Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff issued the following announcement on Sept. 5.
As Benesch continues to honor its commitment to recruiting top-notch legal talent in the city, the firm’s fast-growing Chicago office is pleased to announce the hires of Justin Dykstra and Lally A. Gartel.
“We are excited for these two skilled attorneys to join our expanding Chicago office,” said Gregg Eisenberg, Benesch’s Managing Partner and Executive Committee Member. “As a firm, we’re committed to growth, both in terms of size and doing more work, and in terms of quality. Additionally, we are expanding the scope and sophistication of the services we offer to our business clients. Justin and Lally reflect our commitment to adding more talent to the firm, and to providing top-notch service to our clients.”
Dykstra and Gartel join the firm as associates. Their move to Benesch reflects continued momentum for the firm, which has been growing aggressively through lateral hires as part of a strategic plan launched by Eisenberg in 2015. As a result, nearly 60 attorneys have joined the firm in the last 18 months, which has also seen the opening of a Chicago office and the expansion of practices including class action litigation, intellectual property litigation and labor and employment. Since making its debut on the AmLaw 200 list in 2017, the firm has advanced 15 places and is currently ranked at number 180.
Dykstra joins the firm’s Real Estate and Environmental Practice Group, assisting clients on a variety of commercial real estate transactions including, financing, purchase and sales, as well as leasing and development. Before joining Benesch, he was a real estate associate at a Chicago-based commercial law firm, where he had broad experience in all aspects of real estate transactions representing a variety of clients, including life insurance companies, institutional investors, industrial REITs, developers and private equity funds.
He graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2012, and graduated magna cum laude from Carleton College in 2006.
Lally joins Benesch’s Litigation Practice Group, and has represented institutional and individual clients in a variety of complex disputes, including class actions, involving product liability, breach of contract, fraud, antitrust, trade secret misappropriation, securities fraud, toxic tort, discrimination, bankruptcy, unfair and deceptive trade practices, and consumer fraud.
She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Legal Council for Health and Justice, which aims to promote health equity among populations facing chronic, disabling, and stigmatized health and social conditions. Lally was born in Russia, and is a fluent speaker of the Russian language.
Lally graduated from the Duke University School of Law in 2012, and also received her M.A. in Philosophy from Duke that same year. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of Illinois in 2009.
Original source can be found here.