Lisa M. Knauf
Attorney At Law
Lisa Knauf graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After a successful career as a business owner and in sales, she later earned her law degree from Northern Illinois University College of Law in DeKalb, Illinois. Lisa's practice areas include estate planning, elder law, real estate, probate and trust administration. She is licensed to practice law in Illinois and owns Knauf Law in Addison, Illinois.
As a law student at NIU, Lisa earned a Pro Bono certificate in recognition of having provided many hours of free legal services to low income clients through various agencies, including Illinois Legal Aid Online, Prairie State Legal and Hesed House.
In addition to her busy practice, Lisa continues to give back to the community by serving as a volunteer attorney with Administer Justice, a suburban legal aid organization. She currently serves as Board Member of DuPage High School District 88 and is a former Trustee of the Addison Public Library.
Who is Lisa Knauf?
An attorney who combines non-legal real world personal and business knowledge with her legal expertise to serve her clients. She wears a lot of hats: mom, community volunteer, cancer survivor, writer and speaker. Her legal practice is her second career – after a successful business and sales career, she returned to school for a law degree. Her legal practice is focused on providing personal service to clients in the areas of estate planning, elder law, probate and trust administration, real estate, and small business matters.
There are many attorneys who provide similar services, many with more years of experience; you can even buy legal services from websites. So why hire Attorney Lisa Knauf?
She has been there: Many people don’t prepare a will or estate plan until they are diagnosed with a serious illness. Facing your own mortality is hard, so we put it off until forced to do so. In 2004, Lisa was diagnosed with breast cancer, she knows the feeling of hearing those frightening words from a doctor. At the time of her diagnosis and treatment, she had small children, was running her own business to support a family, and facing an unexpected illness. An attorney that understands what you and your family are going through can be reassuring.
Explanations: Clients say Lisa Knauf is patient with their questions and is good at explaining legal issues in language they can understand. Before she was a lawyer, she was in sales and also had experience as a writer – she explained things for a living to people who didn’t understand them. That experience has benefited Lisa in her legal practice as she helps her clients understand the issues and their available options.
Experience: You can’t buy real world, real life experience, and combined with Lisa’s legal expertise, clients get the best of both worlds.
Community Leader
She wears a lot of hats: mom, community volunteer, cancer survivor, writer and speaker. Volunteering in both legal and non-legal capacities is an important part of contributing to a great community. Learn more about Lisa’s community and volunteer activities below.
Speaker
Lisa regularly speaks at free educational seminars and events held at libraries and other locations in the Chicago western suburbs, to help local residents learn about topics such as estate planning, buying and selling real estate, and planning for long term care.
Practice Areas
Bar Admissions
Education
- Northern Illinois University College of Law, DeKalb IL, JD
- Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, BA
Professional Associations and Memberships
- DuPage County Bar Association
- DuPage Assoc of Women Lawyers
- Illinois State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
- National Association of Elder Law Attorneys
- DuPage County Bar Association, Legislative Liaison
Community Activities
- Administer Justice, Volunteer Attorney
- Illinois Legal Aid Online, Volunteer Attorney
- Professional business and community education speaker
- Addison Women's Club
- Business Networking Group
- Addison Chamber of Commerce
- Northern IL University College of Law Alumni Council
- Board Member, DuPage High School District 88
- American Cancer Society, Reach to Recovery and Relay for Life volunteer
Honors and Awards
- 2008 – Lifetime Achievement Award, Driscoll Catholic High School Alumni Association
- 2012 – Helen C. Kinney Scholarship, DuPage Association of Women Lawyers
- 2013 – Alumni Council Prize, NIU College of Law Alumni Council
- 2021 - Super Lawyers, Rising Star Award