CALIFF & HARPER, P.C.

What CALIFF & HARPER, P.C. does

Califf & Harper, P.C. is a regional law firm operating as an Illinois professional corporation, founded in 1870 as Kenworthy & Beardsley in Rock Island, Illinois. The firm has operated continuously for more than 150 years, with its current Moline, Illinois headquarters housed in the Heritage Place Building since 1918, and a secondary office in Naperville, Illinois serving the Chicago western-suburban market since 2010. The firm is privately owned by its attorney shareholders and has no identified parent company, outside investors, or institutional backing.

The firm delivers legal services exclusively through partner and associate attorney time, billed on an hourly rate basis across twenty-plus practice areas spanning Business Counseling & Commercial Transactions, Commercial & Civil Litigation, Employment and Labor Law, Estate Planning & Wealth Preservation, Taxation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate/Development/Zoning, Banking & Financial Institutions, Immigration Law, Workers' Compensation Defense, Construction Industry, Mechanic's Lien Law, Employee Benefits, Elder Law, Arbitration & Mediation, Creditors' Rights, Public Sector/Municipalities/School Law, and E-Business. A specialized "Business Legal Audit" service offers a distinct fixed-scope legal review engagement for business clients.

The client base is regionally diversified across the Iowa/Illinois Quad Cities corridor and the Chicago metropolitan area, including business clients (sole proprietors, partnerships, corporations, LLCs) across banking, credit unions, manufacturing, IT, healthcare, non-profit, public bodies, real estate development, restaurants, and accounting; individual clients (business owners, executives, and high-net-worth families) for estate planning and immigration; financial institutions; and municipalities, counties, and school districts. The firm markets through its website (califf.com) with Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel tracking, and relies on bar-association membership and individual attorney board involvement for referral flow. Eight practicing attorneys are listed on the website, with multi-state bar admissions covering Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Arkansas, plus federal court admissions in the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois, Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa, Eastern District of Wisconsin, Delaware Bankruptcy Court, the Seventh Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Tax Court.

Name

CALIFF & HARPER, P.C.

Legal name

Califf & Harper, P.C.

Website

https://califf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Califf & Harper, P.C. is a privately held Illinois regional law firm founded in 1870, offering 20-plus practice areas to businesses, individuals, financial institutions, and public entities across the Quad Cities and Chicago metropolitan areas through eight attorneys in Moline and Naperville.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Moline

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Califf & Harper, P.C. is a regional law firm providing comprehensive legal counsel across 20+ practice areas, including business counseling, commercial transactions, commercial and civil litigation, employment and labor law, taxation, mergers and acquisitions, real estate, banking and financial institutions law, estate planning, elder law, immigration, construction law, workers' compensation defense, public sector law, and alternative dispute resolution. The firm serves businesses, financial institutions, public entities, and individuals and families from offices in Moline, Illinois and Naperville, Illinois.

