Management Team
Leaders committed to clients
and colleagues
From a place of working right there with others, teammates and clients alike, we get an insider’s view of our business. Our leaders take their responsibilities very seriously, while recognizing that many things need to be viewed from a big-picture perspective that sometimes requires a softer, less serious touch. This vantage point enables us to lead with keen insight, compassion and touches of well-timed humor to bring out the most in our team and get the best results for our clients.
Mitchell D. Weinstein he/him
Principal / President
As president, Mitch understands that sound, steady leadership is not about himself, but is a product of listening to and supporting those whom you lead, providing thoughtful and clear decision making that incorporates multiple perspectives and having a healthy dose of humility.
Mitch’s corporate practice provides him with valuable insights regarding the pressures and priorities business owners face every day. This experience informs his leadership style and aids in his navigation of the firm through both day-to-day and long-term challenges. This was never more evident than it was during the uncertainty and upheaval of the pandemic, especially during its early days.
In collaboration with attorneys and staff at all levels, Mitch worked tirelessly to ensure both business continuity and the health, well-being and continued employment of every member of the Chuhak & Tecson family. His commitment, creativity and constant communication manifested itself throughout the pandemic. Just one example was his “Mitch On The Move” initiative, in which he traveled throughout Chicagoland to meet with groups of attorneys in parks, safely while outdoors, just to check in and see how they were doing.
Since 2018, Mitch has set the firm on a course that positions it for sustained success while staying true to the core values of exceptional representation and client service, mutual respect and common purpose that have been the firm’s lodestar since its founding.
Michelle Schadler She/Her
Chief Operating Officer
The walking embodiment of Chuhak & Tecson’s #OneFirm philosophy, Michelle serves as the firm’s chief consensus-builder, direction-setter, problem-solver and all-around champion. She has played a pivotal role in the firm’s trajectory, helping turn challenges into opportunities with fierce determination, infectious enthusiasm and a natural leader’s gift for harnessing individual talents to achieve collective success.
Leveraging an accounting and C-suite background, including executive roles in boutique and AMLAW 100 law firms, a real estate development company and a high-net-worth investment advisory firm, Michelle understands how to take a firehose of information and input and distill it into a steady stream of actionable ideas. She values all voices and considers all perspectives, listening to what people are not saying as much as what they do say. Before charting a clear course or launching a new initiative, Michelle strives to ensure that every stakeholder feels heard, included and respected.
While she would much rather lift up the accomplishments of others than pat herself on the back, Michelle has been instrumental in some of the firm’s most innovative and successful endeavors, including the award-winning Women Helping Women program, celebrating its 15th anniversary in 2024.
Outside of the office, Michelle is actively involved in many charitable activities including serving on the board of WestTown Bikes and as a “friend” of Volunteers of America of Illinois. She enjoys hiking and traveling and has a passion for cooking and baking, which culminates each year in her annual Mexican Madness gathering.
Sandra Alvarez
Accounting Manager
It takes a sharp mind for numbers to manage a law firm’s day-to-day accounting functions, but it takes a big heart to do so with good humor, accessibility and infectious positivity. Sandra brings all of those qualities to her role, triple-checking every decimal point and ledger entry while also taking the time to empower those around her with knowledge and information that can help them better understand the complexities and nuances of her department’s critical work. Attorneys and staff alike know that they can come to Sandra with any question and walk away with a clear and illuminating answer.
Leveraging her CPA background, a master’s degree in accounting and over two decades of experience, Sandra doesn’t just oversee the firm’s accounting infrastructure; she has also introduced significant innovations that have streamlined financials and profitability reporting, among other achievements. Unsurprisingly for someone whose job requires precision and order, she finds inner peace and calmness from a perfectly organized desk and office.
Away from the office, Sandra loves spending time with her family, as evidenced by being her son’s biggest cheerleader at his sporting events, volunteering time at his school or sharing time and family heritage with her granddaughter.
Sydney Iglitzen
Manager of Marketing and Communications
Throughout her distinguished and diverse career, Sydney’s efforts on behalf of lawyers, law firms and professional services organizations have consistently resulted in a positive impact on revenue, business growth, attorney participation, firm visibility and brand awareness.
As a longtime public relations and marketing professional, Sydney never shines a spotlight on herself, preferring to instead direct her talents towards raising the profiles and amplifying the accomplishments of those with whom she works. She handles the day-to-day marketing requests of our attorneys, including the broad range of collateral materials, biographies, newsletters, social media, event execution and special projects in addition to seeking public relations opportunities to enhance the firm’s well-known reputation and the seasoned experience and knowledge of our attorneys.
Prior to working with lawyers, Sydney worked at a well-known international public relations firm and was an assistant press secretary to two Chicago mayors and two Illinois Attorneys General. Sydney twice served as president of the Legal Marketing Association Midwest Chapter, which inducted her into its Hall of Fame in 2013.
In her time away from the office, Sydney pursues her passion for flamenco, taking classes when she can and practicing with castanets. She loves traveling, sampling ethnic restaurants and various fairs and collecting toys, kites, Halloween decorations and a range of other useless and amusing items.
Karen Jocha
Collections Practice Manager
As Collections Practice Manager for the firm’s Condominium & Common Interest Community Association practice, Karen works collaboratively with community association boards and managers to establish and coordinate communications, policies and processes that ensure timely collection of unpaid assessments.
Karen’s decades of experience in real estate, association, and collections matters allow her to provide indispensable insights and guidance to board members regarding their roles and responsibilities. However, it is her combination of diplomacy and determination, patience and perseverance that has made Karen particularly effective in finding favorable resolutions to the often delicate and potentially contentious situations that arise when unit owners fall behind on their financial obligations.
