Jill Beda Daniels, Owner

Jill Daniels is an experienced attorney, mediator and advocate. She focuses her practice on residential real estate, collaborative divorce and mediation. Jill earned her law degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1999 and her undergraduate degree from Illinois Benedictine College (now Benedictine University) in 1995. She began her career as a litigator, trying and arbitrating hundreds of cases.

Jill is a frequent speaker, regularly presenting to realtors, prospective home buyers and financial planners. She is a graduate of the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) Mediator Mentorship Program and completed the 40-hour Basic Training Workshop in Domestic Relations Mediation with nationally renowned clinician, Zena D. Zemuta, J.D.  Jill is chair certified with the Mandatory Arbitration Center of Cook County and is a court-certified divorce mediator for financial and custody disputes.

Jill is married to Peter Daniels, whom she met in law school.  They reside in La Grange, IL, and have four children, one of whom was adopted from Ethiopia. She enjoys family time and loves photography.

Jim Saranteas, Attorney

Jim is Jill’s classmate from the Loyola University Chicago School of Law and is available to represent buyers and sellers in residential real estate transactions. Like Jill, Jim is an experienced litigator and advocate with over 15 years of experience. He is particularly versed in personal injury matters, insurance coverage disputes, shareholder  disputes, and appellate advocacy.

In addition to his professional development, Jim is passionate about mentoring law school students. For 15 years, he has been an appellate advocacy instructor and advocacy coach at the Loyola Law School.

In 2007, he was selected Advocacy Coach of the Year by the Loyola Advocacy Honors Program. And in 2012, the law school’s Board of Governors chose him for its prestigious St. Bellarmine Award in recognition for his distinguished contributions to the legal community.

He and his wife, Kristen, reside in Chicago’s Avondale neighborhood.

Elaine Chen Gilman, Attorney

Elaine is an experienced attorney receiving her Juris Doctor from DePaul Law School in 2005. Along with Real Estate, she has experience in Estate Planning, Probate and Divorce. Elaine is also active with the Pro Bono Network, a professional legal organization dedicated to provide free legal aid.

In addition to her professional work, Elaine is passionate about being involved in her community. She is the acting Assistant Treasurer of the Clarendon Hills Middle School PTO, Advancement Chair for Boys Scout Troop 51 in Clarendon Hills, Troop Leader of her daughter’s Girl Scout troop and on the steering committee of the Fullersburg Neighbors Organization. Elaine is originally from Canada and speaks conversational Chinese and French.

Elaine lives with her husband Dan, three children and their dog Maizey. She enjoys travel, theater and scuba diving.

Jim Goodman, Attorney

Jim has almost 35 years of experience in serving estate planning clients ranging from those with modest means to those with high net worth by preparing wills, all types of trusts and powers of attorneys for finances and health care for them. Jim has also assisted numerous families over the years with estate and trust administration ranging from simple to very complex. During Jim’s career, he has filed legends of death tax returns and successfully representing clients in multiple estate tax audits.

When not serving clients, Jim is an avid sports fan, but especially loves hockey – at all levels. Jim is also a very accomplished saxophonist. These two passions converge when Jim performs our National Anthem at many sporting events, often wearing a hockey jersey for the home team, no matter which sport.

Jim graduated cum laude from Illinois State University in 1985, where he majored in political science and music. He obtained his law degree with distinction in 1988 from the University of Iowa. He was admitted to the Iowa Bar in 1988 and the Illinois Bar in 2001. Jim is also a member of the United States Tax Court.

Jim’s wife, Lisa Evoy-Goodman, is a southside Chicago Irish girl. Their mini-golden doodle, Rudy, aspires to attend the University of Notre Dame. Jim has 3 adult children.

Holly Hickey, Paralegal

Holly is a paralegal for Jill Daniels LLC and is responsible for managing many of the behind-the-scenes tasks and processes for the firm’s real estate transactions, with a focus on title clearance matters, and municipal transfer and homeowner association requirements. She has 20+ years’ experience working in a variety of membership, event planning, and administrative roles for nonprofit organizations, including the Louisville Bar Association and the American Bar Association, as well as several food industry professional associations.

Pam Johnson, Office Assistant

Pam joined Jill Daniels LLC in 2021. She has over 20 years of experience as an Executive Assistant. She is a girl that love lists, sticky notes and checking things off her to do lists. Pam comes to us with a background of supporting technology sales and operations teams and brings a great deal of executive support, process improvement and customer service skills helping to manage the leaders of the team and run the business more efficiently. She has quickly learned the world of real estate and continues to grow and thrive in the industry. She has mastered and manages with ease the pre-signing of the closing documents and the notary pool among all other tasks and documents. The next time you call, remember that friendly voice on the other end of the phone is most likely is Pam.

Alyssa Lara, Office Assistant

Alyssa is a college freshman majoring in International Business. She joined Jill Daniels LLC in 2022 and is responsible for entering new contracts and circulating title commitments.

Jack Mackie, Closing Specialist

Jack is the closing specialist for Jill Daniels LLC. Since joining the firm in 2018, he has experienced all aspects of the real estate legal process. Jack uses the knowledge he has gained to navigate the last week before closing to ensure that everything goes smoothly on the big day.

Jack is avid board game player, movie goer, and lifelong Cubs fan.

Patrick Mackie, Paralegal

Patrick Mackie is a Paralegal for Jill Daniels LLC. He will be a point of contact with you during your real estate transaction. He is available by phone and email. If you need assistance at any point in your transaction, or if you just want to chat, please give him a call.

Born and raised in Oak Park, he, along with his father and siblings, is a proud graduate of Fenwick High School (Class of 2016). He joined the team in 2020 as an office assistance after graduating from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing. In 2022, he was elevated to the position of Paralegal.

With years of experience in the field, he is knowledgeable in all aspects of the real estate transaction, from signing the contract to sitting down at the closing table. His responsibilities center around the Attorney Review process but extend far beyond.

Patrick enjoys chatting about movies and books. His favorite movie is Spirited Away, and he is a fan of Ernest Hemingway and Terry Pratchett. A lifelong supporter of the Chicago Cubs, he can often be found sitting in the upper deck of the Friendly Confines or listening to the broadcast on his portable radio.

Never hesitate to give Patrick a call. He is here to help!