Product overview

Califf & Harper, P.C. is a regional law firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal services through distinct practice areas rather than a unified software product. The firm provides legal counsel across 20+ core practice areas including Business Counseling & Commercial Transactions, Commercial & Civil Litigation, Employment Law, Taxation, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate, and Estate Planning & Wealth Preservation. The firm also offers a specialized Business Legal Audit service as a distinct offering to assess legal health of business operations. These services are delivered by attorneys with expertise in specific legal domains, serving clients throughout Iowa and Illinois, with offices in Moline, Illinois and Naperville, Illinois.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Legal Audit A comprehensive legal review service examining business operations to identify potential legal problems, risks, and cost-saving opportunities, helping businesses operate with fewer legal risks and improved profitability.
• Business Counseling & Commercial Transactions Advisory services for businesses from sole proprietors to corporations and LLCs, covering entity formation, contracts, negotiations, corporate finance, equipment sales and purchase agreements, and general counsel functions.
• Commercial & Civil Litigation Full-service litigation representation including corporate litigation, general business litigation, commercial litigation, employment matters, real estate litigation, construction litigation, and bankruptcy litigation.
• Trust & Estate Administration Estate administration services including preparing estate, gift, and income tax returns, and implementing post-death election strategies for tax savings.
• Elder Law Legal services for seniors including nursing home expense planning, health and long-term care planning, public benefits, surrogate decision-making, and protection from abuse and exploitation.
• Estate Planning & Wealth Preservation Asset preservation services including wills, trusts, family business succession planning, estate tax reduction techniques (ILITs, QPRTs, family limited partnerships, charitable trusts, GRATs), and asset protection.
• Employment Law Full-service employment law counseling including civil litigation, administrative agency charges, personnel policies, employee benefits matters, and compliance with employment obligations.
• Taxation Tax law services covering federal and state tax issues, IRS audits, administrative hearings, litigation, valuation disputes, and estate and trust litigation.
• E-Business Legal support for e-commerce and online businesses including contract law, consumer issues, payment systems, privacy concerns, and intellectual property protection.
• Labor Law Labor law representation including NLRB proceedings, union contract negotiations, wage and hour compliance, collective bargaining, and arbitration.
• Mergers & Acquisitions Transaction facilitation including structuring, financing, and completion of acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, recapitalizations, and representation of various parties in public and private company transactions.
• Banking & Financial Institutions Legal representation for banks and financial institutions covering commercial agreements, loan documentation, leveraged acquisitions, and equipment leasing.
• Real Estate, Development, Zoning Comprehensive real estate services including purchase and sale, financing, zoning, environmental matters, foreclosure representation, and commercial/residential landlord-tenant matters.
• Immigration Law Immigration services for businesses and individuals including employment-based and family-based permanent residence, temporary business visas (H-1B, L-1, O-1), and IRCA compliance.
• Construction Industry Construction law services covering bidding, contract negotiation, government compliance, dispute resolution, and mechanic's liens.
• Mechanic's Lien Law Filing and enforcement of private, commercial, and residential mechanic's liens together with public municipal claims in Iowa and Illinois.
• Workers' Compensation Defense Defense representation for insurance carriers, third-party administrators, and self-insured employers from initial claim notice through arbitration and settlement.
• Public Sector, Municipalities, School Law Representation for public bodies including municipalities, counties, school districts, handling Open Meetings Act, Freedom of Information Act, and constitutional disputes.
• Arbitration & Mediation Alternative dispute resolution services including informal non-binding mediation and formal binding arbitration, with counsel on when ADR is appropriate.
• Creditors' Rights in Bankruptcy, Foreclosures, & Collections Advocacy for creditors in bankruptcy estates, foreclosures, and collections including lifting automatic stays, organizing repayment plans, and repossession.
• Employee Benefits Design and administration of retirement plans, healthcare plans, qualified pension plans, 401(k), ESOPs, non-qualified deferred compensation, and ERISA compliance.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Western Illinois University FoundationminorOthersSteven L. Nelson served as Past Chair (1999-2000) and served on the board from 2014-2016 and 2018. He received the 2015 Alumni Achievement Award.
• Western Illinois University - Board of TrusteesminorOthersSteven L. Nelson served as Member of Board of Trustees from 2006-2011 and 2016-2018.
• Black Hawk CollegeminorOthersSteven L. Nelson was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame in 2017.
• SAL Family and Community ServicesminorOthersKarla C. Steele serves as Board of Directors, Member (2018-Present)
• Trinity College of Nursing and Health SciencesminorOthersKarla C. Steele serves as Board of Directors, Member (2014-Present)
• Trinity Regional Health System Board of TrusteesminorOthersKarla C. Steele served as Member of Trinity Regional Health System Board of Trustees and Trinity (UnityPoint) Medical Center Board of Trustees (2009-2018)
• Quad City Health InitiativeminorOthersKarla C. Steele served as Board of Directors, Member (2011-2018)
• Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa and Western IllinoisminorOthersKarla C. Steele served as Board of Directors, Member (2010-2014)
• Western Illinois University FoundationminorOthersKarla C. Steele served as Quad Cities Leadership Committee, Past Member
• Quad City Estate Planning CouncilminorOthersJohn A. Slover, Jr. served as President (2002-2003)
• Two Rivers YMCAminorOthersJohn A. Slover, Jr. served as Board of Directors Member (1995-2000; 2005), President (1997-2000), and currently Board of Trustees Member and Chairman (2005-present)
• Illinois State Bar AssociationminorOthersFirm attorneys are members and hold leadership positions including Past Chairman of Committee on Federal Taxation
• Iowa State Bar AssociationminorOthersFirm attorneys are members
• American Bar AssociationminorOthersFirm attorneys are members including Labor Law Section
• Rock Island County Bar AssociationminorOthersFirm attorneys are members
• Scott County Bar AssociationminorOthersFirm attorneys are members
• DuPage County Bar AssociationminorOthersFirm attorneys are members
• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)minorOthersKarla C. Steele is a member; firm stays apprised of immigration law changes through AILA membership and continuing legal education
• Missouri State Bar AssociationminorOthersFirm attorneys are members
• Airports Council International, N.A.minorOthersHarvey A. Levin serves on the Legal Committee; honored for over 30 years of service
• John Deere ClassicminorOthersHarvey A. Levin serves as Past Chairman

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 CALIFF & HARPER, P.C.