Smith & Illner, LLC

Attorneys at Law
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About Smith & Illner  

 

Once on opposite sides of the courtroom, Timothy T. Smith and Michael D. Illner now work side-by-side to argue for the justice on behalf of children and families. With nearly 65 combined years of family law experience, Smith & Illner is a firm like no other in Northeast Ohio. By limiting the types of cases they take, Tim and Mike are concentrated in just one area. Their focus and energy is tied strictly to family law. Both partners remain focused on their clients and their goal of improving a seemingly impossible situation. Tim and Mike work in tandem to create the best possible legal strategy to see justice served by listening, understanding, empathizing and using their 65 combined years of experience.



About Mike Illner
 
Michael Illner has long been an advocate for children. Beginning his career first as a public school teacher, Mike connected with children on the most basic level encouraging their academic growth. Mike also served as president of a teacher's union, learning valuable communication skills while serving as chief negotiator during labor negotiations. With a desire to support and protect the welfare of children, he earned his Juris Doctor Degree and worked for several years in the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office on juvenile delinquency, adult felony and children’s services cases. After twelve years serving the public, Mike moved to a private law practice in 1997 handling all types of family law cases.
 
In 2006, he says he partnered with Mr. Timothy Smith because of his “uncanny ability to empathize with his clients and the level of trust that forms through that empathy.” From this partnership Smith & Illner was born.

 

Mike enjoys his job and finds both professional and moral fulfillment in protecting children. He lives with his family in Westlake, is involved with his church and enjoys international travel.

About Tim Smith
 
With his entire career spent in Family Law, Timothy Smith is proud to have spent nearly 40 years working with people on such a personal level. A graduate of St. Joseph College and the Law School at Case Western Reserve University, Tim worked his first domestic relations case just a week after passing the Bar Exam in 1969. He worked in private practice from an office in Avon Lake while serving as part-time Law Director for Sheffield Lake until 1999.
 
In 2006, Tim partnered with Mr. Michael Illner to form Smith & Illner. “My partner Mike sets realistic, logical goals for our clients and then enables them to happen.”

 

Finding fulfillment from his job of helping people, Tim is also an avid baseball fan. He lives in Avon Lake with his wife and enjoys spending time with his children and grandchildren.