Trial-tested counsel for Chicago businesses and their owners
We are a 14-lawyer Chicago boutique for middle-market companies, founders, and commercial landlords. Partner-led on every file — litigation, transactions, and employment — focused on ending disputes quickly and documenting deals so they don't become disputes.
From demand letter to closing binder — one team that knows how Illinois courts, agencies, and lenders actually work.
Breach of contract, partner breakups, business fraud, and collections in Cook County courts and AAA arbitration. We push early mediation where it pays and try the case where it doesn't — with a weekly status email so you always know spend and next step.
Stock and asset purchases, founder buyouts, operating agreements, and SBA and bank financings. Plain-English term sheets, clean cap tables, and Illinois-enforceable non-competes.
Handbooks, BIPA and paid-leave compliance, terminations, and IDHR / EEOC responses. We defuse HR fires before they become lawsuits — typically within two business days.
Lease defaults, CAM charges, construction delays, and title issues for landlords and developers. Mediation first to keep rent flowing; eviction, lien, or specific-performance action when it won't.
No handoff to strangers after the pitch. A named partner runs strategy, appears in court, and signs every substantive filing. Associates handle research under partner review — billed at their rate, never the partner's.
After a 30-minute intake you get a one-page engagement letter: scope, rate or cap, and timeline. Litigation budgets reforecast quarterly. $750 flat-fee contract review to start if you just need a second set of eyes.
Document hold on day one, depositions scoped tight, motion practice aimed at leverage — not churn. That preparation is why most of our disputes settle on terms clients accept, and why we're credible when they don't.
From owners and operators we counsel year after year. Names and companies shared with permission.
A sample of business matters closed in the last 24 months. Every case turns on its facts — prior results don't predict future outcomes.
| Matter | Outcome | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Breach of supply agreement | $1.8M settlement in 11 weeks | Cook County, mediated before discovery cutoff |
| Three-owner buyout | Closed in 34 days, no suit filed | Asset + equity restructure, Illinois |
| IDHR wrongful-termination charge | Dismissed, no payment | Documented file, single position statement |
| Anchor-tenant arrears ($240K) | Repayment plan + 5-yr extension | Mediation, tenant retained |
30-minute intake at 71 S Wacker Drive, Suite 1500, Chicago, IL 60606. Call or email — a partner responds within one business day. Evening calls available for owners.