Jeffrey C. Fort

Stephanie Samz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Patent Law. Stephanie, 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 Stephanie is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Described as "an absolutely first-class lawyer" with "tremendous expertise in fund formation and joint ventures" by industry publications such as The Legal 500 US, Alvin Katz has been helping real estate investors and developers close their most important deals for more than 40 years. Alvin is consistently ranked in the top tier of Chicago real estate lawyers by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business, which quotes clients praising his "exceptional intelligence" and describe him ...

John C. Kocoras is a partner in McDermott Will & Emery LLP’s White Collar & Securities Defense practice group and is based in the Firm’s Chicago office. John focuses his practice on internal investigations, white-collar criminal defense matters including Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) cases and complex litigation. Prior to joining McDermott Will & Emery, John served as Managing Director and Regional Counsel of the global investigations company Kroll, where he dir...

Joseph Mulherin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Joseph, 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 Joseph is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

With nearly 30 years of experience working with clients that include household brands and, in particular, mid-market businesses, John is able to remain calm and focused when encountering challenging environments. He helps clients to reduce stress in service of negotiating their desired resolution. Because copyright and trademark litigation is frequently used as a competitive tool, John works to ensure efficiency and preserve client resources throughout the litigation process, including elimin...

Catherine Basque Weiler is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation and Medical Malpractice Law - Defendants. Catherine, 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 Catherine is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Sandy brings a unique perspective combining his legal and business experience to assist his clients in viewing legal issues outside the box. Sandy’s clients appreciate his practical approach to counseling and structuring transactions and relationships to both prevent and solve problems in a manner that leads them to realize their strategic and operational goals. Sandy’s international background and experience have made him especially valuable to international clients looking to se...

Valerie Montague represents a variety of health care providers, digital health companies, senior living facilities, nonprofit trade associations, life sciences companies and vendors of health care providers. Valerie is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/United States (CIPP/US), the preeminent credential in the field of privacy. What do you focus on? I focus my practice on three main areas. HIPAA/Health Information Privacy and Security I assist health care providers and business asso...

Michael P. Chu focuses his practice on all aspects of patent law, including complex litigation, opinions and prosecution. He serves as the Local IP Litigation Practice Group Leader in McDermott’s Chicago office. Mike is also the Chair of the Firm’s Racial & Ethnic Diversity Committee. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/chu-michael-p/

Howard Schaffner is a senior partner in firm of Hofeld and Schaffner. The Hofeld and Schaffner law firm is been honored to be ranked as a top tier law firm by US News and World Reports and to have received the highest ranking from Martindale Hubble. As a specialist in plaintiff’ s personal injury Mr. Schaffner has achieved multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements in well over 150 cases. A few examples include; $39,000,000.00 verdict in a drug product liability case $16,000,000.00 ve...