Joel R. Thielen

Adam K. Sherman provides legal counsel on a wide range of wealth transfer, tax, estate planning and business succession matters for high-net-worth individuals and business owners. Read full biography here: https://www.mwe.com/people/sherman-adam-k/

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...

Mark E. Schmidtke represents clients in ERISA and Non-ERISA employee benefits matters in state and federal courts throughout the United States for nearly 30 years. He has been lead or co-lead counsel in ERISA litigation matters pending in the courts of 49 states. He has argued appeals in the United States Courts of Appeals for the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Circuits, as well as the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Minnesota Suprem...

Tom Donovan advises on patent and trademark litigation and prosecution, unfair competition and trade secret litigation, as well as a variety of licensing-related matters. Regardless of the client or the complexity of the matter at hand, Tom provides his clients with the guidance they need, in a way they can understand and apply to their daily business operations. Tom also has significant negotiation and drafting experience with software licensing, as well as patent, trademark and copyright li...

Laura M. Presto is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Laura M., 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 Laura M. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Mary Samsa is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law. Mary, 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 Mary is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jeffrey A. Zaluda is a partner at Horwood Marcus & Berk and chairs the Trusts and Estates Group. He advises individuals, families, fiduciaries, closely held businesses and business owners with respect to estate planning, business planning, asset protection and preservation, estate and trust administration, tax planning, and estate and trust litigation. Jeff is a technically adept estate planner, comfortable with both the straightforward and the sophisticated. His clients value his ability...

Jack Rovner, an attorney, is a founding member of Health Law Consultancy. Health Law Consultancy is a Chicago health law boutique that provides strategic legal counsel for the business of health care to enable health industry participants to capitalize on opportunities and manage challenges in the evolving health system. Rovner is Best Lawyers 2014 Chicago health care law "Lawyer of the Year." For four decades, Rovner has represented clients on health law, health reform, antitrust, business s...

Peter J. Flowers believes a hands-on approach is the only way to handle delicate cases involving serious injury and death. A partner in the firm of Meyers & Flowers, Pete has represented countless families whose lives have been tragically changed because of medical malpractice, catastrophic injuries from workplace injuries and automobile accidents, and from defective products. He has also represented the victims and families of victims of nursing home abuse and of sexual abuse. His attent...

Gary Gassman focuses his practice in the areas of insurance coverage counseling and litigation and is co-chair of the firm’s Professional Liability Practice Group. For more than 20 years, his practice has been concentrated on management liability including directors and officers and entity liability, employment practices liability, fiduciary liability, and various types of professional liability and commercial general liability coverage. He also has significant reinsurance experience. G...