Bobby Earles

The Honorable Henry R. Simmons (Ret.) is Managing Partner at Clifford Law Offices. He joined the firm in 2014 coming from ADR Systems of America, one of the top mediation services in the country, where he served as a Senior Mediator and Arbitrator for three years. He also worked as a Special Master and Neutral Fact Finder for ADR Systems. His experience in personal injury and multi-party disputes serves him well in running the 20+ lawyer firm at Clifford Law Offices in Chicago. He is known th...

Craig Annunziata is the managing partner of the Chicago office and a partner in the Tampa office. He represents management in employment-related disputes. The majority of his practice is before federal and state courts and alternative dispute forums throughout the United States. He also defends management against charges filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and related state agencies. A significant portion of his practice is devoted to counseling management, prio...

Bates McIntyre Larson is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Aviation Law. Bates, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bates is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Laurie Levin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Banking and Finance Law and Real Estate Law. Laurie, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Laurie is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

A firm founder, visionary leader, and skilled litigator, Paul Slater handles high-stakes antitrust cases for private and public enterprises, including Fortune 500 companies. He pioneered the opt-out practice, representing companies as individual plaintiffs in industry-wide multidistrict antitrust litigation. This practice enables clients to tailor their claims and maximize their recoveries outside of class action proceedings, which often fail to meet individual client needs. Mr. Slater repres...

James Harbert is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. James, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2023. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Matthew Steinmetz focuses primarily on leveraged buyouts of public and private companies, as well as recaps and joint ventures. His experience spans a wide variety of sectors, including technology, media, healthcare, industrials and retail. His principal clients include both large cap and middle cap leveraged buyout funds, located in the U.S. and abroad. In addition to his considerable transactional work, he is a trusted advisor to a number of senior PE fund managers.

Ricardo E. Ugarte is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of International Arbitration - Commercial and International Arbitration - Governmental. Ricardo E., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2012. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ricardo E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bhavani Raveendran is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Bhavani, who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Bhavani is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Bill Welke focuses his practice on the tax aspects of complex business transactions and entities, including: mergers, acquisitions, and leveraged buyouts; venture capital and other private equity investments; formation of private equity funds; joint ventures and partnerships; workouts and restructurings; tax contests and controversies. Described as having “encyclopedic knowledge of tax structuring strategies” and “adept at cross-border international tax planning in the conte...