Law Firm History

Jan Kodner started his own firm as a solo practitioner in 1984. His first job out of law school was as an associate for a small business law firm. In 1980, he entered into a partnership with a colleague. The new firm handled a bit of everything in the early days. Their first client was a pinball arcade where Jan had been a regular customer. He soon began to receive referrals from former law school classmates in the emerging area of social security disability law because such cases were thought to be "too small" to handle.

In the early 1980's, there were only a small handful of other lawyers handling Social Security disability cases and the referrals started flowing. The partnership split in 1984 when his colleague focused more on real estate related matters and Jan decided to concentrate exclusively on Social Security disability claims.

Jan operated as a solo attorney until 1987. By that time, he was unable to handle the rapidly increasing case load on his own. Luckily, an experienced Social Security disability lawyer, Les Dombai, agreed to join the firm from the Legal Aid Bureau. Les continued as an associate of the firm to May, 2006, when he accepted an appointment to become a Social Security Administrative Law Judge.

James Leeny was hired in 1988 originally as a clerk. At that time, he was attending grad school. His superb organizational talents and people skills eventually led to a full time position as a paralegal. He then attended John Marshall Law School and graduated in 1995. Since that time, James has been an associate lawyer of the firm.

Steve Jackson joined the firm in May, 2006, coming over from the Cook County State's Attorneys office. He had previously worked for another disability law firm. Steve received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law with a Certificate in Labor and Employment Law. Steve received his B.A. summa cum laude in organizational management from Concordia University Chicago. Steve is also member of the adjunct faculty for Concordia's Accelerated Degree Program for Adults. Steve's interest in the rights of disabled persons and worker's rights led him to specialize in the area of Social Security disability appeals. He has a thorough understanding of the multi-step process and the experience required to successfully pursue your claim for Social Security benefits.

In addition to the three attorneys in the firm, we are truly fortunate to have some of the best legal secretaries / administrative assistants in the Chicago region. Gail has been with the firm since the mid-1980's. Vicki has worked with Jan at the business law firm as well as the partnership. She rejoined the current firm in 1998. Our excellent receptionists, Paulina and Laura joined the firm in 2008. Our clerk, Yvette, has assisted us for more than 20 years.

The Chicago law firm continues to practice exclusively in the field of Social Security disability law. We have helped thousands of our clients qualify for benefits over the years and look forward to serving the disabled community for many years to come. We have obtained a favorable decision in approximately 90% of our cases each year for the past decade.

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