LINDA A. BRYCELAND
Linda A. Bryceland is an Associate with Monahan & Cohen having joined the firm in 2007. Ms. Bryceland concentrates her practice in probate, guardianship, mental health and hospital law and civil appeals.
Before joining Monahan & Cohen, Ms. Bryceland practiced in the areas of civil appeals, guardianship, probate, professional regulation and other civil litigation at Novoselsky Law Office. Ms. Bryceland has been appointed Guardian ad Litem and attorney defending respondents and representing wards in guardianship cases. She has also successfully participated in a number of significant appeals before the Illinois Appellate Court, the Illinois Supreme Court and the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, including such cases as Proctor v. Upjohn which established a drug manufacturer’s duty to adequately warn physicians of the dangers of an off-label use of a drug, and Boyd v. Travelers Insurance Company which first recognized a claim for negligent spoliation of evidence in Illinois.
Ms. Bryceland received a juris doctorate from DePaul College of Law in 1986. In law school, Ms. Bryceland was an Articles Editor for the DePaul Law Review. She participated in the DePaul Moot Court competition and received the top oralist award and also participated in National Moot Court Competition. Ms. Bryceland was the recipient of the Women’s Bar Association Scholarship for leadership and scholarship. Ms. Bryceland is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, receiving a B.A. in History with Departmental Honors, and an M.A. in History.
Linda can be reached at lbryceland@monahan-cohen.com
ELIZABETH A. LAWHORN
Elizabeth A. Lawhorn is an Associate at the law firm of Monahan & Cohen. She represents hospitals and individuals in guardianship proceedings, mental health litigation, and other general matters of mental health and developmental disabilities law. She regularly provides legal consultation on issues involving the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Act, Mental Health Code, and Clinical Social Work and Social Work Practice Act. She has participated in contested litigation involving guardianships, decedents’ estates and financial exploitation of the elderly and disabled, and has provided consultation on matters ranging from adoptions under the Indian Child Welfare Act to Social Security and Railroad Retirement disability benefits. In addition to representing clients, Ms. Lawhorn regularly assists with presentations and lectures on topics such as mental health, confidentiality of records, and risk management for social service providers.
Ms. Lawhorn graduated magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she was a Child Law Fellow with the Loyola Civitas ChildLaw Center. She graduated with a certificate of specialization in Child and Family Law. Ms. Lawhorn was an Executive Editor of the school’s Law Journal and served as a Senior Editor of the Children’s Legal Rights Journal. She received awards of recognition for receiving the highest grade in Family Law, Advocacy, Special Education Law, Pretrial Litigation, Legal Writing, Class Actions, and Child, Parent & State. During law school, Ms. Lawhorn served as a summer law clerk for Monahan & Cohen. She also spent time as a law clerk for the Illinois Appellate Defender’s Office and served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Ronald A. Guzman, United States District Judge, Northern District of Illinois.
Prior to attending law school, Ms. Lawhorn graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where she majored in Psychology. She was a member of the Husker softball team, receiving All-Conference honors and serving as team Captain during her senior year.
Elizabeth can be reached at elawhorn@monahan-cohen.com
MARGARET (MEG) SIMA
Meg Sima is an Associate with Monahan & Cohen having joined the firm in 2003. From 1994 to 1996, Ms. Sima was an Assistant Public Guardian with the Cook County Public Guardian's Office in the Juvenile Division. In this capacity, Ms. Sima represented the needs of many abused and neglected children in Cook County.
Subsequent to her position in the Juvenile Division, Ms. Sima entered private practice in 1996, concentrating in the areas of guardianship, probate, juvenile, and family law. While in private practice, Ms. Sima continued her services to the Public Guardian's Office, this time as an independent contractor in the Probate Division. As an independent contractor, she has prepared numerous complex accountings for the guardianship estates of disabled adults. In addition, she has provided her accounting expertise to Fifth/Third Bank by preparing intricate trust accounts for guardianship trusts managed by the bank. At Monahan & Cohen, Ms. Sima practices in the areas of guardianship, probate, estate planning and juvenile law, including preparation of all Accounts and Inventories for Probate and guardianship estates.
Ms. Sima has also lectured on the subject of Legal Issues and the Elderly at Benedictine University. She has taught several paralegal classes for Robert Morris College, including Torts, Legal Environment of Business and Domestic Relations.
Ms. Sima received a juris doctorate from DePaul College of Law in 1994, graduating with Honors. She was also inducted as member of the Order of the Coif upon her graduation from law school. Ms. Sima is a graduate of the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, with a B.A. in Political Science and Psychology. She is a member of Pi Sigma Alpha, a political science Honor Society.
Meg can be reached via email at msima@monahan-cohen.com
