• DePaul University College of Law, J.D.

• Loyola University Chicago, M.S.I.R.

• Loyola University Chicago, B.B.A. in Economics

• Illinois Supreme Court, 1998

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2001

• International Latino Cultural Center, Member
• Chicago Latino Public Affairs Committee, Founder
• Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, Member
• Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Member
• Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, Member

htristan@tristanlegal.com

Melody Saveall focuses her practice on employment and commercial disputes and litigation, as well as providing day-to-day general counsel support to employers and businesses. She represents clients in matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage-and-hour claims, restrictive covenants, wrongful termination, and other workplace disputes. Her commercial litigation practice includes breach-of-contract claims, disputes among business owners, business torts, and other matters arising from ongoing business relationships.

In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Saveall serves as outside general counsel to employers on a wide range of employment and human-resources matters. She advises clients regarding employee discipline and termination, workplace investigations, leave and accommodation issues, wage-and-hour compliance, employment policies and handbooks, hiring practices, employment agreements, severance arrangements, and compliance with federal, state, and local employment laws. She also provides ongoing risk-management counseling designed to help businesses address workplace concerns before they develop into formal claims or litigation.

Ms. Saveall’s broader practice includes municipal matters, insurance defense, business formation, corporate governance, and general business counseling. She also manages the firm’s debt-collection practice, overseeing matters from initial demand and negotiation through litigation and post-judgment enforcement.

Before joining Tristan & Cervantes in 2017, Ms. Saveall served as a judicial extern in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County, where she gained insight into complex commercial and equitable disputes. She also worked as a law clerk at the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Through her experience in private practice, the judiciary, and state government, Ms. Saveall has developed substantial hands-on experience in civil litigation, regulatory matters, and business counseling.

Ms. Saveall received Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Philosophy from Vanderbilt University in 2015. She earned her Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2018. Ms. Saveall was named to the Dean’s List throughout her undergraduate and law school careers.

• Vanderbilt University, B.S. in Psychology, B.A. in Philosophy

• Loyola University Chicago School of Law, J.D.

• Illinois Supreme Court, 2018

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2018

msaveall@tristancervantes.com

Dora Cornelio focuses her practice in real estate taxation controversies, such as real estate assessment challenges, real estate tax incentives, and real estate tax exemptions/abatements. She is a zealous representative and advocate for her clients’ interests before state courts and state and local administrative agencies, including county assessors and boards of assessment review. Prior to joining Tristan and Cervantes in 2026, she was an associate at a boutique real estate tax firm where she represented national fast-food chains, industrial and commercial properties, hospitals and medical and assisted living facilities, and also counseled new developments and not-for-profit organizations. Ms. Cornelio’s practice also includes commercial real estate transactions and litigation, including purchase and sale agreements, leasing and breach of contract disputes, and title and boundary matters.

Ms. Cornelio was formerly an Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County and practiced in the Civil Rights and Torts Division. In that role, she represented Cook County and its elected officials and employees before the Circuit Court of Cook County and the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Ms. Cornelio is skilled in all aspects of litigation, including trial, pre-trial preparation, and extensive motion practice. She also served as legal extern for the Honorable Franklin U. Valderrama, in the Chancery Division of the Circuit Court of Cook County.

Ms. Cornelio serves as a Board Director for HLAI: Serving the Hispanic Lawyers of Illinois and as Chair for their Law School Pipeline Committee. She previously served as President of the organization and in various other Officer positions. Ms. Cornelio is also Chair of the Chicago Bar Association’s Real Estate Taxation Committee, and the former Chair for the Subcommittee on Assessments and Appeals. She is an active member of the Illinois State Bar Association and Women’s Property Tax Association of Illinois. Ms. Cornelio was recognized as a 2023 Hot List Honoree for her leadership and commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession by Lawyers of Color. Ms. Cornelio was recognized by the Hispanic National Bar Association as a 2024 Top Lawyer Under 40 Awardee. She has also been recognized as an Illinois Leading Lawyer, Rising Star two years in a row.

