Much Shelist announced the addition of five attorneys from Chicago bankruptcy boutique Neal Wolf & Associates. The new team expands the firm’s Creditors’ Rights, Insolvency & Bankruptcy group, a key practice area for the firm and its clients.

The attorneys are known for successfully representing a number of prominent businesses, within and outside the bankruptcy courts. Their clients include businesses in a wide spectrum of industries (e.g., hospitality, commercial real estate, healthcare, manufacturing and senior care), secured and unsecured creditors, purchasers of businesses or assets through bankruptcy, and parties to bankruptcy litigation. The firm received a National First Tier ranking in the U.S. News & World Report’s 2013 Best Law Firms listing.

Neal L. Wolf joins Much Shelist as an equity principal. He will also serve as co-chair of the firm’s Creditors’ Rights, Insolvency & Bankruptcy group, along with existing chair Norman B. Newman, who has been with the group at Much Shelist for more than 25 years.

Wolf has served as counsel to the principals in bankruptcy and restructuring matters for the Allerton Hotel, HA-LO Branded Solutions, VMS Realty, the Chicago, Missouri & Western Railway, the South Shore Railway, Bally Total Fitness and the Hartmarx Corporation. During the course of his career, he secured numerous, highly favorable, reported decisions from the U.S. District Court and U.S. Court of Appeals. He also serves as current lead restructuring counsel to one of the world’s largest privately held developers and owners of shopping centers, hotel properties, other commercial properties and residential developments.
Wolf has been a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy since 1997. A skilled and experienced trial lawyer, as well as bankruptcy specialist, Wolf successfully tries business litigation cases before judges and juries throughout the United States.

Dean C. Gramlich, joining Much Shelist as senior counsel, has more than 25 years of experience representing corporate clients in bankruptcy, commercial real estate, workouts and business reorganizations. He has represented Heller Financial, Citicorp, American National Bank and Travelers Insurance, among other clients.

“We are excited to add some of the most respected and experienced bankruptcy attorneys in Chicago to our growing ranks,” said Mitchell S. Roth, managing partner of Much Shelist. “Our firm, clients and attorneys will benefit greatly from our new colleagues’ backgrounds and experience. This further demonstrates our continued successful effort to strategically grow Much Shelist, assuring our clients high-caliber, business-focused legal counsel with strong depth in our many full-service practice areas.”

Also joining the firm from Neal Wolf & Associates are associates John A. Benson, Jr., Folarin S. Dosunmu and Jacob R. Lenzke, as well as two staff members (one in Chicago and one in Dublin, CA).

Wolf and his team gave extensive consideration to this move. “In the end, providing a full-service platform to our clients in a culture that is very compatible with ours creates a compelling combination,” said Wolf. “We also share Much Shelist’s commitment to pro bono work and community service, which made the fit even stronger.”

Wolf noted that the transition will be seamless for their clients, who will now have access to much deeper resources in the areas of corporate, commercial real estate, intellectual property, litigation and alternative dispute resolution, labor and employment, and wealth transfer and succession planning, among others.

“Being part of the Much Shelist team will enhance our ability to serve our clients, and allow us to participate in the firm’s vision of continued growth,” added Wolf. “We are very impressed with the experienced attorneys and staff at Much Shelist, as well as the truly collegial environment, and we look forward to working with our new colleagues.”