OUR LAWYERS

Larry G. Wharrie, a graduate of Northern Illinois University School of Law, has been practicing law since joining the Cook County State's Attorney's Office in Chicago in 1978. As a felony trial attorney, he tried a variety of offenses including drug charges, sexual assaults, property crimes, and murders. From 1982 to 1985, he was assigned to the Gang Prosecution Unit specializing in the investigations and trials of gang related murders and narcotic transactions. In all, he tried more than 30 murder trials to verdict.

From 1983-1987, he also worked on a joint investigation with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Chicago as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. The task force included law enforcement officers from the Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Section, the FBI, DEA, Federal Marshall's and the Chicago Police. The investigation concentrated on enforcement of Racketeering Influenced Corruption Organizations (RICO) statutes as it related to street gangs involved in violent crimes and narcotic distribution.

In 1986, Mr. Wharrie was appointed the Supervisor of the Sixth Municipal District covering all the south suburbs of Cook County. He supervised 20 lawyers in the prosecution of misdemeanors, traffic and major felonies.

In 1987 he was appointed the Supervisor of the Narcotic Unit investigating and prosecuting major narcotic possession and trafficking cases, including gang related transactions and other organized enterprises. Larry then returned to his home in Grundy County to specialize in criminal defense.

Since 1987, Larry Wharrie has been in the private practice of law, concentrating on criminal defense including all felonies, major narcotic offenses, DUI and traffic and misdemeanor offenses. He has handled over 300 major felony offenses including murder charges and narcotic trafficking. The Illinois State Police and other law enforcement agencies aggressively patrol Interstate 80 and Interstate 55 for marijuana and narcotic trafficking, interstates that cut through Grundy, Will and neighboring counties. He has also handled over 2000 DUI cases and major traffic offenses, specializing in search and seizure law and trial work.

In 2014, Larry welcomed home his son, Ryan, and formed The Wharrie Law Firm. Ryan Wharrie began his legal career as an Assistant State’s Attorney for DuPage County, in 2010. Ryan gained incredible courtroom and trial experience in DuPage prosecuting thousands of criminal and traffic related cases. In his final year in their office, Ryan was the lead attorney in a courtroom that solely prosecuted DUI. This gave Ryan the opportunity to battle some of Illinois’s top criminal defense attorney’s on a daily basis. Ryan graduated from California Western School of Law, San Diego, in 2009 and passed the Illinois Bar Exam the same year. During his preparation for the bar exam, Ryan clerked for a prominent Cook County defense attorney. While there, Ryan worked on federal cases involving drug trafficking, perjury, and stalking as well as state murder and drug cases. In law school, Ryan clerked for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and the San Diego County Public Defender’s Office. He graduated from DePaul University in 2006 with a business degree.

Jordan Kielian is a trial lawyer who concentrates his practice in criminal defense. He represents individuals accused of criminal wrongdoing in cases ranging from serious felony charges to misdemeanor and traffic offenses. He has represented clients in counties throughout Illinois. Jordan began his practice at a Joliet law firm where in addition to his criminal defense practice, he also represented individuals and businesses in a wide range of civil disputes. He also served as a municipal prosecutor and handled the prosecutions for several villages located in Will County.

Jordan was raised in Plainfield, Illinois. He is a graduate of Joliet Catholic Academy. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in Champaign and his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. While in law school, Jordan competed on the school’s Trial Team and served as Editor and Notes Mentor on the Washington University Journal of Law and Policy. At graduation, Jordan received the William M. Pomerantz Trial Award for demonstrating excellence in trial advocacy.

Jordan is a member of the Illinois State and Will County Bar Associations. He is also a member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and serves as a member of the Illinois State Bar Association Criminal Justice Council. Jordan is also active in the community and serves on the board of the United Way of Will County.