Freeborn & Peters LLP is pleased to announce that the firm has elevated seven attorneys to Equity Partner, effective June 25.

The firm’s new Equity Partners are David S. Becker, Kenneth M. Crane, Shelly A. DeRousse, Devon J. Eggert, Sean Thomas Keely, Matthew J. O’Hara, and Steven D. Pearson. The attorneys previously were Partners. All are based in the firm’s Chicago office except for Mr. Keely, who works in Freeborn’s New York City office.

“It is a sincere pleasure to welcome David, Ken, Shelly, Devon, Sean, Matt and Steve to equity partnership at Freeborn,” said Freeborn Co-Managing Partner William E. Russell. “Each of our new equity partners has demonstrated outstanding service to our clients, as well as leadership at our firm and commitment to Freeborn’s core values. We congratulate them all.”

Mr. Becker is a member of Freeborn’s Litigation Practice Group and Emerging Industries Team. He handles complex commercial matters ranging from patent infringement enforcement and defense to employment discrimination claims, trade secret disputes, enforcement and avoidance of non-competition agreements, fiduciary duty claims, securities fraud actions, common law fraud claims, contract disputes, foreclosure proceedings, bankruptcy-related adversary proceedings, insurance coverage disputes, product liability litigation, and real estate disputes.

Mr. Crane is a member of Freeborn’s Corporate Practice Group and the firm’s Private Equity, Emerging Industries and Food Industry teams. He represents private equity, venture capital and family office–backed companies, focusing on acquisition and sale transactions. He also frequently represents the portfolio companies of his private equity, emerging growth and other clients in a wide range of transactions and legal matters.

Ms. DeRousse is Co-Leader of Freeborn’s Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice Group. She has extensive experience in the areas of bankruptcy, reorganization, litigation, and asset sales. As lead counsel, she has represented official creditors’ committees throughout the country in chapter 11 bankruptcy cases. Additionally, she represents companies and high earning individuals in their restructurings or workout negotiations with their lenders and other creditors.

Mr. Eggert is Co-Leader of Freeborn’s Bankruptcy and Financial Restructuring Practice Group. He has represented debtors, creditors’ committees, and secured and unsecured creditors in chapter 11 proceedings and in out-of-court restructurings across the United States and abroad. His practice covers all aspects of complex chapter 11 cases.

Mr. Keely is a member of Freeborn’s Litigation Practice Group and Insurance and Reinsurance Industry Team. He litigates and arbitrates commercial disputes with a particular focus on the reinsurance industry. Over the past several years, he has been at the center of cases addressing developing issues in the industry, including late notice, allocation and aggregation of losses, follow-the-settlements, breaches of the duty of utmost good faith, material misrepresentation, and insurer insolvency.

Mr. O’Hara is a member of Freeborn’s Litigation Practice Group and Co-Leader of the firm’s Complex Litigation Group. He concentrates his practice in the litigation and trial of complex commercial matters in federal and state courts and the representation of law firms and lawyers. He has tried cases involving the federal securities laws, antitrust, breach of fiduciary duty, trade secrets, trademark infringement, breach of contract, contract reformation, unjust enrichment, license agreements, executive employment, the Uniform Commercial Code, fraud, and criminal defense.

Mr. Pearson is a member of Freeborn’s Litigation Practice Group and Insurance and Reinsurance Industry Team. His practice emphasizes the areas of insurance non-compete litigation, as well as insurance coverage, bad faith, reinsurance, non-medical professional liability defense and complex general commercial litigation. He also regularly litigates large scale attorney fee disputes and has testified as an expert witness in such matters.

ABOUT FREEBORN & PETERS

Freeborn & Peters LLP is a full-service law firm, headquartered in Chicago, with international capabilities and offices in New York City; Richmond, Va.; Springfield, Ill.; and Tampa, Fla. Freeborn is always looking ahead and seeking to find better ways to serve its clients. It takes a proactive approach to ensure its clients are more informed, prepared and able to achieve greater success – not just now, but also in the future. While the firm serves clients across a very broad range of sectors, it has also pioneered an interdisciplinary approach that serves the specific needs of targeted industries.

Freeborn is a firm that genuinely lives up to its core values of integrity, effectiveness, teamwork, caring and commitment, and embodies them through high standards of client service and responsive action. Its lawyers build close and lasting relationships with clients and are driven to help them achieve their legal and business objectives.

For more information, please visit www.freeborn.com.