Kevin
P. BurkePartner
During his entire legal career, Kevin P. Burke has specialized in real estate
taxation. Upon graduating from DePaul University College of Law in 1984,
he served five years in the office of State' s Attorney of Cook County, Illinois,
representing the government officials responsible for the assessment, levy and
correction of real estate taxes.
Mr. Burke gained valuable litigation experience during his five years as an
Assistant State's Attorney. He was the lead attorney in a landmark case
involving the constitutional issue of uniformity of taxation.
Roswell v. Twin Manors West, 529 N. E.2d 1104 (1988).
After earning a reputation as a prominent young attorney in the field of real
property taxation, Mr. Burke joined the firm, then known as Taslitz, Smith &
Hemmesch, in 1990. With his participation, the firm' s practice has seen tremendous
growth and the firm's name was changed to Smith, Hemmesch, Burke & Brannigan.
At the firm, Mr. Burke provides representation and counsel to clients in Cook
County and nationwide. His focus is on real estate tax issues in Arizona, California,
Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas,
and Wisconsin.
Mr. Burke has represented a wide variety of property owners, including a number
of major oil companies. On behalf of one Chicago property owner, he successfully
reduced the client's annual property taxes from $3,000,000 to $250,000. Mr. Burke's
expertise in the area of real estate taxation resulted in Chicago Title & Trust
Insurance Company retaining the firm as its chief defense counsel for all real estate
tax claims filed against the insurance company. Mr. Burke is an active member of the
following professional organizations: Real Estate Tax Committee of the Civic
Federation, International Association of Assessing Officers, the Institute of Professionals
in Taxation, and the Chicago Bar Association.