While Karen never loses sight of the imperative of ensuring that boards have the financial resources they need to care for and manage their communities, she also appreciates that unit owners may find themselves delinquent for myriad reasons, often beyond their control. By educating unit owners on their responsibilities related to clearing their accounts, and with grace, compassion and a penchant for outside-the-box thinking, Karen is able to foster both financial stability and interpersonal harmony for the communities she works with.
Away from the office, Karen loves all sports. Above all though, she is passionate about golf and is a friendly and fierce competitor out on the links, both with friends and with herself alike!
Gillian Mace
Director of Human Resources
Ask Gillian about the employees she works with and she may give you a puzzled look. But if you ask her about the people she works with, Gillian will happily talk at length about their talents and aspirations, their myriad questions and concerns, and the firm that provides them not only with a paycheck but an atmosphere of respect, support and camaraderie.
Gillian has over 20 years of human resources and law firm experience, stretching from her work at a respected firm in her hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, while in college to establishing a dedicated human resources department for the U.S. region of a global intellectual property services company and law firm before joining Chuhak & Tecson. She complements this experience with empathy, insightfulness and a solutions-focused approach. All of these attributes are indispensable to her role at the firm which involves navigating interpersonal dynamics and sensitive situations, finding and nurturing talent and fostering collaborative team member and organizational relationships.
In her free time, Gillian enjoys baking, taking in as much live music with family and friends at as many venues as possible and putting more than 3,000 miles (and counting!) on her vintage-style scooter exploring Chicago’s many neighborhoods and surrounding towns.
Sue Robinson
Director of Business Development and Marketing
Whoever coined that phrase about even the best-laid plans going awry clearly never met Sue. Determined and detail-oriented, talented and tenacious, Sue develops and implements creative and impactful business development and marketing plans that move the needle and generate tangible results.
Her efforts on behalf of the firm are thoughtful and holistic, while her work with individual attorneys is tailored to their unique styles, personalities and challenges. Since joining Chuhak & Tecson in 2008, and developing the business development department, Sue has collaborated closely with the firm’s lawyers to help them define their goals, identify any roadblocks that stand in the way and guide them through the process of crafting strategic business development plans. With patient coaching, sincere encouragement and an achievable, clearly charted course, she sets attorneys and the firm on a path to sustained professional success.
Sue brings a relentless work ethic to her role, one that was forged when she started and ran her own successful business in order to pay for her education, including earning an undergraduate degree in marketing and a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications
Darius Rogers
Facilities and Office Services Manager
With a customer service mindset, an open ear and battle-tested problem-solving acumen, Darius is responsible for a wide range of office functions from managing and supporting multiple departments, including office services and docketing, to vendor negotiations and cost control to shipping and receiving.
Throughout his 20-year career at the firm, Darius has played instrumental roles in the development and execution of plans that have increased the firm’s efficiency, cost-effectiveness and preparedness for emergencies. Though his talents and commitment manifest themselves throughout the firm’s routine, day-to-day functions, it is during the times that are anything but routine when Darius demonstrates his mettle, agility and ability to craft solutions on the fly.
When the pandemic struck, Darius took quick and decisive action, securing scarce PPE, ensuring that attorneys and staff had the equipment and connectivity needed to keep the firm running remotely and otherwise maintaining continuity of operations that protected the firm and its clients throughout the most challenging days of the crisis. Whether flawlessly coordinating regular firm events or maintaining operations and minimizing disruptions during the firm’s first office move in a quarter-century, Darius demonstrates exceptional strategic planning, project management and interpersonal skills.
Born and raised in Chicago, Darius is an avid sports fan who enjoys cooking for family and friends.
Ha Truong
Chief Information Officer
An active member of ILTA, the International Legal Technology Association, Ha has over two decades of experience developing, implementing and directing complex IT projects for law firms and attorneys. His combination of strategic vision, technical acumen and a patient, user-friendly approach has kept the firm at the leading edge of legal technology and ensured that attorneys and staff understand and get the most out of the firm’s technological infrastructure.
Particularly adept at surveying the legal tech landscape and identifying cutting-edge trends and innovations, Ha has spearheaded the firm’s selection and adoption of multiple rounds of upgrades and advancements, leveraging well-honed project management and change management skills to obtain buy-in from all constituencies and minimize disruption. During times of dramatic change – such as an office move – or while leading technical triage and on-the-fly migrations through unanticipated upheaval – such as a global pandemic – Ha has served as a steady hand and reassuring presence, managing the firm’s IT systems collectively and individually with equal aplomb.
In his post-5 p.m. hours, Ha enjoys spending quality time with family and friends, exploring the world through travel, cultivating his love for horticulture, and indulging in his passion for collecting whiskey and bourbon.
Thomas Warzocha
Controller
As the person responsible for overseeing the firm’s financial functions, Tom unquestionably and unsurprisingly has both a head for numbers and a keen eye for detail. However, as essential as those qualities are, what sets Tom apart and makes him exceptionally effective in his role is his ability to lead, collaborate, and get everyone on his team pulling in the same clearly defined direction.
Tom brings over two decades of proven, diverse experience and sterling credentials to his work, with his CPA and MBA background informing his approach and facilitating his effectiveness at maximizing efficiencies, minimizing costs, and eliminating errors. He complements a deeply analytical mindset with a communication style that ensures that management and other internal constituencies receive the information they need in a practical, actionable format. Among his many significant accomplishments, Tom has participated in the acquisition of two private consulting firms and a law firm merger and overseen the consolidation and financial integration of all of these entities.
In his free time, Tom enjoys spending time with his family at the cottage, which has been in his family for four generations. He is also an avid runner and has successfully completed eight marathons as well as three Chicago Triathlons.