Stanko McCarthy Law Group

What Stanko McCarthy Law Group does

Stanko McCarthy Law Group is a Chicago-based boutique law firm that concentrates its practice in Illinois real estate taxation, with 6-7 attorneys led by partners John W. Stanko Jr. and Emmett R. McCarthy. The firm, formerly known as Flamm, Teibloom, Stanko & McCarthy, carries the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell and has more than 35 years of experience handling tax sale matters. Its core offerings span tax sales and tax deeds, tax certificate purchase/assignment and ongoing servicing, property tax redemptions, tax reductions and exemptions, Cook County Indemnity Fund proceedings, real estate closings and litigation, and complementary services such as mortgage foreclosure defense, collateral protection/bankruptcy, short sales, inverse condemnation, and wills/trusts/estate planning.

The firm serves a broad client base that spans institutional financial intermediaries (Wells Fargo, Wintrust, TCF, First Bank, North Shore Community Bank, Barrington Bank, Chicago Title, Fidelity National Title, Stewart Title, Ocwen, RoundPoint, Loop Mortgage), municipalities and park districts (Villages of Dolton, Lansing, Niles, Posen; Forest Park and Lighthouse Park Districts), real estate tax investors, and individual property owners. Distribution is traditional and relationship-driven: clients enter through website contact forms, phone, professional referrals, and attorney speaking engagements at the Chicago Bar Association and the National Tax Lien Association.

Revenue mechanics are classic professional services. Fees are quote-based and tailored to client and portfolio size; the firm operates on retainers paid in advance, monthly portfolio-value-based servicing fees for tax lien portfolios, per-service billing for a la carte work, and pass-through out-of-pocket costs typically ranging $900-$1,500 per tax deed proceeding. The firm integrates Clio for online credit card payments, but otherwise relies on attorney time, procedural expertise in the Illinois Property Tax Code, and a referral network rather than proprietary technology or scale-driven distribution.

Name

Stanko McCarthy Law Group

Legal name

Stanko McCarthy Law Group LLC

Website

https://smlg.law

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stanko McCarthy Law Group is a Chicago-based boutique law firm specializing in Illinois real estate taxation, serving banks, title companies, mortgage servicers, municipalities, tax investors, and property owners across Illinois through litigation, tax sale/deed, and certificate servicing engagements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Tax Law

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Legal Services (5411)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Title Insurance & Underwriting (BPAJAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Family & Private Client (Trusts & Estates) Law (BPAHAAAK)

Keywords

• Real estate tax law
• Tax sale proceedings
• Tax deed litigation
• Tax lien servicing
• Property tax exemptions

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago, Illinois

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Legal Services - Professional Fees: Traditional law firm billing for professional legal services including consultation, tax deed proceedings, litigation, and related real estate tax matters. Fees are quote-based and tailored to client needs and portfolio size.
2. Tax Lien Servicing Fees: Monthly servicing fees based on portfolio value (value of certificates plus subtaxes paid and posted minus redemptions received), or fees on a per-service basis. Tailored services from pre-acquisition consultation through full tax lien servicing including certificate handling, tax payments, and tax deed petition filing.
3. Retainer and Out-of-Pocket Costs: Requires payment in advance of a retainer before beginning work. Out-of-pocket costs for tax deed proceedings generally range between $900 and $1,500, including Clerk of Circuit Court fees, Cook County Sheriff fees, Recorder of Deeds fees, newspaper publication fees, and court reporter fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stanko McCarthy Law Group is a Chicago-based boutique law firm that provides specialized legal services in Illinois real estate taxation. Its core practice covers tax sale and tax deed proceedings, tax lien and tax certificate servicing for investor portfolios, property tax redemptions, reductions, and exemptions, Cook County Indemnity Fund claims, and real estate closings and litigation. The firm serves financial institutions, municipalities, corporate and individual tax buyers, and property owners throughout Illinois.