Ms. Cornelio’s leadership and service transcend the legal field. She has been a member of the Advisory Board for Wilbur Wright College Paralegal Program since 2013. She is a member of Casa Central’s Board of Directors and previously served as Chairperson of the Emerging Leaders Auxiliary Board (ELAB). She was an ELAB member since the Board’s inception in 2018. Ms. Cornelio was named to Negocios Now Who’s Who in Hispanic Business Chicago – Law in 2026 and 2022 and was named to the publication’s Latinos 40 Under 40 class of 2020. Ms. Cornelio is a 2023 fellow of the Chicago Latino Caucus Foundation Leadership Academy.

Ms. Cornelio received her bachelor’s degree from DePaul University and her law degree from Chicago Kent College of Law.

• Real Estate Tax Disputes
• Real Estate Tax Incentives
• Real Estate Tax Exemptions
• Real Estate  and Land Use
• Commercial Litigation and Transactions
• Construction Law and Development

• Chicago Kent College of Law, J.D.
• DePaul University, B.S.

• Illinois Supreme Court, 2018
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2019

• Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, Board Director
• Chicago Bar Association, Board of Managers Member
• Illinois State Bar Association, Member
• Women’s Property Tax Association, Member
• DAPP, Board Member
• Chicago UNIDOS in Construction, Board Counsel
• Hispanic National Bar Association, Member

dcornelio@tristancervantes.com

Jorge Cazares has worked in the public and private legal sectors. His practice includes the representation of clients (in particular, management) in contract and business disputes, commercial litigation, employment discrimination, local governmental defense, civil rights defense, products liability, defamation, major personal injury defense, labor disputes and arbitrations, bankruptcy litigation, and commercial real estate litigation matters.

Mr. Cazares served as General Counsel for the Chicago Housing Authority. As the first Latino to serve as General Counsel for the Chicago Housing Authority, he oversaw all of the agency’s legal affairs and provided advice and counsel to the CHA’s Board of Commissioners, senior management and employees. Mr. Cazares also supervised a staff of over 50 employees which included over 20 in-house lawyers who provided legal assistance on the complicated and sophisticated real estate and finance transactions involved in creating mixed income communities. The Legal Department also represented the CHA in litigation matters, ranging from personal injury lawsuits to decades-old federal court consent decrees to providing advice and counsel on compliance with HUD and other regulatory requirements.

Mr. Cazares also supervised the agency’s Office of the Inspector General, which investigated reports of possible fraud and waste of CHA’s resources by the agency’s employees, residents or contractors. He also supervised the agency’s ADA compliance department as well as its One-Strike Program.

Following his return to private practice, Mr. Cazares was appointed Chief Ethics Officer and Chief EEO Officer for the CHA. In that capacity, he issued advisory opinions and handled dozens of investigations involving potential violations of the agency’s policies. He also conducted agency-wide training concerning various ethics, EEO, anti-discrimination, and anti-harassment policies.

Prior to his tenure at the CHA, Mr. Cazares spent the majority of his private sector career with a Chicago-based firm where he tried various jury and bench trials and has argued before the United Stated Circuit Court of Appeals and the Illinois Court of Appeals. He also briefly worked in-house during a secondment for a Fortune 100 energy company.

Mr. Cazares has participated as a panel member in various professional organizations. He has received several awards and has been recognized for his work for various charitable organizations. Mr. Cazares was named a Business Leader of Color by Chicago United. Mr. Cazares has been selected as a Leading Lawyer from 2012-2022 by the Leading Lawyers Network. He was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the areas of Civil Rights Law and Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants areas of law. This distinction is reserved for the top 5 percent of attorneys nationwide, as determined purely by his peers.

• Loyola University School of Law, J.D.
• Yale University, B.S.

