Law Firm Founder, the late
David E. Hoy
The late
David E. Hoy,
Emeritus
Founder of the Law Offices of Hoy & Sahlas, LLC
It is with tremendous sadness that we announce the passing of Mr. David E. Hoy who has gone home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, in December, 2025. His obituary may be found at this link.
Attorney David E. Hoy was the founding partner of The Law Offices of Hoy & Sahlas and the "father" of the father-daughter law firm. In January, 2025, David celebrated 40 years of running the Law Offices of Hoy & Sahlas, LLC, a successful, father-daughter law firm with his daughter and law partner of 25 years, Colleen L. Sahlas.
In 1985, Mr. Hoy founded the law firm in Oak Park, Illinois, first known as The Law Offices of David E. Hoy.
Mr. Hoy successfully passed the Illinois Bar Exam upon first examination in July, 1983, Mr. Hoy was admitted to practice in Illinois in November, 1983 by the Illinois Supreme Court as an Attorney and Counselor at Law and admitted to the practice of law in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in December, 1983. Mr. Hoy received his Juris Doctor degree in May, 1983 from Northern Illinois University and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Elmhurst College.
Mr. Hoy grew up in Chicago. For his entire legal career, he concentrated his practice in Estate Planning, Estate Administration, Business Law, Condominium Representation and Commercial and Residential Real Estate.
Mr. Hoy served on the Business Roundtable of the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce, which is the Chamber’s public policy advisory group committed to local, state and congressional legislative agendas.
From 2006 until the date of his passing, he served as Board Chairman for Keep Believing Ministries, an international Not-for-Profit Christian ministry. Mr. Hoy also served on the Planned Giving Committee of Elmhurst College and is past chairman of the Oak Park & River Forest branch of CBMC International (f/k/a Christian Businessmen’s Committee and n/k/a Connecting Business and the Marketplace to Christ); and was chairman for more than a decade of a large church in Oak Park, Illinois.
He was a member of the Du Page County Estate Planning Council, the Christian Legal Society, the Illinois State Bar Association, the Greater Oak Brook Chamber of Commerce and formerly with the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce and the Oak Park - River Forest Chamber of Commerce.
For decades, Mr. Hoy gave seminars on Estate Planning for clients of various financial service firms and not-for-profit organizations in Chicago and the western suburbs.
Prior to beginning his private law practice in 1985, Mr. Hoy was employed with Chicago law firms in the roles of both plaintiff’s and defendant’s counsel. His business experience prior to law practice includes nine years as a Manager of Compensation, Benefits and Human Resources for three different major U.S. corporations.
Mr. Hoy enjoyed singing, fishing, hiking, teaching Bible classes, and playing guitar at his church in Western Springs, Illinois. In 2025, Mr. Hoy and his wife, Lynette, celebrated 56 years of marriage. They conducted marriage seminars for decades at various churches in the Greater Chicago Metro Area.
He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Lynette J. Hoy, who is a counselor, author and owner of CounselCare Connection, P.C. and the Anger Management Institute and his daughter and law partner of 25 years, Attorney Colleen L. Sahlas.
His daughter, Mrs. Colleen L. Sahlas, continues his legacy of treating each client with compassion and care and each case matter with experience and integrity.
Attorney Sahlas was mentored in the law by her kind, patient and knowledgeable father, David E. Hoy, and brings her own legal expertise as a leader in her areas of practice. She strives for excellence in her work through continuing legal education courses, serving on legal Councils and Bar Associations to keep abreast of ever-changing laws and current legal practices. Unlike high-powered, large, impersonal firms, our family-oriented firm is friendly, approachable and trustworthy. We provide “hand-holding,” and empathy through the entire legal process. Our goal is to be personable and make clients feel like family. We are committed to integrity, diligence, and high-quality legal services. We’re grateful to the Lord for the opportunity to serve and glorify Him through our work.