Product overview

Stanko McCarthy Law Group is a Chicago-based law firm that operates as a single-service legal practice specializing in real estate taxation law. The firm offers a unified portfolio of legal services centered on Illinois property tax matters. The core offerings include Real Estate Tax Sales & Tax Deeds (tax deed acquisition and litigation), Tax Lien/Tax Certificate Servicing (portfolio management for tax buyers), Real Estate Tax Redemptions and Reductions (property owner representation), Real Estate Tax Exemptions, Indemnity Fund Proceedings, and Real Estate Closings & Transactions. Supporting services include Business Transactions and Litigation, Wills/Trusts/Estates & Probate, Short Sales, Mortgage Foreclosure Defense, and Collateral Protection/Bankruptcy matters. The firm also provides Legal Publications on tax sales and maintains a Legal News Blog. The practice is concentrated in Cook County and serves tax buyers, investors, banks, title companies, municipalities, and individual property owners throughout Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Obtained judgments exceeding $1,000,000.00 in Cook County Indemnity Fund cases
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Chicago Bar AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOur attorneys have served as Chairs of the Real Estate Taxation Committee and the Tax Sale and Tax Deed Subcommittee of the Chicago Bar Association. The firm regularly presents seminars and educational content through the CBA, including video presentations and speaking engagements.
• National Tax Lien Association (NTLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJohn W. Stanko, Jr., and Emmett R. McCarthy spoke at the 2017 NTLA Annual Conference in Fort Lauderdale, demonstrating industry leadership and expertise in tax lien matters.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• BakerHostetler LLP: National law firm with a real estate, finance, and tax practice serving financial institutions and commercial clients. Comparable in addressing property tax and real estate matters for institutional clients, but operates as a broad full-service firm.
• Seyfarth Shaw LLP: National full-service law firm headquartered in Chicago with a real estate and tax practice serving institutional clients. Comparable as a Chicago-based legal services competitor for real estate and tax matters, though operating at much greater breadth and scale.
• Marvin F. Poer & Company: U.S. property tax consulting firm providing compliance and appeal services to commercial real estate owners. Comparable as a property tax services provider for institutional real estate clients, though operating as a consulting firm rather than legal counsel.
• Ryan, LLC: Global tax services firm with a sizable property tax practice serving Fortune 500 real estate owners. Overlaps with Stanko McCarthy in serving institutional clients with property tax advisory and appeal needs, though Ryan's offering is broader and consultancy-led rather than legal counsel.
• Altus Group Limited: Commercial property tax consulting and valuation firm serving large institutional owners across North America. Comparable as a property tax services provider to commercial real estate, but operates at much larger scale as a tech-enabled consulting and software firm rather than as a boutique law practice.
• Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Global full-service law firm with a substantial real estate and property tax practice serving large institutional clients. Competes for adjacent mandates (real estate transactions, tax appeals) where clients may prefer a one-stop full-service firm over a boutique specialist.

Direct peers

• Foreman & Hays, Ltd. Chicago-based law firm concentrating in Illinois real estate tax matters, including tax sales, tax deeds, and property tax appeals. Directly comparable to Stanko McCarthy in geographic focus, niche specialty, and target customer base of tax buyers and property owners.
• Popp Hutcheson PLLC: Texas-based property tax law firm representing commercial and residential owners in tax protests and appeals. Comparable as a specialized property tax litigation practice serving institutional clients, though operating in a different state jurisdiction.
• Hyatt & Weber, P.A. Maryland-based law firm focused on property tax assessment appeals and real estate tax litigation. Comparable niche specialty and institutional client orientation, with a regional rather than Illinois-specific practice focus.
• Walsh, Knippen & Cetina, LLP: Illinois-based law firm concentrating in property tax appeals, real estate tax litigation, and tax sale matters. Directly comparable to Stanko McCarthy in geographic footprint, practice mix, and target clients including commercial property owners and tax buyers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wix
• Xtwitter.com/wix
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stanko-mccarthy-law-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Stanko McCarthy Law Group