Lance graduated from Roxana Community High School in 1982, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in political science and macroeconomics in 1986, and the University of Illinois College of Law in 1989. He joined Orr Law LLC in 2021 and focuses his practice in criminal defense, family law, and juvenile cases.
After law school, Lance accepted a position as Assistant State’s Attorney in Effingham County, where he prosecuted cases of every sort. After three years as a prosecutor, he was appointed Chief Public Defender of Effingham County in 1993 by the Circuit Judges and Chief Judge’s Office. He served in that position until September 1995, when he embarked on a solo private practice, sharing office space on Jefferson Avenue with two other local attorneys. In addition to his private practice, Lance was appointed as Felony Public Defender for Effingham County and served in that capacity from 1996 to 1998. In 2002, he moved his practice to Section Avenue, and spent 19 years at that location, representing clients in criminal, traffic, family, divorce, and juvenile cases in many counties throughout Central and Southern Illinois.
In his criminal defense practice, Lance has effectively and aggressively represented clients charged with murder, attempt murder, burglary, home invasion, as well as numerous drug-related and sex offenses. As part of his family law practice, Lance was a pioneer in Illinois in representing parents in grandparent visitation cases brought in very difficult circumstances. In that capacity, he has appeared on the “Today Show”, NBC News, and as a guest commentator on KMOX radio in St. Louis. He has been featured in stories about the topic in the Wall Street Journal, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, USA Today, and the Times of London. For many years, he was the referral attorney in Illinois for the Restoration of Parental Rights organization, arguing cases before the Appellate Court of Illinois and the Supreme Court of Illinois.
During his undergraduate years at the University of Illinois, he was named to the Dean’s List in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and was active in his fraternity, Sigma Pi, where he served two years on Executive Council as Herald and chapter historian. During law school, Lance was one of the founding members of the University of Illinois chapter of The Federalist Society, wrote its constitution and by-laws, and served as its first President. While in high school, Lance was a multiple sport athlete, earning four varsity letters in football and baseball, and playing two years of basketball, while also being named “Most Likely to Succeed” by the Class of 1982.
Lance and Michelle Harris-Freezeland have been married since 1989. Lance and Michelle are the parents of one son, Christian Freezeland, who is a graduate of the College of Law at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, and works in the Christian County Public Defender’s Office. Lance and Michelle are heavily involved in their adopted hometown of Altamont. Michelle serves as President of the Altamont Library Board, is active in the Altamont Garden Club where she has served in a number of different positions, and is a former President of the Altamont Junior Women’s Club. Lance has been the head coach of the Altamont Tribe U14 Soccer Club team since 2010, serves as the emcee for Senior Night each year for the Altamont High School soccer team, and has been an IHSA soccer referee since 2017. Lance previously coached baseball at the youth, junior high, and high school age Junior American Legion level. Lance is the Past President of the Altamont Lions Club, and Past President of the Effingham County Bar Association. Lance and Michelle are active members of St. Clare Catholic Church in Altamont, where Michelle serves as a cantor and Lance frequently serves as a lector. In 2018, Lance and Michelle were honored by People’s Bank & Trust for their volunteer work in the community. In his spare time, Lance is an avid fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, the University of Illinois Fighting Illini, the Altamont Indians, Chelsea F.C. of the English Premier League, and is a dedicated APBA Baseball hobbyist.
