Illinois Rental, Property & Microbusiness Legal Services

Attuned Legal is a private law firm providing set-fee legal consultation services for Illinois rental, property, and microbusiness issues. When appropriate, following a paid consultation, we also offer unbundled legal services including legal drafting, legal editing, and limited-scope representation in the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Our Values

AUTHENTICITY

We support clients who want to explore creative ways to navigate conflicts and bureaucracy authentically.

FREEDOM

Conflict resolution skills and legal insights give our clients freedom to make informed decisions.

FAIRNESS

Our clients seek fair resolutions that acknowledge messy realities and serve the highest good of all concerned.

Our Services

HOW TO REQUEST A CONSULTATION

Appointments must be requested online. Our online scheduler displays our attorney’s current consultation availability. Your legal matter may be very time-sensitive, so you should contact another attorney for legal advice if you don’t see an appointment that suits you.

After selecting the appointment you wish to request, fill out our form to tell us about your legal situation. Submitting the form doesn’t make us your attorney or require us to provide legal services. We’ll review your submitted information and then confirm or cancel your appointment.

If your session is confirmed, you must complete our intake paperwork and provide payment before speaking with our attorney. Legal advice is only available during scheduled sessions. We cancel appointments when the intake paperwork and payment aren’t complete before the scheduled start time.

CONSULTATION SESSIONS ($150-$300)

Each new matter begins with a phone or video consultation session. Our standard set fee for up to one hour of attorney consultation is $300. Clients may self-select a sliding scale option starting at $150 (50% discount). Our firm is also in-network for certain US Legal and ARAG legal insurance plan members. 

Our consultation service aims to allow you to resolve matters cost-effectively and discreetly without relying on an attorney to do steps you can do yourself. Clients often seek our perspective in delicate rental, condo, and family business situations where revealing the involvement of an attorney would cause tension. We also help people who have taken significant risks and want to manage the consequences privately.

LEGAL DRAFTING & EDITING ($1500+)

When it makes sense following a paid consultation session, we offer legal drafting and editing services for Illinois small businesses and creative projects. Fees for all drafting and editing start at $1500 for up to three pages. If you have a creative project and need free or lower-cost services, we encourage you to contact Lawyers for the Creative Arts, where our attorney volunteers.

Examples of our microbusiness and creative drafting projects:

  • Split Sheets
  • Privacy Policies
  • Terms & Conditions (T&C)
  • Contracts, Subcontracts & Specifications
  • Purchase & Sale Agreements
  • Website & App Development Agreements
  • Liability Waivers

We also draft for small landlords and property associations:

  • Rental Application Procedures
  • Leases, Assignments, & Subleases
  • Early Termination & Move-Out Agreements
  • Property Manager Contracts
  • Crisis Management Communications
  • Eviction Notices
  • Local Ordinance Compliance

LIMITED-SCOPE REPRESENTATION ($2500+)

After the initial paid consultation, we may agree to offer limited-scope representation. We only appear on behalf of clients in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.

In eviction cases, we charge a set fee of $2500 for pre-trial legal services and an additional $2500 for trial. Clients must also pay filing, service, and witness fees. All other representation starts at $5000.

Get to Know Attorney Terra Gross

I’m a musician, attorney, and mediator, originally from Portland, Oregon and now based in Evanston, Illinois. My pronouns are they/she and I prefer the non-gendered honorific Mx. in formal settings.

The mission of Attuned Legal, which took shape in the Chicago Bar Association’s Justice Entrepreneurs Project legal incubator, is to provide candid, open-minded legal advice for handling thorny living situations and creative and small business issues. Before becoming a lawyer, when I freelanced as a violinist and English instructor, I had many stressful living and working arrangements. I know how sharply legal formalities may contrast real life, and I enjoy helping clients nudge delicate situations back on the rails.

In addition to my private practice at Attuned Legal, I answer questions from small landlords who call the Eviction Help Illinois hotline, volunteer with Lawyers for the Creative Arts, and serve as a member of the Chicago Bar Association’s Modern Law Practice Committee. Since becoming a licensed attorney in Illinois in 2013, I’ve devoted myself to civil legal matters:

  • As a civil litigation attorney representing state employees and agencies, I learned to appreciate the inner workings of Illinois government.
  • Clerking for a Cook County Chancery Division judge, I gained an intimate view of the civil court system where I now practice.
  • Representing insurers in property coverage disputes at boutique and national Chicago-based firms, I developed proactive risk management skills.

Admissions

  • Illinois (2013)
  • United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2019)
  • United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois (2014)

Education

  • Portland State University, M.Ed., 2010
  • Prescott College, B.A., 2006

Memberships

  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • American Bar Association