional issues to bear to help bring the full force of the firm to bear on behalf of his clients. He believes that all clients are entitled to high quality and affordable legal representation to resolve their issues. Nowhere can this be more important than the sensitive area of family law, where Jacob prides himself in delivering results and exceeding client expectations.
Attorney Ian Elliot
Born in Michigan and a transplant to Chicago, Illinois. Ian first joined the firm in 2019 as a Law Clerk where he assisted with drafting, filing, and working with clients to help answer their legal and case related questions. Ian received an immersive education in the world of family law as a law clerk. In January of 2020, he was sworn in as a licensed attorney in Illinois and immediately put his experience and education to work in family law. He has handled divorce, parentage, and emergency orders of protection cases from initial filing to settlement.
Ian received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science with a focus in Pre-Law from Michigan State University, where he graduated with the Class of 2016. From there, he attended Loyola University Chicago School of Law for Law School where he received his Juris Doctorate with the Class of 2020. During his three years at Loyola, Ian specialized and received Certificates in Tax Law and Transactional Law. He spent a semester working as a Student Clinician at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law Federal Tax Clinic providing free legal assistance to unrepresented low income individuals regarding their tax issues with the IRS. Ian has also been an active member in the Latino Law Students Association at Loyola where he served as the association’s Social Director and Academic Director from Fall 2018 until Spring 2019.
Ian’s knowledge and experience continues to grow with each passing day and each client that he is able to provide his knowledge and assistance. He believes that everyone should have access to high quality legal representation, and each day strives to provide the highest quality legal representation for each of his clients. In his free time, Ian enjoys spending time with his family and close friends, traveling to new places, and trying new and exotic foods.