History of the Peskind Law firm

David P. Peskind founded the Peskind Law Firm in 1978.  He had been in practice since 1960. David left his former law firm, Tyler, Peskind, Solomon and Hughes in 1978 to start his own firm. Initially he was a sole practitioner and concentrated his practice in civil and domestic relations litigation. His firm was located in Aurora, Illinois and practiced primarily in Kane, Kendall, DuPage and DeKalb counties in Northern Illinois.  David’s peers and the judiciary regarded him as a tough but principled advocate for his clients.

In 1985, David’s son, Steven Peskind, joined the firm. Steven, who graduated from DePaul Law School in Chicago, concentrated his practice in commercial litigation and family law.  The practice expanded with Steven’s addition and continued to grow throughout the balance of the 1980s. Steven had the good fortune of David’s tutoring in the skills of negotiation and courtroom advocacy.

In 1991, without warning, David died at age 56 of a heart attack while playing tennis at a bar association outing. Steven was unexpectedly elevated to firm manager. In response to the tragedy, Steven changed the direction of the firm from a general civil litigation firm to a firm that concentrated exclusively in the area of divorce and family law.  In recognition of David’s many contributions to the advancement of family law, the annual Kane County Bar Association Family Law seminar was renamed the “Peskind Family Law” seminar.

In 1995, Steven closed the Aurora office and he moved the firm to Geneva Illinois where it operated until 2006. During the Geneva period, there were significant developments. In 1998, the Kane County Bar Association elected Steven, President. In 2003, and then again in 2004, Steven had the opportunity to argue before the Illinois Supreme Court in two different cases that significantly affected custodial parents rights to move from the State of Illinois, and the constitutionality of the Illinois Parentage Act.

In 2005, Gregory Maksimuk joined the firm. Greg was a recent graduate of John Marshall Law School in Chicago (David’s alma mater as well). Gregory was a legal prodigy and quickly developed into an exceptional lawyer.  The firm outgrew its limited space and moved to the Leroy Oakes Business Park in St. Charles in 2006. Also in 2006, the American Law Institute elected Steven as one of only 2000 members. The American Law Institute is a very prestigious organization, whose mission is to improve the law and the administration of justice.  Also, in recognition of his published legal writing, “Scribes,” a legal writing honor society, admitted Steven as a member.

In 2007, the firm continued to excel. Gregory published an article on child support in the influential Illinois Bar Journal. Later, Attorney General Lisa Madigan invited him to present his paper to the assistant attorney’s general. After a grueling admittance process, the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers elected Steven a member. The Academy is universally regarded as the most exclusive organization of family lawyers in the nation.

In 2008, Vazken Kazandjian joined the firm. Vaz graduated from Michigan State University and quickly became one of the rising young talents in the profession. The President of the Kane County Bar Association appointed Greg to chair the New Lawyers Division of the bar. The Kane County Bar also awarded Greg the “Outstanding New Lawyer” award. In the summer of 2008, Greg attended the weeklong American Bar Association advanced divorce trial advocacy in Denver, Colorado. Steven was recognized as a “Super Lawyer” and was appointed by House of Representatives Minority Leader, Tom Cross, to serve on a legislative commission to review and suggest improvements to all of our family laws.