Our History


Serving our
Community
Since 1946.

Sound Council With A Long History & Solid Foundation.

Founded in 1946 by attorneys James G. Thomas and Wallace Mulliken, the law firm of Thomas Mamer has been a pillar of the Champaign-Urbana community for over 70 years. While the name of the building has gone through several iterations, the firm has been physically located in the same space since its inception.

For the first twenty years of its existence, Thomas Mamer was comprised of four to six attorneys who focused their practices on Estate Planning, Real Estate and other contractual matters. In the early 1970’s, George Miller joined the firm as a litigation partner. At that point, the firm began handling an increasing amount of litigation in addition to the original practice groups. In 1981, George Miller was appointed as a Circuit Judge by Illinois Supreme Court Justice Underwood. Following nearly twenty years of distinguished service as a Circuit Judge in Champaign County, Illinois, he returned to the firm as “of counsel.”

By 1980, the firm had steadily grown to include nine partners and three associates practicing in a variety of areas. By this point, we had expanded to the entire 5th floor and part of the 4thfloor of the building. By 1995, Thomas Mamer had grown to thirteen partners with three associates, expanding to the top three floors. The firm has continued to maintain a similar size over the past twenty-five years. Throughout this growth and change, Thomas Mamer has continued to maintain a level of continuation that is second to none. Many attorneys have spent thirty to forty years as active, practicing partners helping to build an unshakeable foundation.

Thomas Mamer has a long-standing history of being active in the Illinois State Bar Association as well as the local bar. The firm’s founding partner, James G. Thomas, was a president of the ISBA. In addition, four partners have served as president of the Champaign County Bar Association.

Thomas Mamer has a commitment to furthering legal education in conjunction with the University of Illinois College of Law. From Legal Drafting to Trial Advocacy, no less than eight partners have acted as adjunct professors at the College of Law. We continue that tradition today and will continue to well into the future. We consistently hire College of Law students as Legal Clerks and will continue to act as Adjunct Professors to continue our goal of educating and helping future attorneys.

Thomas Mamer is a firm with a long history and a solid foundation. Our goal has been, and will always be, to help our local community grow and prosper.  Whether that entails sponsoring local youth teams or helping individuals navigate various legal issues, we are here to serve.