Taft is pleased to announce that a team of five attorneys has joined its Chicago office, expanding the firm’s Litigation and Intellectual Property practice areas. The group includes three Litigation partners from Ice Miller and an Intellectual Property Partner and Of Counsel duo from Seyfarth Shaw.

This addition comes on the heels of significant expansion in Taft Chicago and across the firm.

Last week, the firm announced the addition of prominent Litigation Partner Nancy DePodesta. In the last decade, Chicago has grown its attorney headcount 106% and opened the doors to its newly renovated state-of-the-art office in 2023.

Firmwide, Taft continues to welcome prominent lateral groups across its markets—most recently, another six-attorney Ice Miller group welcomed to Taft’s Columbus and Indianapolis offices.

The new attorneys joining Taft Chicago include:

• Ryanne Bush Dent joins as a partner in the firm’s Litigation group. She has substantial experience advising commercial clients through complex construction and fiduciary litigation in both state and federal courts, working closely with architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, developers, owners, lenders, and title insurance underwriters. Prior to joining Taft, she served as the DuPage office managing partner at Ice Miller.
• Joseph Lanser is a partner in the firm’s Intellectual Property group. As a registered patent attorney and seasoned litigator, he has broad trial experience at district courts and oral arguments before appellate courts. He works with clients to procure meaningful intellectual property protection through patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets. Lanser has valuable experience in this field, having previously worked as a design engineer and in information technology prior to pursuing his legal career.
• Michael Pisano joins Taft as a partner in its Litigation practice group. He centers his practice in construction law and litigation, with extensive experience representing owners, design professionals, contractors, subcontractors, and sureties in construction and real estate matters. He also advises clients in business disputes, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud, and post-closing indemnity disputes.
• Eric Singer is a partner in Taft’s Litigation practice group, concentrating his practice on counseling diverse commercial construction clients through contracts, insurance, and construction and design projects, as well as disputes related to real estate, construction, mechanics liens, mortgages, title insurance, easements, and injunctions.
• Joseph Walker joins Taft as of counsel in the firm’s Intellectual Property practice group. He focuses his practice on helping clients navigate intellectual property rights, providing experienced counsel on litigation and patent matters. Walker has handled patent applications through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and internationally across a broad range of technologies in chemical, pharmaceutical, biomedical and media devices, mechanical, and computer technology fields.

“I am very pleased to welcome this highly impressive group to Taft Chicago,” said Cezar “Cid” M. Froelich Taft Chicago Partner and Chairman. “In Chicago and across the firm, we understand the increasing needs of our clients and continue to prioritize expanding our capabilities to provide top legal services in the market.”

“Welcoming these attorneys to Taft Chicago is an outstanding addition to the strong offering we have in our office. Our focus on growth has brought us exceptionally talented attorneys that share the same client focus and modern mindset we do,” said Paul T. Jenson, Taft Chicago Partner-In-Charge.