FOUNDER
MASAH S. SAMFORAY, ESQ.
Masah S. SamForay is the founder of The Foray Firm, with locations in Homewood, Illinois and Houston, Texas. She is highly experienced in managing family law cases, including complex child support, custody, visitation and divorce. As one of The National Black Lawyers – Top 100, Atty. SamForay received both her Juris Doctorate and Bachelor of Arts from Indiana University – Bloomington. She is only licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois.
Atty. SamForay serves on the Illinois State Bar Association Board of Governors. She is also the 2019 Chair of the Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Law Committee, and an active member of the Family Law Section Council. Atty. SamForay is a Co-Founder and Past-President of the Black Bar Association of Will County, and she previously served on the Board of Directors of the Black Women Lawyers’ Association of Greater Chicago, Inc. She is also active in the Cook County Bar Association, where she is the 2016 Past Chair of the Family Law Committee.
Outside of the legal community, Atty. SamForay is very active in her community and holds a number of appointments for organizations with a focus on women, children, and underserved populations. Atty. SamForay was appointed by former Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner to the Board of Trustees of Governors State University, and she is the Past President of the Rotary Club of Chicago Southeast.
- Super Lawyers (2021-2022)
- Elite Lawyer (2020)
- 40 Under 40 – National Bar Association (2019)
- Appointed by Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner – to the Board of Trustees of Governor’s State University (2017)
- “10 Best Female Attorneys” – American Institute of Family Law Attorneys (2016-2017)
- “Woman of Empowerment” – The Honorable Dorothy Brown, Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (2016)
- “Top 100 Lawyers” – The National Black Lawyers (2015-2016)
- “Attorney Spotlight” – Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism (2016)
- Panelist- March 23, 2016 – “Solo-Preneur Bootcamp,” Cook County Bar Association
- Panelist- 11/17/2016 – Discovery SCR 214 Production Requests- Illinois State Bar Association
- Panelist- January 26, 2017 – Trial Testimony Organization: Direct of party- Illinois State Bar Association
- Panelist- January 26, 2017 – Impeachment- Illinois State Bar Association
- Panelist- March 2, 2017 – Defense of Serious Endangerment Allegations- Illinois State Bar Association
- Panelist- March 2, 2017 – Abuse & Fitness to Parent- Illinois State Bar Association
- Panelist- March 2, 2017 – Child Support – Illinois State Bar Association
- Panelist- March 29, 2017 – “How to Start a Successful Law Firm”- Cook County Bar Association
- Panelist- March 31, 2017 – “People Management Skills for Small Firms and Solo Practitioners”- BLWA of Greater Chicago
- Panelist- May 18, 2017 – Reading and Understanding Operating Agreements- Illinois State Bar Association
- Panelist- May 18, 2017 – Transmutation/ Commingling- Illinois State Bar Association
- Panelist- May 18, 2017 – Property Division- Illinois State Bar Association
- Indiana University Bloomington, Undergrad, 2002
Major: B.A., Psychology
Minors: Biology, Sociology and African-American Studies - Indiana University School of Law – Bloomington. J.D., 2005
Gone are the days when mothers could assume they would get custody of the children, and when dad would be presumed to pay child support. These days families take on all different shapes and forms, they are both national and international, and my specialty is coming up with unique solutions for individual families.
- Masah S. SamForay, Esq.
ATTORNEY
SHERLYN HARPER
Sherlyn (“Sherry”) Harper has fought and advocated for the rights of others for more than 20 years. Prior to embarking upon her legal career, Attorney Harper was a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who specialized in DCFS involving families and mental health issues. Observing the nexus between individual legal and family problems, she concentrated her legal practice on family law, probate/guardianship, and family-based/humanitarian immigration law. She truly cares for her clients and works to help them really move forward once their cases are finished.
Deeply rooted in her beloved Chicago, Attorney Harper is the proud graduate of the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and the Valparaiso University School of Law. As both a child affected by divorce and a divorced mother of two, she has first-hand knowledge of the impact a divorce can have on the family unit and children. From the beginning of her career, Attorney Harper knew that she wanted to help people solve their legal problems by working through them as efficiently as possible. Her practice philosophy is to lessen the effects of divorce by providing competent legal advice and goal-focused solutions and strategies.
Hailing from a diverse background and fluent in English and Spanish, Attorney Harper uses her language skills to conduct outreach to underrepresented communities. Licensed in both Illinois and Texas, her primary practice location is in Houston, Texas, where she leads The Foray Firm Houston’s litigation department and is a Partner at the law firm of Chargois Harper and responsible Texas attorney for The Foray Firm Houston.
In her spare time, Attorney Harper enjoys traveling to warm places, cooking, movies, and most of all, her husband and two amazing children.
- University of Illinois Urbana – Champaign, B.S. Psychology, 1996
- Valparaiso University School of Law
I chose to go to law school so that I could make a real difference in the world. In family law, where emotions run high and tensions are deep, I believe everyone deserves equal access to the justice system. I am proud to know that through my hard work and efforts, I make long-lasting and positive differences in the lives of my clients – and that means the world to me.
- Sherlyn Harper
ATTORNEY
BURTON J. HARPER, ESQ.
Burton J. Harper is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana who graduated with honors in Political Science from Southern University-Baton Rouge. He went on to further his post graduate studies at Louisiana State University graduating with honors with a Master’s in Public Administration. After completing his graduate studies, Burton went on to pursue a law degree and successfully obtained his Juris Doctorate from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University. Burton was the Comments Editor of the Thurgood Marshall Law Review and served as Student Bar Association Vice-President.
After law school, Burton clerked in the General Counsel’s office of the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County. While there, he worked on civil and regulatory matters. Burton later ventured into the private sector, working for Chevron Products Company, Deloitte, and CenterPoint Energy.
In 2016, Burton decided to narrow his practice to probate and civil litigation. He currently covers the firm’s Illinois probate and civil litigation matters. Burton is a political enthusiast who carries that zeal into his advocacy for his clients. He is an attorney at Chargois Harper and an independent contract attorney for The Foray Firm Houston.
Burton is a sports junkie and enjoys playing and watching basketball. He spends his time between Texas and Illinois and enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.
As a father myself, I know how important family is – it means everything. So in family and probate law, the goal is not to “win” a case, but to reach an appropriate resolution that best suits the family.
- Burton J. Harper, Esq.
PARALEGAL
SARAH CORDOVA
An experienced family law paralegal, Sarah has worked in the area of probate, divorce, custody, visitation and child support, providing critical financial discovery support for the attorneys. Sarah is passionate about providing clients premium legal services and is an integral part of every case.
I take pride in doing my part to help our clients through life’s transitions, with the quality of care and attention they require and deserve.
