News: Ungaretti & Harris Named to National Law Journal's 2011 "Midsize Hot List"

Ungaretti & Harris LLP is one of twenty firms nationwide recognized by the National Law Journal in their 2011 "Midsize Hot List." The list recognizes firms with 50 to 150 attorneys "that set the standard for midsize practice - firms that clearly stand apart from your everyday law firm."

The National Law Journal says that:

Chicago-based Ungaretti & Harris prides itself on playing in the big leagues; its 100 lawyers have worked for clients including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Nissan North America Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co.

Managing partner Thomas Fahey said the firm takes a cross-discipline team approach "that allows us to magnify our numbers to play at the significant level we play at."

Business and litigation account for the bulk of the firm's workload, not including the 15 partners who work on health care, public finance and government matters. Ungaretti has been seeing increased demand related to health care services, Fahey said. "It's a very complex and energized area of the law," he said.

The firm's health care team, representing lenders and physician groups, among others, has doubled in size during the past three years. Ungaretti has staked out a niche advising family offices on complex business matters.

On the litigation front, Ungaretti scored a big win in an intermediate state appellate court in January in a taxpayer action brought on behalf of Chicago Blackhawks owner Rockwell Wirtz and liquor distributor Wirtz Beverage Group LLC. The suit alleged that the state's $31 billion capital construction plan, which allowed video gambling and increased state liquor taxes, violated the Illinois Constitution. Ungaretti partner Sam Vinson of the firm's government department argued for Wirtz before the Illinois Supreme Court in May.