Smith, Hemmesch, Burke & Kaczynski
Ad Valorem Property Taxation
For over 70 years, the law firm of Smith, Hemmesch, Burke & Kaczynski has focused on representing commercial, industrial, and multi-residential property owners in acquiring fair and equitable real estate assessments throughout the United States.
Each member of our firm has extensive litigation and property tax credentials enabling us to advocate your tax protest in any forum from administrative hearings in the various government offices, litigation in the circuit courts, and where appropriate, appeals to higher courts.
Principals of the firm own commercial, industrial and other income property. Our general knowledge of real estate and more particularly, value, enhances the firm’s analytical skills and tax assessment protest strategies producing exceptional result.
HISTORY
Smith, Hemmesch, Burke & Kaczynski has been representing property owners in Illinois for over seventy years, consistently delivering outstanding results for owners of all kinds of property. The firm began in the 1940’s when Charles Brookins, an employee at the Cook County Assessor’s office, left to start his own property tax consultant group. Charles Brookins & Associates provided tax services to property owners, the firm’s first major client was Sears Roebuck & Co. Mr. Brookins son joined the firm as an accountant and the firm offered a myriad of financial and tax related services.
In time, the focus of the firm’s practice narrowed. Laurence Taslitz and Irving Hollobow practiced primarily in the area of ad valorem taxation of real and personal property. Together, Mr. Taslitz and Mr. Hollobow worked to build the firm’s presence in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs.
William L. Smith Jr. joined Taslitz & Hollobow in the 1970’s and shortly thereafter Donald F. Hemmesch Jr. became affiliated with the firm. Bill Smith and Don Hemmesch with the aid and hard work of their partners have transformed and made SHBK what it is today. SHBK represents all types of property owners, from local home and business owners to prominent Fortune 500 companies with unique real estate taxation issues.
