Brian D. Hector

Nancy DePodesta is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Criminal Defense: White-Collar. Nancy, 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 Nancy is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Andrew advises public and private companies on plan design and administration, fiduciary responsibility, claims procedures, and disclosure requirements under ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and other laws. He has extensive experience guiding them regarding the legal, financial, and administrative issues that affect qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, and other employee benefit arrangements, including issues that arise during mergers, acquisitions, and othe...

Tom is an intellectual property attorney who regularly counsels clients on patent and trademark prosecution, IP litigation, and post-grant patent challenges before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). His practice reflects a balance of strategic portfolio development and dispute-driven risk assessment, uniquely blending transactional work with intellectual property litigation. This integrated approach enables him to advise clients with a practical, end‑to‑end perspective on how patents a...

James H. Whalen is the co-managing partner of Lipe Lyons Murphy Nahrstadt & Pontikis LTD, a Chicago, Illinois law firm. He practices in the areas of Litigation – Insurance, tort defense, commercial litigation, and product liability. Mr. Whalen represents clients in state and federal courts, as well as before state administrative bodies. His practice includes construction, business, commercial, product liability, employment discrimination, and premises liability litigation. Mr. Whale...

David A. Handler is a partner in the Trusts and Estates Practice Group of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. He concentrates his practice on trust and estate planning and administration, representing owners of closely-held businesses, family offices, principals of private equity and venture capital funds, individuals and families of significant wealth, and establishing and administering private foundations and other charitable organizations. David is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estat...

Carol A. Harrington advises clients on a variety of matters, including estate, gift and generation-skipping tax issues, closely held businesses and succession planning, family office structures and issues, private trust companies, private foundations, trust and estate administration, and contested trust and tax matters. Carol is the former global head of McDermott’s Private Client Practice. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/harrington-carol-a/

Walt Holzer focuses on complex business transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, buyouts, recapitalizations, divestitures, venture capital and growth equity investing, and executive compensation. He has handled numerous transactions in a wide variety of industries for private equity, family office and strategic clients. Praised by clients for his "pragmatic approach, business acumen and sector knowledge" and his "expertise…and commerciality" and "valuable understanding of the mos...

Jeff provides strategic counsel to clients nationwide concerning every executive compensation and employee benefit matter that affects their businesses, including designing and preparing deferred compensation and equity compensation plans, maintaining ERISA and tax compliance for all qualified and nonqualified retirement plans (defined contribution, defined benefit and cash balance plans) and representing clients in Department of Labor benefits plan audits. Jeff regularly advises clients rega...

Rachel Brown is a partner in the Real Estate Group in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Her practice focuses on finance, venture formation, acquisitions and dispositions, and development. She advises borrowers and lenders in all types of real estate based financing transactions including first mortgage loans, construction loans, mezzanine financings, credit facilities, subscription facilities and other structured financings. Rachel also represents clients on workouts, loan sales...

Colin P. Smith practices in the areas of product liability, mass tort and commercial litigation. Over the past 30 years, he has represented numerous companies in complex and consolidated product liability litigation involving product warranty and performance issues, mass disasters and serial litigation arising from claims of product defects. His experience extends to a broad array of products, especially in the automotive, electronics, construction, pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer...