GUTNICKI - Key Persons
Aaron is a partner whose practice focuses on acquisition and finance transactions, as well as general corporate matters, with a particular emphasis on the real estate and healthcare areas.
His experience includes representation across the U.S. with values ranging from tens of thousands to tens of millions of dollars , as well as counseling of start-up ventures in a variety of industries. Aaron also advises clients on federal tax matters, in connection with achieving tax efficient structures and tax compliance, including with respect to non-profit organizations.
Prior to joining Gutnicki LLP, Aaron was an associate with the tax group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, in the firm's Chicago office.
Aaron has a J.D. with honors from the University of Chicago Law School and a B.A. from Brisk College
Abraham A. Gutnicki is the founder of Gutnicki LLP. Under Mr. Gutnicki's guidance, Gutnicki LLP has grown from a one-person practice to a boutique commercial law firm servicing clients throughout the United States in a wide variety of transactional matters.
In the recent past, Mr. Gutnicki has served as lead counsel in several acquisition and financing transactions with an aggregate transaction value of more than $1 billion dollars. Such transactions include the acquisition/disposition of real estate and business assets located in multiple states, the private placement/syndication of equity interests, and term and revolving based loans secured by business assets and accounts receivable, including accounts receivable generated under government payor programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
Adam Kornblatt is a partner with a wide business law background and has experience in various types of corporate and commercial real estate transactions, mergers and acquisitions, financial transactions, tax advisory and planning, and franchise law.
Adam has experience structuring and negotiating business transactions and drafting various business agreements and corporate documents. Adam has represented clients in various industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, technology, and municipal organizations.
Prior to joining Gutnicki LLP, Adam was an associate at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, where he focused on transactional, financial, and tax matters within the firm's commercial transactions group and strategic business advisory services. Before joining Hinshaw, Adam spent six years at Deloitte where he provided clients tax counsel and business advisory services in the firm's tax merger and acquisition practice.
Adam received a B.S.B.A in Finance and Accounting from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. cum laude, from The John Marshall Law School.
Aharon S. Kaye is the head of the firm's Litigation practice. He regularly represents corporations and individuals in complex civil and criminal cases involving false claims, fraud, tax, antitrust, securities, consumer fraud, health care, Medicare/Medicaid, partnership and business disputes, enforcement and defense of restrictive covenants, disputes arising out of the purchase and sale of businesses and securities, business valuations, and contracts. Aharon represents clients throughout all stages of litigation and arbitration, and in connection with internal investigations, criminal and civil government investigations, sensitive audits and negotiated resolutions with various regulatory agencies at the federal and state level.
Aharon is a panel Arbitrator for the Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration.
Prior to joining Gutnicki LLP, Aharon was a partner in the Chicago office of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.
With a strong commitment to the provision of pro bono legal services, Aharon has represented individuals seeking assistance through the Center for Disability and Elder Law, the Settlement Assistance Program conducted by the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, and those who have been wrongfully convicted.
While attending law school, Aharon was a member of the DePaul Law Review. Upon graduating law school, he was awarded a fellowship with the Public Interest Law Initiative at the DePaul University Center for Justice in Capital Cases and recently served as a member of the Board of Directors for PILI.
Job Titles:
- Co - Chair of the Associate Board for the Pathway to Adventure Council of Scouting BSA
Benjamin represents corporations and individuals in state and federal court in a variety of litigation matters involving issues concerning fraud, antitrust, partnership and business disputes, restrictive covenants, and general complex commercial and contract disputes.
Prior to joining Gutnicki LLP, Benjamin was an associate at a boutique complex civil litigation firm in Chicago, where he represented clients in matters concerning director and officer liability, insurance company receiverships and liquidations, general commercial and contract disputes, and labor and employment, including employment discrimination involving Title VII and state law claims.
Benjamin graduated magna cum laude from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and was inducted into the Order of the Coif after graduation. While attending law school, Benjamin was a member of the Chicago-Kent Law Review, served on the Executive Board for the school's American Constitution Society Student Chapter, and was a Teaching Assistant for required first-year courses Contracts and Legislation. Benjamin earned CALI Excellence for the Future Awards for the highest grade in numerous courses, including Property, Evidence, First Amendment Seminar, Trial Advocacy I, Products Liability, and Estates and Trusts.
