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Melvyn A. Rieff

1944-2021

312-372-2500

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Mr. Rieff was recognized as  AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell®, the highest recognition possible in the legal industry, for his professionalism and ethics.

An attorney for thirty years, Mr. Rieff  served in government and practiced privately. Since 1979, his practice had been concentrated in the area of real estate assessment law. He had contested assessments on all types and sizes of properties and appeared at all administrative levels as well as in court.

Prior to entering private practice, he served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County in the Real Estate Tax Section of the Civil Division representing various county offices, including all those involved in the assessment and collection of real estate taxes. He also served as Chief of the State’s Attorney’s Environmental Law Department. Mr. Rieff’s former governmental law experience included service as City Attorney for Carbondale, Illinois and as an Assistant Illinois Attorney General.

Mr. Rieff was a past Chairman of the Chicago Bar Association’s Real Estate Taxation Committee. He previously served as Vice-Chairman of the committee and Chairman of its Legislation Subcommittee. He served as a member of the Civic Federation’s Task Force on Reforming the Cook County Tax Appeals Process and had also served as Chairman of the Bench and Bar Advisory Committee on Real Estate Tax Objections in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Mr. Rieff lectured at seminars on Real Estate Tax Law and procedures for the Chicago Bar Association, the DuPage County Bar Association, Lorman Education Services and for private law firms. He had both his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. He was admitted to practice in the State of Illinois, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Admitted

  • Illinois, 1969
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 1977

Education

  • University of Illinois, J.D., 1968
  • University of Illinois, B.A., 1965

Associations and memberships

  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association

Biographical details

  • Illinois State Scholar, 1961-1965
  • Adjunct Faculty, IIT/Chicago-Kent College of Law, Spring 1978
  • Assistant Attorney General, State of Illinois, Environmental Control Division, 1971-1973
  • Assistant State’s Attorney, Cook County, 1973-1981
  • Supervisor, Environmental Law Section, 1973-1976
  • General Law and Special Litigation Section, 1976-1980
  • Real Estate Tax Section, 1980-1981
  • Chairman, Bench & Bar Advisory Committee on Tax Objections, Circuit Court of Cook County, 1993-1994

Rieff Schramm Kanter & Guttman serves clients with properties in Chicago and throughout Illinois.