Chicago has long been recognized for its economic vibrance and strategic importance in the global marketplace. As home to numerous international corporate headquarters and US-based operations, the city is an important business center. Established in 1888, our Chicago office of more than 180 lawyers counts many of the region’s Fortune 500 and mid-sized companies among its longstanding clients.
Our Chicago office was awarded nine Tier 1 practice rankings by the 2011-2012 U.S. News-Best Lawyers® in the following areas: Construction Law, Corporate Law, Criminal Defense: White Collar Governmental Investigations, Criminal Defense: White Collar Litigation, Entertainment Law – Motion Pictures & Television, Land Use & Zoning Law, Mutual Funds Law, Non-Profit/Charities Law, and Real Estate Law.
K&L Gates’ Chicago office offers comprehensive legal counsel, including corporate, intellectual property, litigation, labor and employment, bankruptcy, real estate, and regulatory services to a wide array of businesses in the financial services, manufacturing, life sciences, pharmaceutical, office products, food and entertainment industries.
Our lawyers’ achievements are recognized in the courtroom, the boardroom, and the media. In 2010, Trademark Insider named our Chicago practice as the Top Regional Trademark Firm in Chicago. Chicago litigators recently secured a directed verdict in a multi-billion dollar matter for our clients, including a Fortune 100 financial institution. In 2009, we were named National Litigation Counsel to one of the world’s largest manufacturers of marine products. Our real estate practice was characterized by Chambers USA’s 2010 edition as “great real estate lawyers who put client advocacy first.” And our Chicago-based corporate lawyers have represented clients in a number of transactions that closed recently, including the acquisition of a publicly-traded software company, the largest closed-end fund IPO since 2007, and the acquisition of a manufacturer of disposable food containers.
Our Chicago IP practice has over 50 lawyers, including more than 35 USPTO-registered professionals, who dedicate their practice to patent, trademark, copyright, licensing, counseling and litigation. The firmwide IP group, of which the Chicago practice is the largest contingent, was recently named the second most referenced law firm for IP in Corporate Counsel magazine’s 2010 edition of Who Represents America’s Largest Companies. IP Law & Business recognized our patent practice as “cutting edge.” The patent prosecution practice has many professionals with Ph.D.s or other advanced degrees in electrical, mechanical and chemical engineering, organic chemistry, materials science, microbiology and molecular biology. The IP litigation group includes a number of first chair litigators with substantial jury experience who represent clients around the U.S. Our trademarks practice protects the global brands of some of the world’s most prominent businesses.
For more than 40 years, the Chicago office has represented mutual funds and other investment companies or their boards and investment advisers in the design, organization, distribution and marketing of numerous types of investment products and portfolios. Lawyers have organized many of the mutual funds that they represent and have been selected as successor counsel to many funds or their non-interested board members. The group supports independent directors in their exercise of fund governance responsibilities and the increasing challenges they face in that highly-regulated industry. When necessary, we can deploy industry-savvy lawyers, including those who have worked in regulatory agencies, to respond to a governmental or self-regulatory investigation, inquiry or enforcement proceeding. Our mutual funds group received Tier 1 rankings in both the 2010 and 2011-2012 editions of U.S. News-Best Lawyers®.
With 50 corporate and securities lawyers, the Chicago office has a national practice advising public and private companies of all sizes in capital markets, M&A and corporate governance. Our Corporate practice and our Non-Profit/Charities law practices were recognized as Tier 1 practices in the 2010 and 2011-2012 editions of U.S. News-Best Lawyers. Securities experience includes public offerings and private placements of debt and equity, IPOs, shelf offerings, closed-end fund offerings and public stock-for-stock mergers. Transactional experience extends to cross-border transactions, management buyouts, restructurings and private equity and venture capital investments. Corporate attorneys assist in proxy fights and other hostile matters and often function as principal outside counsel to assist clients with business development, joint ventures, technology transfers and commercial endeavors. The office represents commercial and investment banks, finance companies, private equity and venture capital funds, corporate borrowers and high net worth individuals in domestic and international commercial lending transactions. An established public finance team serves as counsel to underwriters, issuers and bondholders.
Our 40-attorney Chicago commercial litigation practice has represented domestic and international companies in the financial services, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, distribution, construction, scientific testing, mining, food and entertainment industries. With extensive experience in managing all aspects of complex, multi-district litigation, they have prevailed in the defense of numerous securities class actions and disputes involving professional liability, construction defects, products liability, employment discrimination, unfair competition and deceptive trade practice allegations in state trial and appellate courts, in federal district and circuit courts throughout the country and before the United States Supreme Court. The attorneys in our products liability practice defend lawsuits around the United States involving the design or manufacture of boats, marine engines, fitness and recreational equipment. We are National Litigation Counsel for one of the largest manufacturers of marine products in the world. Our product liability attorneys also have defended manufacturers of automobiles, trucks and industrial equipment in numerous lawsuits. Our business dispute lawyers are noted for their securities litigation, M&A, corporate takeover, and proxy litigation experience, and for defending clients in SEC investigations.
Our bankruptcy group in Chicago has represented indenture trustees, bondholder committees and individual holders of debt instruments in dozens of default and bankruptcy situations involving billions of dollars of publicly-issued and privately-placed securities. As counsel to secured lenders in workout and bankruptcy situations, our attorneys negotiate non-bankruptcy workouts which protect the interests of our client, while offering the borrower every chance to turn its financial corner.
Chambers USA rated our 20-lawyer real estate practice one of the top in Chicago and U.S. News-Best Lawyers®recognized our Land Use practice as a Tier 1 practice in 2010 and 2011-2012. The group represents owners, developers, investors, lenders, borrowers and businesses in commercial, residential and industrial real estate projects. Attorneys are highly regarded for their work in acquisitions and sales, land use and zoning, development, design and construction, public-private partnerships, tax increment financings, leasing and sale-leaseback transactions, litigation and arbitrated dispute resolution.
Labor and employment lawyers counsel private companies, public agencies and municipalities in both unionized and non-unionized settings. They are noted for their defense of employment based claims and unfair labor practices and for their experience in handling collective bargaining negotiations, litigation and discrimination charges before the EEOC, the NLRB and municipal, state and federal agencies.
The regulatory practice in the Chicago office includes an experienced antitrust practice that encompasses both traditional antitrust and broader trade regulation involving M&A and joint ventures, distributor, dealer and franchise matters, as well as criminal investigations and prosecutions. Our healthcare practice advises institutional providers, medical groups, health care associations, integrated delivery networks and industry suppliers. Environmental and energy lawyers counsel on regulatory compliance, permitting and litigation and have a growing alternative energy practice, assisting project developers and investors on real estate, permitting, construction, intellectual property and other matters for cleantech and renewable energy projects. Chicago's Antitrust, Health Care Law and Entertainment Law practices were ranked as Tier 1 by the 2010 and 2011-2012 editions of U.S. News-Best Lawyers®.