News: Chicago Tribune Announces Schwartz Cooper IP Practice Group's Move to Ungaretti & Harris

The Chicago Tribune's "Inside the Legal Profession" column announces the move of Schwartz Cooper's entire Intellectual Property practice group to Ungaretti & Harris. The group has opted to join Ungaretti & Harris rather than go to a much larger firm with the rest of the firm's attorneys.

"A merger was not what we wanted at this time," said incoming Intellectual Property Practice Chair Roger H. Stein. "We're used to practicing in a more entrepreneurial culture with less bureaucracy."

The column emphasizes Ungaretti & Harris' intent on remaining independent amid a wave of law firm mergers. According to Thomas M. Fahey, Managing Partner, "The truth is that consolidation is creating tremendous opportunities for firms like ours. We wanted to call attention to this so that lawyers know they don't have to choose between large firms and boutiques."

The Tribune column also addresses Ungaretti & Harris' recent recruitment advertisement in Chicago Lawyer on the fictional affliction "mergeritis." The ad directed readers to www.mergeritis.com, where they found a letter from Mr. Fahey addressing the unhappiness that many attorneys feel after their firms merge. For more information on the mergeritis announcement, please click this link: http://www.uhlaw.com/mergeritis_announcement/.

To read the full Chicago Tribune article, please contact the Marketing Department.

Additional Media Coverage

“We could not be more excited," said Mr. Fahey, quoted in in IPLaw 360. “We've been looking for the right fit with an IP group for quite a while. I think the fact that Roger Stein and the group did not really care to become part of the Dykema merger and chose to stay in a mid-size firm with a more entrepreneurial environment was very fortuitous for us.” The article also quotes Mr. Stein and incoming Intellectual Property Partner Stanton B. Miller, who echoed Mr. Fahey's comments.

“I'm committed to the mid-size firm. I think that's a very effective way to practice law, and I think a mid-size firm offers opportunities for clients,” said Mr. Miller.

An ABA Journal article further addresses the new attorneys' decision to join "Chicago's venerable Ungaretti & Harris."

"Not everyone at the soon-to-be shuttered Schwartz Cooper believes that bigger is better," the article reads. "Rather than follow the M&A trend, Ungaretti is known and wants to be known, at least in the profession, for remaining an autonomous mid-sized firm."

To read each article, please contact the Marketing Department.