Attorneys

Brent Gwillim (Partner )

Brent has spent his entire legal career with Heyl Royster beginning in 1971 in the Peoria office. He began his career handling insurance defense cases, and later moved to all phases of general corporate and business law in addition to estate planning and probate. He has extensive experience in the planning and creating of new business entities, and the firm currently represents a large number of local corporations and business entities in addition to out of state companies. His experience also includes ongoing representation of corporations and business entities, handling shareholder and contractual issues, in addition to corporate and business entity governance problems and employment issues. Brent has also handled many construction issues including mechanic's lien issues, and had responsibility for the firm representing Kajima International, Inc., which was the design builder of the Mitsubishi automobile plant in Bloomington, Illinois. In addition, Brent has extensive experience in the planning and probate of estates and has handled numerous guardianship proceedings for disabled adults and minors. At the present time, Brent is serving on the Illinois Institute of Business Law Committee which was formerly known as the Secretary of State's Advisory Committee and as a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Corporation, Security & Business Law Section Council. Brent has written articles for the Corporation, Security & Business Law Section Council in addition to working on legislation for all business entities through the Illinois Institute of Business Law. Brent has also been named as one of the "Leading Lawyers" in Illinois as a result of the survey of Illinois attorneys conducted by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.

Significant Cases

Wilson v. Cherry 244 Ill. App. 3d 632 (4th Dist. 1990)
Defense of failure to use Section 2032(a) and Section 6166 in a decedent's estate in addition to loss of use and interest on excessive funds paid in Federal Estate taxes and Illinois inheritance taxes.

Professional Recognition

Martindale-Hubbell AV Rated
Selected as a Leading Lawyer in Illinois. Only five percent of lawyers in the state are named as Leading Lawyers.
Recipient of the Board of Governors award through the Illinois State Bar Association for chairing the committee to obtain limited liability for attorneys in the State of Illinois

Professional Associations

Illinois State Bar Association
Peoria County Bar Association
Corporation, Security & Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association (served as chairman of the Section Council for two terms) and presently serves on the committee in the capacity of in charge of continuing legal education
Former delegate to the Illinois State Bar Association General Assembly
Director on the Board of the Peoria County Bar Association
Member of the Special Committee in the State of Illinois on Limited Liability Issues and chaired the committee to create and have adopted a new Supreme Court Rule limiting liability of attorneys in the state of Illinois
Member of the Budgetary Committee and Financial Responsibility Committee
Member of the Committee to review and revise professional ethic standards for attorneys in the State of Illinois
Member of Central Illinois Estate Planning Council

Court Admissions

State Courts of Illinois
United States District Court, Central District of Illinois
United States Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
United States Tax Court

Community Involvement

Chairman of the Tri-County March of Dimes Committee
Board member of First Federated Church
Board member of the Country Club of Peoria
Board member of the Boys and Girls Big Brother/Big Sister program, Peoria, Illinois
President of the Peoria High School Band and Orchestra Parents Club
President of the Peoria High School Boosters Club
Board member of PRB Foundation, known as "Peoria NEXT"

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