When it matters most, experience answers.
A boutique Chicago and Cook County firm where a senior attorney takes your case personally — and prepares every one as if it will be tried.
Practice areas
Counsel across the moments that define a life.
Personal Injury
Car accidents, premises, and wrongful death. No fee unless we recover for you.
Family Law
Divorce, custody, and support — handled with discretion and a steady hand.
Business & Contracts
Formation, disputes, and the agreements that keep your company protected.
Estate Planning
Wills, trusts, and probate that spare your family stress and uncertainty.
Real Estate
Closings, disputes, and zoning for owners, buyers, and investors.
Criminal Defense
A vigorous, strategic defense that protects your record and your future.
Why Hartwell & Crane
Big-firm firepower. Boutique-firm care.
Partner-level attention
A senior attorney handles your matter — not a rotating cast of associates.
Straight answers, early
We tell you where you really stand and what it will take, from the first call.
Contingency on injury cases
On personal-injury matters you pay nothing unless we win or settle.
Trial-ready, settlement-smart
We prepare every case to win at trial — which is exactly why most resolve well.
Representative results
A record built case by case.
Recovered for a rear-end collision client (representative result)
Wrongful-death settlement for a Cook County family
Family-law matters resolved without a contested trial
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Each case is unique and depends on its own facts.
Your attorney
Eleanor Hartwell
J.D., 22 years · Super Lawyers
“Clients don’t come to us on their best day. My job is to carry the legal weight so they can carry on with their lives — and to fight like the outcome is my own.”
Speak with Eleanor“Eleanor walked us through the worst year of our lives with calm and clarity. We always knew where things stood, and the result exceeded what we hoped for.”
“Responsive, honest, and genuinely prepared. They treated a small business dispute like it mattered — because to us, it did.”
Free consultation
Tell us what happened.
Your first consultation is free and confidential. Share a few details and an attorney — not a screener — will call you back, often same day.
- 312.555.0177
- 120 N LaSalle Street, Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60602
- Mon–Fri, 8:30am – 6:00pm · 24/7 intake line