Operating out of just one office in Chicago, Goldberg Kohn is one of the more respected mid-size firms in the Windy City. The firm has made a name for itself with practices including banking and finance, bankruptcy and financial services, real estate, class-action defense and labor and employment litigation work, among other areas. 

Chicago Origins

In 1976, four attorneys at a mid-sized Chicago practice came together to establish their own firm, Goldberg Kohn. Since then, the firm has achieved success in middle-market dealings while maintaining a modest size.

From Bankruptcy to Commercial Finance to Real Estate

Goldberg Kohn's bankruptcy group has handled matters for such recognizable names as Kmart, Ben Franklin stores and candy manufacturer Favorite Brands. In addition to bankruptcy, Goldberg Kohn has an active class action defense practice, with a specialty in consumer finance-related class action. The firm's class action defense victories include representing debt holders, credit card companies, mortgage foreclosure attorneys and mortgagors. Goldberg Kohn also has a bustling Commercial Finance practice, with more than 50 percent of the firm's attorneys working in this area. Clients include Wells Fargo, JPMorganChase, Goldman Sachs, and Golub Capital.

On the transactional side, the Real Estate group at Goldberg Kohn frequently counsels lenders on property financing issues. The firm counsel such Chicagoland companies as Mesirow Financial, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Commonwealth Edison, and Wintrust Financial.

Playing with Intellectual Property

Goldberg Kohn has managed to find the fun in the IP world of copyright, trademark and patent litigation. The firm's Intellectual Property department has two special industry teams—one for the toy industry and one for the world of musical instruments. Among its duties in the world of playthings, Goldberg Kohn helps toy manufacturers defend against counterfeit toys from overseas markets in its role as patent enforcement counsel.

On the musical side, attorneys at Goldberg Kohn may not party like rock stars, but the firm does get to rub elbows with bigwig industry types, given its long-running representation of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The firm regularly handles intellectual property trademark, copyright and litigation matters for Fender.