Elliott Associates

What Elliott Associates does

Elliott & Associates Attorneys, PLLC (operating as Elliott Law) is an Illinois-based property tax law firm founded in 1994 by Michael J. Elliott and Joanne P. Elliott, headquartered in Des Plaines with a second office in Chicago. The firm specializes exclusively in property tax appeals, representing commercial property owners, hotel owners, condominium and homeowner associations, and individual homeowners before the Assessor, Board of Review, Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB), and Circuit Court in Cook County, the surrounding collar counties, and statewide Illinois. The firm markets a proprietary 7-step tax appeal process and reports more than $300 million in cumulative client tax savings since inception.

The firm operates with a curated 28-person team comprising attorneys, valuation analysts, paralegals, and accounting staff. Its principal technology asset is CompFinder, a proprietary comparable-property search tool that queries a real-time database of Cook County assessments and sales data to identify reduction grounds for residential appeals. Service delivery is organized into four vertical modules: Commercial Property Tax Appeals, Hotel Property Tax Appeals (with specialization in separating taxable real estate value from non-taxable FF&E and goodwill), Community Association Tax Appeals, and Homeowner Property Tax Appeals. Distribution is direct-consultation led (phone or web form), supplemented by referring-attorney partnerships, content marketing (blog, webinars, Illinois State Bar Association publications), and industry event participation.

The business model is professional-services based, with revenue from legal representation fees. Residential homeowner cases are handled on a contingent-fee basis (no fee unless assessment is reduced), while commercial and association engagements use fee structures that vary by complexity and scope, often structured as multi-year engagements. The firm is entirely founder/partnership-owned with no external investors, no institutional ownership, and no disclosed revenue. It is geographically constrained to Illinois, with particular depth in Cook County.

Name

Elliott Associates

Legal name

Elliott & Associates Attorneys, PLLC

Website

https://elliottlaw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Elliott & Associates is an Illinois property tax law firm founded in 1994, representing commercial property owners, hotel owners, community associations, and homeowners in tax assessment appeals across Cook County and statewide Illinois using a proprietary 7-step process and CompFinder comparable-property software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Property Tax Legal Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Appraisers (531320), Offices of Real Estate Appraisers (53132)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Tax Assessment Appeal & Property Tax Consulting (BPAJAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Real Estate Tax, Incentives & Cost Segregation Advisory (BPAJANAJ), Real Estate Valuation & Appraisal (BPAHANAC), Real Estate Valuation Review & Litigation/Dispute Support Advisory (BPAJANAK)

Keywords

• Property tax appeals
• Tax law services
• Commercial tax reduction
• Real estate tax law
• Assessment appeal representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Des Plaines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Property Tax Appeal Legal Services: Legal representation services for property tax appeals including assessment challenges, tax incentive applications, and litigation support. Services billed through consultation fees and potentially contingency arrangements for qualifying cases.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Elliott & Associates is an Illinois property tax law firm that represents commercial property owners, hotel owners, community associations, and individual homeowners in property tax assessment appeals. The firm employs a proprietary 7-step process and its CompFinder software to contest over-assessments, pursue tax refunds, and obtain tax incentives (Class 6b, 8) before the Assessor, Board of Review, Property Tax Appeal Board, and Circuit Court.

Product overview

Elliott & Associates is a specialized property tax appeal law firm offering legal services through a single unified practice focused exclusively on minimizing property taxes for Illinois property owners. The firm utilizes a proprietary 7-step process and CompFinder software for comparable property analysis. Services are delivered through specialized modules targeting distinct client segments: Commercial Property Owners, Hotel Owners, Community Associations (condominiums/HOAs), and individual Homeowners. The firm operates across Cook County, collar counties (DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry, Will), and throughout Illinois, offering representation before the Assessor, Board of Review, Property Tax Appeal Board (PTAB), and Circuit Court.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Property Tax Appeals Specialized legal services for commercial property owners including office buildings, industrial buildings, retail, and multi-tenant properties to minimize property taxes through assessment challenges, valuation analysis, and tax incentive applications.
• Hotel Property Tax Appeals Expert valuation analysis and legal representation for hotel owners to separate taxable real estate value from non-taxable business assets (FF&E, goodwill) in assessment appeals, including portfolio management for multiple hotel properties.
• Community Association Tax Appeals

Quantifiable outcome

• $300 Million+ saved for clients since 1994
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Illinois Property Tax Lawyer's Association (IPTLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichael J. Elliott is a founding member of IPTLA. The association provides a forum for property tax practitioners to collaborate and advance the interests of property taxpayers in Illinois.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Ryan, LLC: Ryan is a global tax services and advisory firm with a substantial property tax practice serving commercial real estate owners. Overlap with Elliott is at the property tax consulting layer, though Ryan operates across a far broader tax services portfolio.
• BDO USA: BDO offers property tax compliance and consulting as part of its broader accounting/advisory suite. It serves enterprise real estate owners with property tax services comparable to Elliott's commercial offering, but as one of many lines within a full-service firm.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): JLL is a global CRE services firm with property tax and valuation capabilities serving institutional owners. Comparable to Elliott at the commercial property tax appeal layer, though far broader in scope.
• Newmark Valuation & Advisory: Newmark's Valuation & Advisory practice provides appraisal and tax consulting for commercial real estate. Overlaps with Elliott's valuation analysis and commercial appeal work for institutional and large private owners.
• Kroll (formerly Duff & Phelps): Kroll's Valuation Advisory services include real estate valuation and property tax-related work. Comparable to Elliott's valuation analysis and litigation support dimensions, particularly for commercial and complex asset classes.
• Crowe LLP: Crowe provides property tax and valuation services as part of its broader tax and advisory practice. Like other accounting-adjacent firms, it overlaps with Elliott's commercial property tax appeal services on enterprise clients.
• Cushman & Wakefield (Valuation & Advisory): Cushman & Wakefield provides commercial real estate services including valuation and tax consulting. Its property tax overlay overlaps with Elliott's commercial assessment appeal services and brings wider CRE services portfolio scale.

Direct peers

• O'Malley & Associates (or comparable Midwestern property tax boutique): Midwestern property tax boutique law and consulting firms that compete with Elliott for the same commercial, hotel, and association clients at the Assessor/PTAB/Circuit Court levels. Direct competitor in Illinois/collar county markets.
• Marvin F. Poer & Company: Poer is one of the largest U.S. commercial property tax consulting firms, representing property owners in assessment appeals and valuation disputes. It is a comparable specialist services peer to Elliott's commercial and hotel property tax appeal work.
• Altus Group: Altus Group is a leading commercial property tax consulting and valuation firm serving institutional property owners. It is directly comparable to Elliott & Associates' commercial property tax appeal practice and represents the scaled, multi-state version of what Elliott does locally in Illinois.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elliott Associates