Your Small Business and Community Business Ally

A trusted name within the greater Joliet area, Bryan Wellner’s practice has been spanning across multiple areas since November 2015 when he began practicing law and working at Mahoney, Silverman, & Cross, LLC.

Wellner concentrates in corporate and small business, local government, criminal and traffic law practice, and employment.

“Bryan is an all-around excellent attorney. He puts in the necessary work behind the scenes, so he is always prepared,” said Jordan Kielian, of The Wharrie Law Firm, P.C. “He also has a steady demeanor and handles himself and others well in difficult situations. When I recommend clients to Bryan, I know they are in great hands and I am confident they will be beyond satisfied with his representation. And that has been the case since he started practicing.”

Wellner’s family, who owns Wellner Construction Corp, was a motivating factor for him to attend law school, inspired by the dream of one day representing them when he got older.

Wellner’s passion for representing small and community businesses was jump-started by watching his own family run their business and be entrepreneurial. This has inspired him to be that for himself as an attorney and expand his business as much as he can, similar to how they did.

Wellner has many dreams and goals for the future of his career, including owning his own law firm one day.

“I want to be able to represent as many small businesses and help as many community businesses as I can,” said Wellner. “Then get to a point where I can help support other young attorneys and mentor them into having successful careers.”

Noting the mentorship Wellner has received at Mahoney, Silverman, & Cross, LLC from George Mahoney and David Silverman, he said they have been incredibly influential to his career, especially getting into the local government practice area which is their niche.

“They have helped expose me to those opportunities, and they’ve really encouraged me to dive deep into it, and now that I’m in it, to expand my practice, and have given me a ton of guidance and help in expanding it,” Wellner said.

Wellner recounts a fond memory for him where he was appointed his first municipal client, the City of Braidwood, a couple of years into his career. Never expecting to end up in local government law, this was a proud and exciting moment for him, representing an entire municipality.

Wellner is also involved in multiple organizations including the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, and Will County Bar Associations. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Joliet Area Young Professionals, a division of the Joliet Region Chamber of Commerce, the Board of Directors for the Old Timers Baseball Association of Will County, and the Scholarship Committee for the American Italian Cultural Society in Crest Hill, Ill.

Originally from Minooka, Ill., Wellner always had the plan to work in the great Joliet area, “I absolutely love having the work I do overlap with the areas that I grew up in and where friends and family live,” Wellner said.

To learn more about Bryan Wellner and Mahoney, Silverman, & Cross, LLC., visit msclawfirm.com.

Featured Attorney Mazyar M. Hedayat

Getting Started
Mazyar M. Hedayat (“Maz”) earned his MBA in finance and corporate strategy from the University of Michigan before attending DePaul College of Law in 1995; his undergraduate studies were split between the Universities of Michigan and Chicago. Hedayat founded M. Hedayat & Associates after working for a Chicago-based firm.

M. Hedayat & Associates, P.C. represents clients from all over the country in the areas of bankruptcy, commercial litigation, real estate, estates, probate, foreclosures, workouts, purchases, sales, leases, construction, development, and litigation. Hedayat is also a title insurance agent, a business broker, and a holder of the Series 7 and 63 securities licenses.

Internet Startup and Writing
In 1997, Hedayat was invited to the ABA’s Technology Task Force Symposium, and in 1999, he launched a lawyer-focused Internet startup, which debuted at the ABA Tech Show. His involvement in the legal IT world has resulted in long-lasting friendships with the founders of household names like FindLaw, Clio, Legal Match, JD Supra, ProLaw, and others.

Hedayat has written and spoken for the Chicago, DuPage, and Will County Bar Associations, as well as the ABA Tech Show, industry events, and educational publishers National Business Institute and Lorman. His work has included AI, Block-Chain for Lawyers, Mechanics Liens, Bonding, Tax Deeds, Title, Zoning, Dodd-Frank, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He has published dozens of articles and maintained multiple blogs over the years, including a long-running column in Techno Lawyer (now known as Top Law).

Groups and Associations Hedayat spoke at the DuPage County Bar Association’s Mega Seminar, Real Estate Seminar, and was a member of the Court Advisory Committee on E-Filing. He was the Editor in Chief of the County Bar Brief at DCBA and led the Bankruptcy, Business, and Practice Management committees.

Hedayat has served on the Will County Bar Association’s Probate, Real Estate, and Civil Law committees. He also serves as the chair of the Law Practice Management Committee, where he has organized and hosted every annual conference since 2019, in addition to overseeing the LPM’s Internet presence.

Hedayat has also served on the ISBA’s Construction, Small Firm, Legal Technology, Real Estate, and Probate committees. In 2023 he published “Blockchain and AI –Revolutionizing Illinois Real Estate Practice” in the ISBA Real Estate Section newsletter.

Politics
Hedayat was named to the Northern District of Illinois Bankruptcy Court Liaison Committee in 2019, which he co-chaired until the conclusion of his tenure in 2022. He and his co-chair effectively reformed the committee, shortened monthly meetings, published bi-annual committee newsletters, and pioneered and managed the committee’s blog and LinkedIn profile while there.

Hedayat was chosen as a Democratic Precinct Committeeman in 2018 and campaigned for Will County Board. Maz was able to contribute to the smooth running of elections and polling in the 25th District as a Committeeman.

Awards and Recognitions Hedayat has received numerous distinctions, including Legal Match Lawyer of the Year, Bankruptcy Lawyer of the Year, the Board of Directors Award from the DuPage County Bar Association, and numerous client-service awards.

“He is knowledgeable, patient, and very down-to-earth. He leads through example and what motivates us through him is doing all of this for the clients. He gives of himself, he gives freely, and is a phenomenal mentor,” said Trudi Ogden, Senior Paralegal at M. Hedayat & Associates, P.C.

Hedayat also believes in mentorship and community involvement: “The most essential thing any of us can do is to give back,” He said.

Outside of work, he is an enthusiastic biker who enjoys both road and off-road mountain biking. His family is his other passion; he and his wife Della have one son.

More information on Hedayat can be found at @mhalaw and mha-law.com. He is always willing to speak with members of the legal profession. He can be reached at mhedayat@mha-law.com.