Born Carissa Mahr and raised in Farmington, Illinois, she graduated from Farmington High School in 1992 and immediately moved on to Monmouth College where she majored in history and government with a minor in speech communications. During her time at Monmouth, Carissa took the opportunity to study with American University as she interned with Washington DC Corporation Counsel. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996, Carissa attended Southern Illinois University School of Law where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 2000. Carissa married Aaron Haning on June 26, 2005.
Today Carissa concentrates her practice on Civil Litigation, Family Law, Real Estate, and Corporate Law. She chose Leighton Legal Group because of its reputation and its fit with her personality. In 2005, Carissa published the following case: Borrowman v. Prastein, 356 Ill. App. 3d 546, 826 N.E. 2d 600, 292 Ill. Dec 459 (4th Dist. 2005).
Not only is she a successful attorney but as a believer in community and giving back to others, Carissa is active in the Bloomington and Peoria areas. She attends Eastview Christian Church with her husband where she also volunteers once a month in the nursery and hosts a small group at her home weekly. She is a member of the Kappa Delta Alumni Association and participates in the Walk for Breast Cancer every year. For almost ten years, Carissa has assisted with the International Law Students Association Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. Last, but not least, Carissa is active in the Faith & Light association which is an organization for adults with mental and physical limitations.
In addition to these achievements and dedication in the community, Carissa also finds time to enjoy other passions in life which include theater and animals such as dogs and rabbits.
Carissa’s hope in coming to Leighton Legal Group, LLC is to "grow as an attorney and increase a base of clients who can rely on me for the various services a family needs from the purchase of the first home to wills as well as helping them to set up and grow their businesses. I hope to offer clients the opportunity to come to me for the small and the big things that they need both in their personal lives and for their business. A passion of mine is to make sure that families with young children are prepared for any health problem or loss their family may suffer if something were to happen to one of the parents.”
In the future, Carissa would like to expand her practice areas to include Immigration.
