Global law firm White & Case LLP has dramatically grown its Chicago office with a team of 13 real estate lawyers, including six partners: Eugene “Gene” Leone, Marc Benjamin, Michael McKeever, David Pezza, Aaron Potter and Ruth Schoenmeyer, as well as five associates and two counsels. This new group joins the firm as part of its global mergers and acquisitions (M&A) practice and real estate industry group.
“White & Case’s unique global platform is the perfect fit for our real estate practice,” said Gene Leone. “This is a compelling opportunity for us to join a top-notch firm and take its global real estate capabilities to the next level.”
“We are thrilled to welcome this group of talented real estate attorneys to the firm and our rapidly expanding Chicago office,” said John Reiss, White & Case’s global head of M&A. “We have very strong real estate capabilities in Europe and Asia. Expanding our capabilities in the U.S. completes our top-tier global real estate offering.”
The group joins White & Case from Pircher, Nichols & Meeks, a top boutique law firm specializing in real estate. The team handles all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including joint ventures, acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, financings, workouts, construction and development for a wide variety of real estate owners, developers and asset types.
“The U.S. has the largest real estate market in the world and many of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, PE houses, financial institutions, family offices and corporates are investing in this market on a material scale,” said James Dodsworth, global head of White & Case’s global real estate industry group. “The experience that this group brings to the firm significantly expands our capabilities to serve our clients in this thriving market. The opportunity to add this national team to our Chicago office couldn’t have come at a better time.”
The team joins a robust and growing office, which includes partners Gary Silverman, Thomas Horenkamp and Ray Bogenrief, who are part of the global M&A practice; Jason Zakia, as the head of the firm’s Americas disputes practice and Carolyn Gurland, who focuses on white collar criminal defence and complex litigation.
