Seven partners will lead the office. The group includes nationally recognized lawyers in insurance and labor and employment law; they join from San Francisco based firms Sedgwick LLP
The attorneys include Julia Molander, who joins from Sedgwick. She focuses her practice on insurance counseling and litigation, and will serve as managing partner of the new office.
Attorneys joining from Long & Levit include Howard Garfield , who focuses on insurance, employment and professional liability, Irene Yesowitch, whose practice is concentrated in insurance counseling and litigation, and professional liability, Jason Geller, who focuses on labor and employment litigation, and Karen Uno, who focuses on insurance counseling and litigation.
Dan Crawford, the Executive Vice-President and General Counsel of the California-based business insurance brokerage firm of Edgewood Partners Insurance Center, will also join as a partner. His practice focuses on insurance and employment litigation.
Fulton Smith III will also join MBT as partner. He joins from the San Francisco-based Barber Law Group
Bruce Meckler, co-chair of MBT was quoted as saying in a press release at the firm’s website: “We have always had a distinct presence in San Francisco and throughout California. We are opening the San Francisco office in response to this demand for our expertise in insurance, labor and employment, litigation and legal audit matters, as well as in all of our practice areas.”
With the addition of the San Francisco office, the firm now employs more than 100 attorneys, making it one of the top 35 largest law firms in Chicago. As well, the firm has one of the five largest labor and employment law practices in Chicago.