Tiffany Ritchie

As a partner at Schierer & Ritchie, I am a caring and zealous advocate. I share the value system of my partner and am committed to forming personal and caring relationships with my clients, advocating aggressively and zealously for my clients, and honing my legal skills through continued and regular professional training and education to better serve my clients.

Because the consequences can be so long lasting and drastic, when you have been accused of a crime, you don't need a good attorney. You need a great attorney.

More than anything else, I believe a great attorney views and gets to know her client as a person. She learns her client's life story and gains an understanding of the background that led to her client's current circumstance. As a person accused of a crime, you deserve to know that your representative understands you as an individual. I make sure this happens. I speak with you frequently, I make sure you understand each step of the process, and I respond to all of your inquiries in a timely fashion. And, I work hard to make sure that the prosecutor and the judge know you not just as a person accused of a crime, but as a person with a history, a family, and a life that really matters.

While our American theme is "innocent until proven guilty," it often seems this phrase should be the other way around. Make no mistake, when you have been accused of a crime, the cards are stacked against you. Because of this, you need an attorney who really knows how to aggressively represent you. I have spent more time litigating in a courtroom than most attorneys. I enjoy the advocacy of courtroom litigation. Most importantly, I listen intently to what you have to say. With me as your attorney, you will never feel there is a great argument that should have been made but wasn't. I am also an excellent collaborator. Sometimes what you need as a person who has been accused of a crime is simply the assurance that you are getting the best deal possible given your situation. I work well with all parties to make sure you are not getting a raw deal. If there is room for negotiation out there, I will find it and fit you in.

Finally, like Attorney Schierer, I work hard to fine tune my legal knowledge and my legal skills. With me as your attorney you can be assured I will be updated on the law and trained in the most recent courtroom techniques. As your attorney, I owe you the duty of competency. I strive to provide you with excellency.

Before all this began, I earned a B.S. in Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Thereafter I went on full scholarship and earned a J.D. summa cum laude from Southern Illinois University. Since then, I have been honored to join the bars of the States of Illinois, Missouri and California. As a result, I am uniquely qualified to practice in all state courts in these states and in several federal courts throughout the states.

I work in both the trial and the appellate venues of practice. I have worked on numerous misdemeanor and felony cases and have even had the pleasure of successfully arguing a criminal defense case before the Illinois Supreme Court at the age of 28.

When not working or volunteering in the community, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, exploring local cuisine, hiking the wilderness, and reading a great book.