Elisha Deen

Elisha Deen

 

We made the decision to go to law school.  We chose which law school to attend.  Soon, we will have to decide which area of law to practice and which firm to join.  For those who are leaning toward corporate law, maybe this will help.  According to U.S. News' list of Best Law Firms, the following eight are tier one corporate law firms in Illinois.

1.      K&L Gates

            K&L Gates has 41 offices on four continents, with its Illinois location in Chicago.  The     firm represents "leading global corporations, growth and middle-market companies,  capital markets participants and entrepreneurs in every major industry group as well as public sector entities, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations and individuals" (K&L Gates).

2.      McDermott, Will & Emery

This international law firm employs over 1,100 attorneys.  The firm was started as a tax practice in Chicago in 1934.  Since then, McDermott has expanded to support "cross-border transactions and litigation matters, while providing the experience necessary to offer corporate and commercial, international and domestic tax, labor and benefits, competition, intellectual property and regulatory counsel to clients across all industries" (McDermott Will & Emery).

3.      Sidley Austin

      This global firm employs approximately1,700 attorneys in 18 offices.  Sidley has "a           broad transactional practice [including] corporate and securities, mergers and                    acquisitions, securitization, intellectual property, funds and other pooled investments,             bankruptcy and corporate reorganization, bank and commercial lending, public finance, real estate, project finance, tax and employee benefits, as well as trusts and estates."  Sidley's Illinois office is located in Chicago (Sidley Austin).

4.      Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom

      This global law firm's Illinois office, which opened in 1984 in Chicago, is comprised of     190 attorneys.  This office offers many services including those regarding  mergers and         acquisitions, corporate restructuring, financing transactions, public offerings of debt and       equity securities, corporate and corporate governance issues, and corporate tax matters    (Skadden).

5.      Winston & Strawn

      With 15 locations, including one in Chicago, Winston & Strawn is an international firm     employing nearly 1,000 attorneys.  The Chicago office is the firm's world headquarters             and employs nearly 400 attorneys "who provide the full range legal services to meet the needs of clients in virtually every business sector, from Fortune 500 corporations and    financial institutions to small and midsize companies" (Winston & Strawn).

6.      Armstrong Teasdale

      This firm's Illinois office is located in Belleville.  Armstrong Teasdale's Corporate Services Group (CSG) "provides comprehensive representation in all areas of business law, corporate finance and investment."  The CSG  has six areas of expertise consisting of governance and compliance, health care, securities, environmental, mergers and acquisitions, and technology and life sciences (Armstrong Teasdale).

7.      Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale

      This firm has three locations, two of which are located in Chicago and Belleville, Illinois. The firm has a Corporate Practice Group which works with clients "in all aspects of their      businesses, including corporate governance, entity selection, business structuring, business and tax planning, finance and securities, acquisitions and divestitures, as well as many others" (Greensfelder). 

8.      Kirkland & Ellis

      This 100-year old firm employs around 1,500 attorneys.  Its core practices are corporate    and tax, litigation, intellectual property, and  restructuring.  In the corporate and tax sector, represent "public and private companies and private equity investors in a broad range of transactions." This firm has an office in Chicago (Kirkland & Ellis).

 

Works Cited

Armstrong Teasdale. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <www.armstrongteasdale.com>.

Greensfelder Firm. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <www.greensfelder.com>.

K&L Gates. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <www.klgates.com>.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <www.kirkland.com>.

McDermott Will & Emery. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <www.mwe.com>.

Sidley Austin. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <www.sidley.com>.

Skadden. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <www.skadden.com>.

Winston & Strawn LLP. N.p., 2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2012. <www.winston.com>.