April 3, 2023 – Chicago, IL – After successfully launching a New York office in 2022, Raines Feldman announced that the Los Angeles-based firm is continuing its rapid national expansion with the addition of the well-known Chicago firm, Sugar Felsenthal Grais & Helsinger (SFGH).
Founded in 1981, SFGH has built a stellar reputation in the Chicago community representing middle market and multi- generational companies across the economic spectrum, and high net worth families. SFGH’s talented attorneys will add additional practice capabilities to service Raines Feldman’s extensive client base including Estate Planning and Estate Administration, Federal Income Tax Planning and Litigation, and Affordable Housing and Community Development, while bolstering the firm’s existing practice groups including Labor and Employment, Complex Litigation, Real Estate, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity, and Bankruptcy and Restructuring.
“We’re very proud of the foundation we have built in Chicago over the last 42 years, and we are excited by the transaction as it will expand our depth and breadth of services, we are able to provide our new and long-standing clients,” said Richard Sugar, SFGH’s managing and co-founding partner. “We look forward to contributing to Raines Feldman’s dramatic success nationally as we continue to serve our clients, many of whom we have counselled through several generations and successions” added Steven Felsenthal, SFGH’s co-founding partner.
“Our objective is to grow thoughtfully and maintain that growth without sacrificing our culture,” said Jonathan Littrell, Raines Feldman’s managing partner. “The cohesiveness between our firms perfectly align with our expansion strategy and the personalities and cultural focus mesh very well with our team, making this a winning opportunity for both of us.”
With offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, CA and New York, Raines Feldman has been strategically expanding its roster of talented lawyers across its practices nationwide. In recent months, Raines Feldman hired congressional candidate and former U.S. prosecutor Will Rollins to its litigation team in Los Angeles, while adding prominent New York-based business litigator Simon Miller to manage and grow the firm’s New York office. The firm also launched a media and intellectual property practice with the addition of partners Rami Yanni and Bill Hochberg in Los Angeles; and, beefed up its Corporate practice by bringing in well-regarded, Big Law partners Mitchell Cohen in Los Angeles, and Derek Dundas in Orange County.