A proud Eagle Scout, Benjamin serves as Co-Chair of the Associate Board for the Pathway to Adventure Council of Scouting BSA. Benjamin's work for the Council has involved a number of projects directed at revitalizing Scouting in the Chicago area and enhancing access to the Scouting program in underserved communities.
Daniel Scheeringa is an associate representing individuals and businesses in a variety of commercial litigation matters such as contract disputes, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and partnership and corporate governance disputes, in both state and federal court.
Before joining Gutnicki, Daniel was a senior associate at two commercial litigation boutique firms in Chicago, and was a law clerk to Judge Kathleen Pantle in the Chancery Division of the Cook County Circuit Court.
Daniel graduated cum laude from the University of Illinois College of Law in 2013. There, he participated in Moot Court, and served as Editor-in-Chief of the Illinois Business Law Journal. He received multiple merit scholarships, and earned the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for the highest grade in Constitutional Law. While in law school, he clerked at the U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities Exchange Commission, and the Antitrust Bureau of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General.
Daniel has a BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Political Science, and an MBA from Loyola University Chicago with a double concentration in Finance and Economics.
Jeremy J. Meisel is a partner with experience representing both lenders and borrowers in financing transactions, including financing transactions insured by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Jeremy has worked to close over 375 HUD-Insured Loans with an aggregate transaction value over $4.1 billion in 32 different states, including portfolios involving Master Leases and Accounts Receivable Financing.
He has represented purchasers of both commercial and residential real estate. He has also represented clients in areas of corporate governance and general corporate law.
Prior to joining Gutnicki LLP, Jeremy J. Meisel was an extern for the Honorable Justice Anne Burke of the Illinois Supreme Court.
Jeremy J. Meisel received a B.A. from Northwestern University in 2008 and a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 2011.
Experience
Selected Representations
John is a member of the firm's litigation practice group. John has over 23 years of experience in all aspects of litigation, including over 30 trials, as well as in bankruptcy matters and alternative dispute resolution. Prior to entering private practice, John served as a Judge Advocate in the United States Navy and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney. In private practice, John has focused his practice on representing financial institutions and other corporate clients in complex litigation, insolvency matters, and government investigations throughout the United States.
John handles a wide range of litigation matters, including: prosecuting creditor's rights claims; defending securities fraud and common law fraud claims; prosecuting fraud claims; and litigating claims arising out of mergers and acquisitions, construction and real estate development projects, and general business disputes.
Joseph Mei is a partner of the firm's corporate practice group. His practice focuses on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, take-private, leveraged buy-out, venture capital and U.S. securities law matters.
He has advised over 45 M&A transactions with aggregate transaction value of over $15 billion, including over 30 cross-border M&A transactions with aggregate transaction value of over $11 billion. Joseph was a recommend corporate lawyer by Legal 500 Asia Pacific in 2015.
Joseph also advises public and private boards of directors on corporate governance, conflicts, interested transactions and restructuring transactions.
Joseph has a business and engineering background, having successfully founded two companies. He is also an inventor with a US patent.
Prior to joining Gutnicki LLP, Joseph was a member of the corporate practice groups at DLA Piper in Chicago, Morrison & Foerster in Hong Kong and Shanghai, and Sullivan & Cromwell in Hong Kong and New York.
Experience
Selected Representations
Judy Oppenheim has extensive experience in the area of commercial real estate, sales and acquisitions, commercial finance, and government insured finance projects.
Judy has represented clients in the sale, purchase and financing of commercial real estate transactions. She also has experience representing landlords and tenants in the leasing and operation of shopping center properties; institutional lenders in loans and loan workouts; and experience in overseeing nationwide due diligence for loan securitization projects.
Kara has a diverse background in real estate, municipal law, and civil and commercial litigation. She also has considerable experience in the area of mortgage fraud investigations and claims. In addition, Kara represents a variety of secured and unsecured lenders in workouts, commercial foreclosures, UCC matters and other banking or creditors' rights-related litigation.
