Laurette N. Petersen

Rob Drobnak has significant experience in the structuring, negotiating and documentation of credit facilities for acquisitions, working capital and other general corporate purposes. Rob’s strong acumen around the entire life-cycles of finance transactions, including the negotiation, structuring and documentation of deals from inception to close, during growth and workout phases and in sale, foreclosure and other exit scenarios, helps clients to successfully navigate unexpected obstacles...

A trusted adviser with over a decade of experience, Terese Connolly counsels and represents multinational corporations in navigating the wide range of domestic and international labor and employment related issues that arise when managing a global workforce. Terese advises and counsels multinational companies; conducts enterprise risk assessments, compliance audits and internal investigations; and provides training for management and employees on employment law, leave laws, anti-discriminatio...

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.

As a sought-after transactional and regulatory advisor, Patrick J. Martinez has built his practice on executing complex healthcare acquisitions and joint ventures. He represents private equity firms and their platform companies in the acquisition and divestiture of for-profit healthcare companies, as well as provider-to-provider deals. Read full biography: https://www.mwe.com/people/patrick-j-martinez/

Jeffrey Sheffield concentrates his practice in the areas of tax planning, mergers, acquisitions, and spin-offs, with a particular focus on complex tax planning for publicly traded companies and consolidated groups. Jeff is past Chairman of the Planning Committee for the University of Chicago Federal Tax Institute, and has been listed as a Tier One attorney by Chambers USA. In the 2006–2017 editions of Chambers Global, The World's Leading Lawyers for Business, Jeff is recognized as a lea...

Kevin Van Wart is a partner Kirkland's Chicago office, where he concentrates in complex litigation, including mass tort claims, class action lawsuits, product liability and pharmaceutical claims, and high stakes commercial disputes. Kevin has served as lead trial and appellate counsel in a wide variety of cases throughout the country and teaches trial advocacy at the University of Chicago Law School. The National Law Journal featured Kevin's successful trial work in naming Kirkland to its 200...

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...

Laura Baldwin is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Collaborative Law: Family Law, Family Law and Family Law Mediation. Laura, who practices law in Park Ridge, Illinois, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Laura is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Jim Gaughan is a tough, talented, and experienced commercial litigator who has used his considerable experience and equanimity to successfully represent clients in a wide range of complex and challenging class action lawsuits in jurisdictions across the country. He is relentless about preparation and tactics, constantly weighing and analyzing the respective strengths of his clients, as well as their adversaries, in order to create the most effective and efficient legal strategies.

Todd Schafer is recognized as one of the best trial lawyers of his generation. As the son of founding partner Timothy Schafer, Todd was immersed in the courtroom at an early stage of his career and was given an opportunity to try many cases at a young age. Demonstrating exceptional skill and tenacity, he quickly earned a reputation for winning challenging cases and achieving remarkable results, even in conservative jurisdictions. At just 30 years old, Todd secured a landmark $32.5 million ver...