Powerhouse Lateral to Help Ungaretti & Harris with Market Expansion in Finance Arena

CHICAGO (September 3, 2010) - In a surprise move less than a month after his retirement from Latham & Watkins, finance law heavyweight Donald L. Schwartz announced he is coming out of retirement to lead a market expansion effort at Chicago’s Ungaretti & Harris.

Schwartz played key roles in the explosive growth of the finance practices at Sidley & Austin and Latham & Watkins. He plans to draw on that experience at Ungaretti, a mid-sized firm based in Chicago. “Sidley’s creditors’ rights group was only six lawyers when I arrived there as a young associate in 1974, and Latham didn’t even have a finance department or any lending clients on their top 100 client list back in 1988,” Schwartz said. “Our practice at Ungaretti already represents major financial institutions as well as smaller banks. The firm clearly understands the huge opportunity that is developing in middle market lending, and its commitment to building a leading-edge practice in that area was a critical factor in my decision to join Ungaretti.”

Schwartz chairs Ungaretti’s newly formed Finance and Restructuring practice. This group combines lawyers from the firm’s existing Commercial Lending, Bankruptcy and Corporate Restructuring practices into a single unit offering cradle-to-grave finance law services—from the negotiation and documentation of a new loan to the collection of the loan when it comes due.

“The legal community is reorganizing itself in response to the economic conditions of the last couple of years,” commented Kay Hoppe of attorney recruitment firm Credentia, Inc. “This move is timed perfectly to capitalize on the seismic shift occurring in the way legal services are provided to middle market financial institutions. Don is one of the most experienced and well-recognized finance and banking lawyers in the country and has an uncanny ability to identify and act on opportunities that ultimately blossom. Ungaretti is going to be a serious player in this practice area.”

That was the reason for recruiting Schwartz, according to Thomas M. Fahey, Managing Partner of Ungaretti & Harris. “As a result of the recession and recent regulatory changes, there is increasing opportunity to assist clients with financial and restructuring work. Don has both the experience and skill set to lead our expansion in this area. He brings both deep knowledge and creative thinking to the insolvency area and a vast amount of banking and finance experience to the firm. This, plus his reputation and strategic vision, makes him the right lawyer to lead and expand this practice,” Fahey said.

Mr. Schwartz received his J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1974 and his B.A. from Macalester College in 1971. He has been consistently recognized as a leading banking and finance attorney by both Chambers Global and Chambers USA since they began considering Chicago lawyers.

Ungaretti & Harris is a Chicago-based law firm with national business, healthcare, litigation, and government practices. The firm represents domestic and international clients including Fortune 500, mid-market, and small businesses; private equity funds; healthcare providers; energy companies; real estate companies; financial institutions; professional organizations; and government agencies.

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