Law Office of Scott E. Perkins

04/29/2026

Our team is growing!! We are excited to announce that Danielle Cler will be joining our office as a real estate legal assistant on June 1st. Don't worry, Laura VandenBergh and Lisa Perkins aren't going anywhere!!

01/20/2026

The following information is for general and educational purposes and should not be construed as legal advice.

Starting March 1, 2026, certain all-cash purchases of residential real estate made through legal entities or trusts will require additional federal reporting to FinCEN as part of the new Residential Real Estate Reporting Rule. This only applies if the purchase meets three specific criteria: non-financed, residential property, and a legal entity buyer.

Please contact our office for more information and how this new reporting rule may impact your cash residential property purchases.

01/01/2026

Thank you to our amazing clients and business partners for your continued trust in our firm! We represented clients in a record breaking 705 real estate transactions in 2025. Whether you are buying or selling a home, farm, commercial building, apartment complex, bar, manufacturing facility or any other type of real estate property, our office has the experience and expertise to help you navigate your real estate transaction from the beginning stages through closing.

12/08/2025

Our goal of 2026 is to continue finding new and innovative ways (and in many cases just putting in lots of good old fashioned hard work) to make transactions easier and more convenient for our clients and business partners. Whether you are our client, realtor, title company, lender or other involved party, our goal is to go the extra mile in making your closing process as smooth and efficient as possible.

11/04/2025

We are pleased to announce that we will now be concentrating our practice exclusively in the areas of real estate and business law. We would love to assist clients outside of these practice areas but with our growing practice and as a small office it is simply not feasible to continue handling matters outside of the scope of real estate and business transactions. We are thankful for our many clients and business partners who provide us the opportunity to make this transition!

09/21/2025

Today when examining title work I found two different instances where a title company missed certain items that should have been noted as exceptions to title, one of which was extremely significant. I also had a recent situation where the treasurer made a mistake on sold taxes and not only did the title company fail to assist the buyer but tried denying the claim even though they insured against past taxes. We genuinely believe that title is a legal function best served when attorneys take a lead role in advising sellers as to which title company should be used and when attorneys are involved in the title process (which is why buyers and sellers should each have an attorney). The title company is much more than "where we close" but includes the examination and insurance product provided which determine what encumbrances a buyer is insured against and which are exceptions on title. Title companies are also charged with protecting client funds, ensuring against wire fraud, and having an ample staff available to ensure clients have flexibility in scheduling closing. Attorneys play a key role in working with underwriters and insurers in clearing exceptions and ensuring both buyers and sellers legal interests related to title are protected.

09/19/2025

Unfortunately the high volume of walk-ins and phone calls are impacting our ability to effectively work on client matters; therefore, effective immediately appointments will be required for all matters and calls will be returned at designated times during the day. To request an appointment, you can email our office at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 217-582-8069. We appreciate your understanding and hope these policy changes will allow us to better serve all of our clients.

09/17/2025

Thank you Kim for the ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review:

Scott has been our lawyer for the past couple of years as we sold several of our rental properties. He was wonderful to work with and solved any problem that arose during the process. He responded quickly to my questions, and always in a calm and confident manner. During what is often a stressful process, his responses were greatly appreciated. Further, when I told people that Scott was our lawyer, we were consistently told that he was "the best." He is well respected by other lawyers and the realtors. I give him my highest recommendation.

03/31/2025

As we head into the busy real estate season, things move fast and we consistently work with several clients simultaneously. To help us keep everything organized and running smoothly, please always email both Scott and Laura at [email protected] and [email protected] or call our office at 217-582-8069.

While I love connecting directly, I simply can’t keep up with every text message, email, social media message and cell phone call personally. They may get overlooked, land in a spam folder or buried amongst the many messages received when I am out to closings, meetings, appointments or teaching.

Emailing both Scott and Laura (or as we personally call ourselves, the Dream Team 😁) and/or calling our office ensures you get the fastest response and best service possible!!

We truly appreciate your support!

01/01/2025

12/31/2024

Two closings to wrap up 2024 today. Happy New Year's to all of our clients, friends and business partners! We are finalizing our goals for the upcoming year and are working on some pretty exciting things for 2025! 🥂