FUCHS AND ROSELLI - Key Persons
Alex Wimmer focuses his practice on a wide range of civil litigation matters. In representing his clients, Alex utilizes his skill in identifying and communicating the most effective legal arguments to advance his clients' needs and goals.
Prior to joining Fuchs & Rosselli, he worked at a large civil litigation firm on cases involving high value medical malpractice, professional liability and real estate disputes.
Alex was also a part of the firm's appellate practice, handling dozens of appeals before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals and the Appellate Courts of Illinois and Wisconsin. Alex has argued before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals five times, and the Appellate Court of Illinois three times. His success in the appellate courts has resulted in several published decisions by the courts.
Alex resides in McHenry County with his wife and three children, and is active in his family's various sports and extracurricular organizations.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Fuchs & Roselli As a Litigation Associate
Bernard Puglisi joined Fuchs & Roselli as a litigation associate in 2023. His practice involves a wide array of commercial litigation issues, including but not limited to employment disputes, partnership disputes, and condominium association disputes, breaches of contract and fiduciary duty, fraud and consumer fraud, estates and trusts litigation, and commercial evictions.
Prior to joining Fuchs & Roselli, Bernard worked for a firm in Detroit, MI as an appellate litigation attorney working on critical motions, and sophisticated appellate advocacy and analysis. He has handled premises liability, product liability, auto negligence, Federal Employer's Liability Act (FELA), and Jones Act claims for both plaintiffs and defendants.
Charles Blood joined Fuchs & Roselli in November 2022 as a commercial real estate associate. Charles's practice area focuses primarily on commercial leasing, land use and zoning, and all aspects of commercial transactions including financing, acquisition, and disposition. Having facilitated closings involving multi-tenant residential buildings, industrial and warehouse properties, vacant land, and retail properties, Charles has broad experience in a range of commercial transactions.
Prior to joining the firm, Charles attended Chicago-Kent College of Law. While in law school, Charles clerked for the Honorable Christopher Lawler in the Cook County Circuit Court-Law Division and also worked as a legal extern for Hinshaw and Culbertson LLP.
Prior to attending Chicago-Kent, Charles attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, graduating with a B.S. in finance with an emphasis in real estate. Charles currently lives on the north side of Chicago in Lakeview.
David R. Buetow received his bachelor of arts degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois in Champaign Urbana in 1992, with University Honors Bronze Tablet and Phi Beta Kappa distinction. Mr. Buetow remained at the University of Illinois to obtain his law degree in 1995.
Prior to joining Fuchs & Roselli, Ltd., Mr. Buetow gained substantial litigation experience in both the public and private sector, where he specialized in commercial litigation. Mr. Buetow is a member of, and remains active in, the Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations. Mr. Buetow continues to concentrate his practice in the area of commercial litigation, employment law, condominium law, real estate disputes, commercial loan work-out, foreclosures and deed in lieu transactions and litigation. Mr. Buetow is a member of the Federal Trial Bar and is licensed to practice law in the State of Florida.
John is active in both his church and community in Barrington, where he resides with his wife. He has served terms on both parish and community school boards, local government, village boards and charitable organizations.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Fuchs & Roselli As a Litigation Associate
Mariah Nix joined Fuchs & Roselli as a litigation associate in April 2021. Mariah practices complex commercial litigation and counsels clients on a wide range of commercial issues, including but not limited to partnership disputes, breaches of contract and fiduciary duty, fraud, estates and trust litigation, employment disputes, and intellectual property disputes.
While still in law school, Mariah worked with the in-house legal team at the Chicago Stock Exchange, where she assisted with rule filings, and researched SEC regulations and comparative rules of other national securities exchanges. Mariah also worked as a legal extern at Levy Restaurants, Inc., where she was exposed to a range of industry issues, including licensing regulations and employment law.
While attending Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Mariah earned a certificate in Trial Advocacy and competed as a member of the ABA Client Counseling team. Mariah now serves as an assistant coach to Loyola's ABA Client Counseling team.
Prior to law school, Mariah attended Indiana University, graduating with Bachelor of Arts degrees in political science and criminal justice. Mariah now lives on the north side of Chicago with her husband and their two rescued pets, Paul and Luna.
Mark H. Schiff is one of the founding partners at Fuchs & Roselli. Mark currently advises business clients in the areas of corporate law and planning, contracts for both customers and vendors, as well as employment law.
An important part of the business practice is also the purchase and ultimate sale of the business including succession planning. As a critical part of Mark's practice, since 1977 he has maintained a substantial and continuously thriving practice in the field of civil litigation, trying both jury and bench trials for clients of the firm including matters involving employment law, contractual disputes, real estate litigation as well as partnership-shareholder disputes.
Mark is also a strong proponent of alternative dispute resolution, for the purpose of settling disputes without the need for lengthy and expensive court proceedings. Towards that end, Mark serves on the panel as an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association in the areas of commercial and employment disputes both in Chicago and South Florida and has completed a 40 hour training course in mediation skills with the Center for Conflict Resolution in Chicago. Mark is an authorized mediator for the Chancery and Law Divisions of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois.
