Edward Schneidman and William Levy Join Kirkland & Ellis
Kirkland & Ellis LLP is pleased to announce that Edward J. Schneidman and William A. Levy have joined the Firm as partners in the Chicago office. Both were previously partners at Mayer Brown LLP in Chicago.
"Ed and Bill have broad corporate and tax experience in the REIT and real estate funds area that complements our practice. They have excellent national reputations, and we are delighted to have them on board," said Jeffrey C. Hammes, Chairman of Kirkland's Global Management Executive Committee.
Mr. Schneidman, 55, a nationally recognized corporate and securities lawyer, focuses on real estate capital markets-related matters. He has extensive experience in public and private mergers and acquisitions, capital formation and public offering activities for REITs and other real estate-oriented companies. His experience also includes general corporate, and federal and state securities law matters.
Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business recognized Mr. Schneidman as a leading lawyer, stating that he "has superb business judgment and according to clients 'works people around to the right position in a gentlemanly way, enabling deals to get done more smoothly.' "
"Kirkland's internationally recognized transactional practice is an exceptional platform for us to continue serving our existing client relationships and to develop new ones," said Mr. Schneidman.
Mr. Levy, 47, is a prominent tax attorney who advises clients across a broad spectrum of corporate matters, including real estate transactions, finance, and international tax planning and management. Mr. Levy has represented real estate clients in merger and acquisition activities, initial public offerings, portfolio acquisitions, joint ventures, and equity and debt financings. He has substantial experience advising multinationals in worldwide tax planning and investments.
Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business called Mr. Levy "'bright and capable' … 'He is always successful in coming up with a solution that will work for everyone.'" The Legal 500 U.S. also recognized Mr. Levy as a top tax attorney, noting that he has a "keen eye for detail and takes a wider perspective than most tax lawyers."
"This is an exciting and enriching opportunity for us and we look forward to starting the next phase of our careers," said Mr. Levy.
Mr. Schneidman earned a J.D. from the Duke University School of Law and a B.S.E. from the University of Pennsylvania. Mr. Levy earned a J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mr. Schneidman and Mr. Levy join several other recent real estate-related lateral hires, including Scott Berger and Jonathan Schechter, previously with White & Case, who joined Kirkland's New York real estate group, and Kelly Ryan, previously with Mayer Brown, who joined the Chicago real estate private funds group.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP (www.kirkland.com) is a 1,500-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex real estate, corporate/private equity and tax, restructuring, litigation and dispute resolution/arbitration, and intellectual property and technology matters. The Firm has offices in Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.
