White & Case Opens Office in Chicago, Strengthens Corporate and White Collar Teams
2 min read
Global law firm White & Case LLP has opened an office in Chicago, Illinois. The White & Case Chicago office is led by Jason Zakia, a White & Case partner and head of the Firm's Disputes practice in the Americas, who will relocate to Chicago from Miami and drive the growth of the office. Jason is joined by lateral partners Gary Silverman and Carolyn Gurland. Silverman is a leading private equity lawyer with more than three decades of experience and Gurland is a white collar defense lawyer who has represented some of the highest profile defendants in Illinois and elsewhere.
Hugh Verrier, chair of White & Case, said: "Opening an office in Chicago is an important step as we pursue our 2020 strategy to grow in the United States and expand our disputes and M&A practices. Chicago and the Midwest are important markets for a number of our clients, and home to a broad combination of mature and emerging industries that will benefit from our global experience and capabilities. We expect the office to grow quickly in the years ahead."
John Reiss, global head of M&A said: "Our clients in the Midwest need top flight Chicago talent with access to the deep and broad expertise across practices and regions that White & Case offers. Gary, Carolyn and Jason are great examples of this, but they are just the beginning. We expect the office to expand to 100 lawyers and become a full service location over the next couple of years, and we are working actively to accomplish that."
Gary Silverman is a Chambers-ranked private equity lawyer who has represented sophisticated clients across numerous industries, including manufacturing, consumer products, hospitality, life sciences, and media, entertainment and technology. He will play a key role in White & Case's growth in private equity.
Carolyn Gurland, a former White & Case associate, is a prominent white collar defense attorney who has been involved in a number of headline-grabbing matters. She has represented politicians, CEOs, entertainers and corporations. She brings remarkable talent, trial experience and an enviable track record of success to White & Case.
Opening in Chicago is part of White & Case's 2020 strategy to expand in the United States. White & Case's Chicago presence is its eighth location in the US and its 44th globally.
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