Since the beginning of his career, he has worked extensively as outside general counsel for a number of companies and their entrepreneurial owners in high technology in the Midwest, including computer resellers, technology service companies, video game inventors and other advanced technology enterprises.
For more than 25 years, Mark has maintained the highest "AV" rating (very high to preeminent) among his peers for legal ability, professional reliability, diligence and ethics, and since 2015 has been selected by his peers as a Leading Lawyer among the Nation's Top Lawyers.
Mark has worked for many years in various not for profit endeavors including having served as a board member and past president of an international children's charity and after serving as an alumnus volunteer and board member for decades, he served as president of his international fraternity, Alpha Epsilon Pi. During his term as president, the organization opened its first chapters in the state of Israel.
Job Titles:
- Partner
- Member of the Illinois Bar Association
Michael O'Connor has extensive experience in all aspects of the acquisition, financing, leasing and disposition of commercial, industrial, retail and multi-unit residential property. He has structured, negotiated and documented a wide variety of transactions including senior/subordinate financing, commercial mortgage backed securities (CMBS), mezzanine and equity participation as well as structuring the ownership of entities for the development of those properties.
Michael focuses on structuring transactions to minimize income taxes through the use of forward, reverse and reverse/improvement section 1031 exchanges as well as other strategies to minimize or avoid an increase in real estate and transfer taxes as a result of a transaction. He has broad experience in the structuring of partnerships and limited liability companies with multiple layers of ownership and levels of participation.
Michael has also represented numerous institutional lenders in a wide variety of real estate and asset based loan transactions to finance the acquisition, construction and operations of retail and manufacturing businesses. He has also drafted and negotiated leases for industrial facilities, national retailers and restaurant operators.
Michael is a member of the Illinois Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. He also serves as counsel to The Chiari and Syringomyelia Foundation dedicated to funding research into the neurological disease known as Chiari Malformations and the spinal disease Syringomyelia.
Job Titles:
- Associate
- Fuchs & Roselli As a Litigation Associate
Nicole Firlej joined Fuchs & Roselli as a litigation associate in May of 2023. Nicole's practice involves a wide array of commercial litigation issues, including but not limited to employment disputes, partnership disputes, condominium association disputes, breaches of contract and fiduciary duty, fraud and consumer fraud, estates and trusts litigation, and commercial evictions.
Nicole received her Juris Doctorate from Chicago-Kent College of Law. Throughout law school, Nicole worked as a law clerk at a commercial litigation firm where she assisted in legal research, motion drafting, and trial preparation. While attending Chicago-Kent College of Law, Nicole received her certificate in Corporate Law and served as an executive member of the Phi Alpha Delta International Fraternity, vice president of the Corporate Law Society, and a student liaison for Themis Bar Prep. Nicole was a founding member of Chicago-Kent's Phi Alpha Delta mock trial team and served as its captain, which ranked nationally in its first competition. Nicole remains close to her alma mater and mentors a number of law students.
Prior to law school, Nicole attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, graduating with a dual degree in business administration and marketing from the Gies College of Business.
Richard C. Perna has extensive experience in all aspects of commercial dispute resolution. He acts as trial counsel in all areas of commercial litigation involving the trial, mediation, arbitration and workout of disputes involving individuals, corporations and institutions, he represents debtors and creditors in all aspects of Bankruptcy and Assignments for the Benefit of Creditors, he represents Lenders and Borrowers in the documentation of loan transactions and the perfection and enforcement of liens under the UCC and counsels professional organizations in obtaining, maintaining and complying with governmental licensing requirements. Richard also acts as a mediator within the above practice areas to help resolve disputes between parties.
Examples of Richard's practice areas include loan workout and foreclosure for both Lenders and Borrowers, the appointment and representation of receivers and assignees in business and foreclosure actions, the representation of real estate brokers and agents in commission and professional liability disputes, mechanics lien and construction disputes, shareholder, member and partner disputes, employment disputes, disputes among corporations involving the improper use of trade secrets and confidential information, special remedies, bankruptcy and the documentation of loans on behalf of both Lenders and Borrowers. Richard's work has also afforded him the opportunity to orally argue appeals before state and federal appellate courts.
Before joining Fuchs & Roselli, Ltd., Richard was associated with a large Chicago law firm focusing his practice in commercial litigation and trial law.
Richard is an avid golfer, skier and cycler. He supports various charities, including the Special Olympics of Illinois.
Thomas W. Hayes obtained his undergraduate degree in Accounting from the College of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, graduating magna cum laude, and his law degree from the University of Notre Dame. During law school, and for two subsequent years, he worked in the tax department of a national accounting firm. From there he entered private practice with a Chicago law firm, advising clients in the corporate, estate planning, and privately held business areas.
In 1994 he joined Fuchs & Roselli, Ltd. where he concentrates his practice in corporate transactional matters; trusts and estate planning; and contracts, planning and general counsel in the privately held business area. His clients include numerous high net worth families and privately held companies across many sectors of the economy. Over the past four decades he has particularly enjoyed assisting families and companies on succession planning projects; using trusts to solve various client objectives and problems; buying and selling businesses; and finding creative solutions for shareholder disputes, and trust disputes, outside of litigation.