• Illinois
• New York
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, including the Trial Bar
• U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois

• American Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
• Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois
• Decalogue Society of Lawyers
• Arbitrator, Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program
• Member, Yale University Alumni School Committee
• Member, Yale University Latino Alumni Board
• Member and past President of the Loyola University Latino Alumni Board
• Member and past President of the Board of Directors, Gads Hill Center
• Member, Loyola University School of Law, Alumni Board of Governors
• Member, St. Ignatius College Prep. Law Society
• Member and past President of the Board, Santa Lucia School Board of Specified Jurisdiction
• Founding Member, Secretary and past Treasurer, Chicago Police Foundation

• Secured summary judgment for national healthcare organization against claims including civil conspiracy, anti-trust and defamation.
• Representation of transportation company in qui tam complaint asserting various claims under the False Claim Act and the Illinois Whistleblower Reward and Protection Act.
• Conducted internal investigation on behalf of Fortune 500 manufacturer into allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination by various female employees.
• Representation of commuter rail line in F.E.L.A. matters before the United States District Court and Illinois state courts.
• Representation of major petroleum entity in eminent domain matters in Cook and surrounding counties.  As a former Special Assistant Attorney General, he also represented the State of Illinois in prosecuting eminent domain matters for various State of Illinois entities including IDOT.
• Secured summary judgment for client in gender and race discrimination case wherein plaintiff alleged that he was passed over for promotion, disciplined and terminated because he was an African American male.
• Defense of major not-for-profit entity of an employee’s claim of defamation after being accused of removing computers from the employer’s premises without authorization.
• Secured summary judgment for major telephone company in a telecommunications toll fraud case.
• Obtained an Order of Replevin without notice in state court within hours of filing the Complaint.  Such extraordinary relief is rare­ly granted without notice due to the high burden imposed by courts before summary seizure of the property can be justified.

• Contributor, Seventh Circuit Writer; Newsletter on Pretrial Practice & Discovery, ABA Section of Litigation, Committee on Pretrial Practice & Discovery, 1995-1997
• Co-contributor, Bankruptcy Case Abstracts, Commercial, Banking & Bankruptcy Law, Illinois State Bar Association, Vol. 35, No. 3, April, 1991
• Co-contributor, Bankruptcy Case Abstracts, Quarterly Report on Current Developments in Real Estate Law, ABA Section on Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Committee on Decisions, 1990-1991

jcazares@tristancervantes.com

Ms. King focuses her practice on litigation in areas including county and township municipal law in the Circuit Court of Cook County.  Additionally, she assists townships in drafting and administering new local legislation.  Ms. King also has experience in regulatory compliance, contract review and administrative law.

Ms. King has experience with public utilities and energy projects. She provides compliance support to a large state agency administrator related to small business compliance and related areas. Ms. King has worked in all stages of federal prosecution, including grand jury proceedings, proffer sessions, extraditions hearings and criminal trials.  She has participated as defense counsel in high-profile white-collar trials in Illinois.

Ms. King previously worked at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted hundreds of cases including felonies, preliminary hearings, domestic violence cases and misdemeanors.

Ms. King graduated Magna Cum Laude from John Marshall Law School with her Juris Doctor.  She earned her bachelor’s degree from Marquette University.

• John Marshall School of Law, J.D.
• Marquette University, B.D.

rking@tristancervantes.com

• Augustana College, Magna Cum Laude, B.S. in Political Science, Public Administration, and Biology.

• Also named member of Mortar Board Honors Society and Phi Beta Kappa Society.

• University of Illinois College of Law, Cum Laude, J.D.

• Illinois Supreme Court, 2003

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 2003

• Member of the Board of Directors for the Chicago Sinfonietta
• Member of the Board of Trustees for Augustana College (Rock Island, IL)
• Illinois Bar Association, Member
• Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, Member
• Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Member
• Hispanic American Construction Industry Association, Member