Principled Advocacy For Families And Individuals With Disabilities And The Professionals Who Serve Them

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Elizabeth A. Lawhorn

  • Attorney

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Photo of Elizabeth A. Lawhorn

Biography

Ms. Lawhorn focuses her practice on guardianship and probate litigation, mental health, and child welfare and juvenile law. She represents individuals, hospitals, and social service agencies in addressing all of their mental health, surrogate decision making, and related needs.

Ms. Lawhorn has litigated many cases before the probate court and other divisions of the circuit court. She has also served as principal brief writer in many of the firm’s most complex and novel cases. She is a former Adjunct Professor of Law, teaching Legal Writing at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She also co-authored a chapter on confidentiality of mental health records for the Illinois Practice Series and was selected to co-author an article on life sustaining treatment and advance directives for a special edition of the Loyola University Chicago School of Law’s Annals of Health Law.

Ms. Lawhorn earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she graduated magna cum laude and served as an Executive Editor of the Law Journal. She was selected for a Civitas Child Law Fellowship and received a Certificate of Specialization in Child and Family Law.

Practice Areas

  • Probate & Estate Administration
  • Child Welfare/Juvenile Law
  • Community Based Services
  • Elder Law
  • Guardianship
  • Health Care Law
  • Litigation & Appeals
  • Mental Health & Confidentiality Law
  • Risk Management

Education

  • Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois
    • Juris Doctor
    • Honors: magna cum laude
    • Honors: Civitas ChildLaw Fellowship
    • Honors: Certificate of Specialization in Child and Family Law
    • Honors: Dean's List
    • Honors: CALI Awards for receiving the Top Grade in Advocacy, Pretrial Litigation, Legal Writing, Family Law, Special Education Law, Class Actions, and Child, Parent, and State
  • University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
    • Bachelor of Arts
    • Honors: Dean's List
    • Major: Psychology

Bar Admission

  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois
  • Supreme Court of the United States of America

Published Works

  • Author, Powers and Duties of a Guardian of the Person: Guardianship for Disabled Adults, Advance Directives, and Mental Health Law, Chapter 3, IICLE, 2011
  • Author, Confidentiality of Mental Health Records, Law of Medical Practice in Illinois, (Illinois Practice Series)

Classes & Seminars

  • Adjunct Professor of Law, Legal Writing, Loyola University Chicago School of Law, 2010 to 2011

Past Positions

  • Illinois Appellate Defender's Office, Summer Intern
  • Honorable Ronald A. Guzman in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Judicial Extern

Professional Associations

  • Illinois State Bar Association, Member