Christine K. Tani

Practice Areas

  • Franchise Law

Contact

Biography

Christine K. Tani heads the firm's Franchise Law Practice Group, along with Doris Carter.

Christine is a transactional attorney bringing over 40 years of experience representing franchisors, franchisees, and business clients. As part of her effort to assist her franchisor clients comply with state and federal franchise law, she conducts training sessions on franchise law compliance. Christine encourages and values ongoing communications between clients and attorneys, so that her clients have legal guidance regarding each aspect of their next project or transaction. 

Christine comes to us most recently from the Wheaton Law firm of Carter & Tani. She was a founding partner, having established the firm with partner, Doris Adkins Carter, in 1991.

Prior to founding Carter & Tani, Christine was an in-house attorney for a national franchisor for 13 years. She represented the national franchisor in connection with franchise registrations nationwide.
Christine graduated from Beloit College Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She attended Boston University Law School for two years, and transferred to Chicago Kent (IIT) School of Law, where she graduated with High Honors.

Christine is a member of the American Bar Association, the ABA Forum on Franchising, and the DuPage County Bar Association. She regularly attended the ABA Forum on Franchising annual law conferences in order to keep current with developments in franchise law.

In addition to her professional endeavors, Christine has been a volunteer with many organizations. She currently serves on the Finance Team of her church, where she has been a member for many years. She and her husband teach confirmation to 7th and 8th graders at her church. For the past 20 years, she has gone on mission trips both domestic and overseas, including Honduras, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Dominican Republic, New Orleans, Columbia, SC, Florida, and Biloxi, MS. On these mission trips she has built and/or repaired houses and done roofing. She has also volunteered with the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate in northern Illinois, including doing pro bono legal work.

For 13 years she served on the Board of Lifelink Corporation, a human services agency, formerly located in Bensenville, Illinois. She served as Chairman of the Lifelink Board for 2 years. For 12 years, she served on the Board of Advocate Health Care in Oak Brook, Illinois, the largest health system in the State of Illinois.

To achieve a work-life balance, Christine enjoys spending time with her husband, children and grandchildren, traveling, and biking. When the weather allows, she rides her bike to and from work (about 6 miles each way).

Education

  • Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law, Chicago, Illinois
    • J.D. - 1977
    • Honors: High Honors
  • Beloit College, Beloit, Wisconsin
    • B.A. - 1970
    • Honors: cum laude
    • Major: Psychology

Bar Admissions

  • Illinois, 1977
  • U.S. District Court Northern District of Illinois, 1978

Professional Associations

  • American Bar Association, ABA Forum on Franchising
  • DuPage County Bar Association

Classes & Seminars

  • Business Law, North Central College, 1977 to 1985

Languages

  • English

Pro-Bono Activities

  • DuPage Habitat for Humanity, 1998 to 2006