Secured and unsecured lenders of all sizes trust Kara to represent their interests in front-end loan documentation and contract negotiation, workouts, receivership responsibilities, commercial foreclosures, mortgage fraud investigations, UCC matters and other banking or creditors' rights litigation. In matters of real estate, she has experience with zoning variances and special use permits, title issues, closings and receivership responsibilities. Kara also represents lenders and property owners in building code issues at Housing Court, concerning building code issues
Her firm grasp of commercial real estate was first acquired in law school, where Kara studied land use and development law, and has matured during more than a decade of professional experience. It is her personal experience with real estate, however, that makes her particularly effective. With parents who invested in the Chicago rental market, she grew up in real estate and later gained her own experience as a managing broker. The perspective she has attained from representing both lenders and borrowers gives Kara a ready understanding of all parties in a transaction and informs her knowledge of how to obtain best results for her clients.
With a diverse background that also includes civil and commercial litigation, she enjoys the research that is fundamental to practicing law and takes pleasure in finding arguments to support a client's position. Identifying key priorities for each case, she is adept at recognizing and addressing hidden issues. Having owned her own business she understands the value of responsiveness and works hard to respond to clients as quickly as possible. In 2013, Kara co-authored a supplement to "Income Tax Consequences," a chapter in Mortgage Foreclosure Practice, which was published by the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education.
A passionate volunteer at Misericordia, where her sister is a long-time resident, Kara served as president of the Misericordia Siblings Association and continues to be deeply involved with its major fundraiser, The Artist in All, held annually at The Art Institute of Chicago. Kara also helps in the gift shop, collects donations during Misericordia Candy Days and serves at the Charity's Family Fest.
Kara enjoys sailing in the Beneteau 36.7 fleet in Chicago and has completed two Mackinac races. She and her husband are enthusiastic supporters of the Chicago Cubs and first met at Wrigley Field.
Mike McGivney concentrates his practice on business, financial services and commercial litigation. He has experience representing clients in a wide range of complex civil litigation matters, including class action and mass action matters. Mike also has a broad scope of trial and appellate experience in both state and federal courts while also routinely negotiating and securing favorable resolutions for his clients in all stages of litigation.
Mike also has a strong commitment to providing pro bono representation, including representing indigent clients in will preparation, uncontested divorces, claims of fraud and breach of fiduciary duty against financial advisors who take advantage of elderly clients, and prisoner personal injury claims.
After graduating cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law, Mike served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Marjorie K. Allard of the Court of Appeals for the State of Alaska in Anchorage, Alaska. Prior to joining Gutnicki, Mike was an associate in the Chicago office of Locke Lord, LLP.
Noah Siegel is an associate whose practice concentrates on mergers and acquisitions, litigation, general corporate law, and financing transactions, especially in the healthcare industry.
Before joining Gutnicki LLP, Noah was an associate at K&L Gates in Chicago, where he focused on corporate tax law and complex commercial litigation.
During law school, Noah served as a brief writer for Loyola University's Vis Moot Commercial Arbitration team, was a member of the Loyola University Chicago International Law Review, taught first-year law students as an academic tutor for Torts and Criminal Law, and externed for Judge Lewis M. Nixon of the Cook County Circuit Court- Chancery Division.
Stacy J. Flanigan is a partner with extensive experience in mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions representing both lenders and borrowers, health care transactions and commercial real estate.
In addition to her transactional practice, she has also represented numerous clients in areas of corporate governance and general corporate law and counseled clients on all aspects of ongoing operations.
Prior to joining Gutnicki LLP, Stacy J. Flanigan was an associate at Winston & Strawn LLP and acted as outside general counsel for a large manufacturing company.
Stacy J. Flanigan received a B.A. from Loyola University New Orleans in 1998 and a J.D., magna cum laude, from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2002, where she was was elected Order of the Coif, a staff member and notes and comments editor with the Chicago-Kent Law Review and a Kent Legal Scholar.