Christopher "Chris" DeGrande

Rachel B. Cowen focuses her practice in various employment discrimination and wrongful termination cases in federal and state courts. Rachel’s experience includes prosecuting and defending employee mobility and trade secret litigation on an emergency injunctive basis. She also counsels employers facing union organizing activity and picketing, and has successfully tried numerous cases before the National Labor Relations Board. She also handles collective bargaining and labor arbitrations...

Kristin is a partner in the Labor & Employment practice group. She focuses her practice on all aspects of labor and employment law and has extensive experience in the areas of labor relations, employment litigation, employment advice and counseling, and mergers and acquisitions. Kristin has particularly deep experience in the area of traditional labor law, where she has handled numerous unfair labor practice cases and litigation, strikes and injunctions, collective bargaining negotiations...

Ms. Cárdenas has more than 25 years of experience representing adults and minors who have suffered debilitating injuries in every area of personal injury. Ms. Cárdenas is a member of the highly esteemed Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum due to her repeated success in winning multimillion-dollar settlements for her clients. Starting in 2012, Ms. Cardenas has consistently been named as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers. She prides herself on tenaciously representing her clients ...

Nate Hole counsels clients with respect to emerging marketing, technology, and data-related products and services, including issues related to online and digital marketing and assets, privacy and data optimization, social media integrations, mobile apps, Internet of Things and connected devices, e commerce and electronic payments. Nate provides practical solutions and creative counsel to help clients bring new products and services to market, and to leverage data, technology, connectivity and...

Steve Napolitano is a corporate partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Steve represents private equity funds, family offices and public and private corporations in connection with leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, going private transactions, growth equity financings, senior and mezzanine debt financings, joint ventures, recapitalizations and restructurings. He also has substantial experience representing private equity sponsors, corporations and senior managemen...

Drawing on nearly 40 years of combined experience as a federal prosecutor and defense attorney, Sheldon Zenner expertly navigates his clients through high-stakes matters, including government and internal investigations, regulatory proceedings, all phases of criminal matters and related civil litigation. Sheldon's diverse client base is made up of corporations, high-ranking executives and company owners across a wide range of industries, including financial services, health care and entertain...

Andrew has extensive experience in commercial real estate advising real estate investors, funds, finance companies, sponsors and operating companies on private equity capital raising, finance (including preferred equity and mezzanine), investment and development of commercial real estate. He also advises on the formation of joint ventures to own, operate, develop and finance global real estate. He regularly represents lenders with participations, modifications, originations and workouts of co...

Stephen L. Ritchie is a partner in the Chicago office of Kirkland & Ellis. Steve's practice is concentrated in the areas of complex business transactions, with a particular focus on structuring, negotiating and managing the legal aspects of mergers, acquisitions, leveraged buyouts, recapitalizations, venture capital and growth equity investments, restructurings and workouts. He has also served as lead counsel in the representation of numerous portfolio companies of private equity funds. P...

Melissa A. Vallone is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Patent Law. Melissa A., who practices law in Chicago, Illinois, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Melissa A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

James Mayer is a senior counsel in Nixon Peabody’s Real Estate group and focuses his practice on all aspects of real estate law, with extensive experience in retail, office, and industrial leasing. My focus I focus my practice on commercial real estate law, including all aspects of real estate acquisition, development, leasing, operation, management, and disposition. My clients include real estate pension funds, investment advisory groups (for their own accounts and unrelated third part...