D. Rebecca Mitchell, Of Counsel to the firm, brings more than 20 years of legal experience to her current concentration in Elder Law, Estate and Disability Planning, Guardianship, Estate and Trust Administration, Probate, Health Care Decision-Making, Powers of Attorney, Long Term Care Financing, Special Needs Trusts, and Nursing Home Resident’s Rights. She received her Bachelor’s from Syracuse University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Becky earned her Juris Doctor from the State University of New York College of Law at Buffalo. She also attended Colegio LaPaz in Aguascalientes, Mexico.

Becky is the Treasurer and a past President of the Illinois Chapter, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, and served as chairperson of the Chicago Bar Association Elder Law Committee for two years. She assists the Elder Abuse program at Metropolitan Family Services as a member of its Multi-Disciplinary Advisory Team and serves as volunteer Guardian Ad Litem for the Circuit Court of Cook County. Becky serves as a volunteer mentor/advisor for staff and attorneys at the Center for Disability and Elder Law, and for students and faculty at the Loyola University Elder Law Clinic.

Prior to entering private law practice, Becky managed a legal services program serving senior citizens throughout the City of Chicago. She also served as General Counsel to the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission and managed the legal work for the Illinois Office of State Guardian as its Chief Counsel. Early in her professional career, Becky advocated on behalf of mentally and physically disabled children and adults regarding special education services, rights of institutionalized persons, and other civil rights issues. She also worked as a child protection caseworker.

In 1988, Becky was a Technical Advisor to the Governor’s Commission to Revise the Mental Health Code of Illinois. She was active with the Ad Hoc Task Force on Revision of the Illinois Health Care Decisions Act in 1994, and participated in the Chicago Bar Association Special Committee on Illinois Discovery Rules in 1995.

Becky is a frequent speaker on elder abuse, guardianship, estate and disability planning, probate, long-term care financing, and other elder law and disability issues. She enjoys opportunities to address the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations, Loyola University, DePaul University, John Marshall and the IIT Chicago Kent Schools of Law. Becky also conducts presentations for the Chicago and Illinois Departments on Aging, the Illinois Elder Rights Conference, the Illinois Women and Minority Lawyers Conference, the Railroad Retirement Board, the Veterans Administration, various hospitals, nursing facilities, financial institutions, and professional and community groups in the Chicago Metropolitan area.

E-mail: dmitchell@peckbloom.com