Legal Services & Lawyers

At Law Office of Gale P. Stipes, P.C., our clients always come first. Every client is treated with courtesy and honesty. We will keep you informed through the entire case and pride ourselves on being accessible to our clients. Our experience and integrity have earned us a reputation as one of Madison County, Illinois' premier legal firms.

Whether we are representing you in a divorce, child support, visitation or other family matter or are mediating your divorce or visitation issues our experience and consistent track record of uncompromising ethics instills confidence and trust.

Attorney Gale Stipes is dedicated to representing you honestly and competently to achieve the best possible outcome for every client. At what may be the most difficult time in your life you can be assured that we will be available to you and will do everything we can to bring your case to a quick conclusion.

I began my legal career as a Law Clerk for Judge Joseph Barr in the late 1970's. From there, I worked at Dunham, Bowman & Leskera as their Law clerk till January of 1981 when I became an Assistant States Attorney for Madison County Illinois. My tour of duty there lasted 4 years. From January 1985 through December 1996, my legal career had been with both Attorney Ben Allen and Doug Mendenhall. Effective January 1, 1997 I am a solo practitioner, and handle all sorts of legal matters, specializing in Plaintiffs Personal Injury and Criminal Defense. I provide full service legal representation, and can handle most every legal matter you will face in an expert manner. I have been in practice in Madison County, Illinois for over 28 years now, and am well versed in different diverse and overlapping fields of law. Concentrating in State & Federal Criminal Defense work, and am or have been a Public Defender for both our Local State & Federal Courts.

The office generally is open from 8:30am to 5:00pm Monday thru Friday. As I am often in court I ask you call first, and I always return phone calls. For general misdemeanor and traffic matters fees range from $150.00 for a simple speeding ticket, to $400.00 for most simple first time misdemeanors like battery or assault, and $1,000.00 to $3,000.00 for first time DUI's or other more serious misdemeanors, this is a general fee base.

The Bankruptcy Laws changed drastically on October 17, 2005! For chapter 7 Bankruptcy's my fees due to the change in the law & my services after that date as a Debt Relief Agency under that statute will start at $1,000.00 Attorney's fee, with the court fee of $300.00. There will be a Credit Counseling Course, you must take before and after the bankruptcy being filed and you are responsible for paying that. Lastly, we can run a credit report if you request, $30.00 for individuals, $50.00 for a married couple. More complicated cases in Bankruptcy of course require more than the $1,000.00 Attorney's fee for the new Chapter 7 cases after October 17, 2005. As required by statute "We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code."

For most divorce and family matters, as well as civil defense I charge at the rate of $200.00 per hour, plus expenses, and generally require a minimum cash retainer of $750.00, and depending on the case, more. For State Felonies, the fees are $1,000.00 to $2,5000.00 for simple first time non-violent felonies, on up, and the fee is negotiable, based upon the accused's record and the severity of the charge.

For Federal Felonies, the fees start at $2500.00 for simple first time non-violent felonies, on up, and the fee is negotiable, based upon the accused's record and the severity of the charge.

Areas of Practice
Bankruptcy Law
Discrimination
Criminal Law
DUI/DWI
Traffic Violations
White Collar Crimes
Employment Law -- Employee
Estate Planning
Trusts
Wills
Family Law
Child Support
Custody & Visitation
Divorce
Personal Injury -- Plaintiff
Motor Vehicle Accidents -- Plaintiff
Medical Malpractice
Workers' Compensation Law
Litigation Percentage
90% of Practice Devoted to Litigation
Bar Admissions
Illinois, 1981
U.S. District Court Southern District of Illinois, 1985
U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1997
Education
Saint Louis University School of Law, St Louis, Missouri

Doctor of Jurisprudence - 1981
St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri

A.B. - 1978
Major: Political Science
Representative Clients
Madison County, Special Public Defender Since 1997
Panel Attorney, CJA, Southern District of Illinois, 1997
References
Bob Means, Madison County Merit Commission
Wood River Ford, Inc.
Dr. E. J. Diestelkamp
Classes/Seminars
Asst. Professor, Lewis & Clark Community College, Godfrey, IL, 1985 - Present
Honors and Awards
Outstanding Young Men of America, 1983
Professional Associations and Memberships
Godfrey Village, Trustee, 1993 - 1999
Past Employment Positions
Madison County States Attorney Office, Assistant States Attorney, 1981 - 1985
Smith, Allen, Merderhall, Delaney & Assoc, Partner, 1985 -

Attorney G. Edward Murphy is the managing attorney and lead counsel for The Murphy Law Group, P.C., and is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois, the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois, and the United States Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. He has handled over 4,500 divorce, family law and criminal law cases over the last 21 years. He is a Peoria native who returned home after law school and later joined James D. Reynolds to start the firm in 1988.

Mr. Murphy is a graduate of Northern Illinois University College of Law, where he graduated third in his class. He received his Juris Doctorate degree in 1987. He received his undergraduate Bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa, and he completed his Associates degree at Illinois Central College. Mr. Murphy is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and Peoria County Bar Association. He serves on local family law committees and is a member of the family law section at both the local and state level. He is also a certified family law mediator, able to mediate and arbitrate all family law matters involved in dissolution of marriage actions.

G. Edward Murphy has a history of success in all that he has undertaken. He was a successful student-athlete, excelling in sports as an All-State baseball player and golfer in high school, and pitching in baseball for the University of Iowa in college. In law school, he continued this level of success by graduating 3rd in his entire class, writing as an Editor for the Law Review, and competing in the Moot Court competition. This history of accomplishment in both academic and athletic arenas prepared him well for becoming a trial attorney. For the past 21 years, Mr. Murphy has continued to excel in all areas of family law and in mediation. He was voted one of "Illinois Law and Leading Attorneys" in both Family Law and Criminal Law, a distinction given to only the top 6% of attorneys in the State of Illinois. He is a respected member of the bar and a leading attorney in the family law arena. He limits his practice now solely to family law, divorce, custody, and complex property issues.

Mr. Murphy is married with four children. He resides in Peoria, Illinois.