For Aaron Evans, growing up on a farm in an “entrepreneurial household” provided an important foundation for his professional life today. Aaron remembers, “My family has always had a lot of irons in the fire: farming, trucking, excavating, landscape waste recycling, feed and bedding sales, manure clean up, shingle recylcing and the list goes on.” He is “exceedingly grateful” for those early experiences working with the family business.
While Aaron ultimately chose a different career path, he says these experiences “Taught me a lot about values, work ethic, and common sense.” Plus, he adds, “There’s something about scooping manure in the heat of the summer that really motivates you to go to law school.”
The Murrayville native always planned to go to graduate school and he entered law school with dual degrees in economics and finance. Aaron attended Florida Coastal Law School while his future wife, Ginny, earned her MBA at the University of Florida. He excelled at school, graduating in the top five percent of his class and serving as an editor for the school’s Law Review and as a member of the Moot Court Honor Board.
Aaron and Ginny enjoyed the warm weather and amazing destinations near Florida. A weekend trip to the Bahamas meant a 45 minute trip each way. The couple took full advantage of their locale, enjoying water sports and outdoor activities. Aaron and Ginny continue traveling today with the beach in mind and have visited the British Virgin Islands, Aruba, Mexico. They honeymooned to Kauai and recently returned to enjoy the hiking, beach, and dramatic views.
The Evans returned to Illinois after graduate school, so they could be near their families. They married last July and didn’t give up their love of the beach completely. The couple recently purchased a home on a lake and they are looking forward to a summer full of boating, kayaking, and paddle boarding. The location is ideal for their six animals, all rescued from shelters. It’s also a great area for Aaron to explore on his Harley.
The pair has kept busy over the past few months preparing to move into their home. The older house needed renovations and the couple wanted to complete them before moving in. Aaron and Ginny would go to work during the day, then spend a few evenings a week renovating new home and sleeping on an air mattress on the floor. The move-in process has been slow, but it is now nearly complete.
Aaron interned a couple of summers at Rammelkamp and Bradney and found that it was “a great firm to work at.” He became a part of the law firm after graduating from law school in 2011. Aaron specializes in general transactional work, which includes trust and estate work, business law, contracts, sales and acquisitions, real estate, and tax deferred exchanges. This work suits Aaron who says, “I’ve always been kind of a numbers guy. It’s all very familiar to me.”
For Aaron, transactional work is very satisfying because “You’re always working toward a common goal with your client.” Litigation work is “always a battle” and even when you win, it’s not usually a very positive experience for the client. In transactional work, you are working together and, at the conclusion of the transaction, “there’s usually a win-win” for all involved.
In his work, Aaron is also able to build relationships with clients, helping them to plan for a secure financial future. He works with clients to “provide road maps for estate and tax planning,” While people often associate turning to the law in times of crisis, Aaron’s works with clients to face the future with confidence.
