Chicago attorney Mark A. Gershon has always put his clients first, so when they asked him to find a law firm focused on their middle market real estate development and energy needs, he responded. Gershon now joins the Chicago office of Polsinelli Shughart PC as an equity shareholder where he will serve as national vice chair of real estate development. Gershon spent the past 24 years at DLA Piper LLP in Chicago.
“My clients have always been the focus of my legal career,”said Gershon who is a Chicago native. “They urged me to search for a firm with significant resources in the Midwest and a strong national platform. Polsinelli Shughart, which is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, offered the best balance between capability, experience and cost sensitivity.”
Gershon’s clients include owners and developers of energy facilities, including wind farms, industrial, office and retail centers, brownfield and deteriorated sites and downtown areas, in addition to institutional lenders and municipalities. Gershon is the latest in a series of experienced partner-level attorneys to join Polsinelli Shughart.
“Polsinelli Shughart has a powerhouse team of nationally recognized lawyers, and served as counsel on one of the highest number of Midwest real estate transactions of any law firm (according to Midwest Real Estate News). I’m joining a strong group of experienced lawyers, many of whom, like me, have left other mega-firms to bring a lifetime of skills to the more focused practices of Polsinelli Shughart,” said Gershon.
In addition to real estate, the office has added health care, labor and employment, and bankruptcy attorneys to the existing strengths in corporate, banking, real estate and commercial litigation. The Polsinelli Shughart national real estate practice has increased to 65 attorneys in Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, Phoenix and Denver.
“Mark is an excellent addition to the Chicago office,” said Managing Director/Chicago Anthony J. Nasharr. “He is highly respected in the Chicago legal community and brings depth and knowledge in complex real estate matters that will benefit clients. This is a great pairing and we’re excited to have Mark onboard.”
Gershon earned his J.D., from Northwestern University School of Law, 1986, and his B.S. from Northwestern University, 1983. He has been repeatedly recognized in Illinois Super Lawyers, as the result of research projects conducted jointly by Law & Politics and Chicago magazines.
When he’s not practicing law, Gershon is involved in the community he loves. He is currently the vice chair of the Production Organization for Cultural Events and Theater which produces a regional festival attended by up to 40,000 people. For eight years he served as vice chair and chairman of the Board for the Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute, a large midwestern summer camp.
He has also served as chair of the State and Local Government Committee of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties in addition to serving on their Sustainable Development Committee and Green Task Force. Gershon is also a member of the American Wind Energy Association and the Illinois Wind Energy Association.
Gershon speaks and writes frequently on many aspects of private and public real estate development and is the co-author of the Illinois Zoning, Eminent Domain and Land Use Manual (Lexis Law Publishing, supp. 2009) and formerly co-authored the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education Chapter on “Land Use and Development Controls” in Basic Real Estate (1995).
He would be an excellent source for reporters working on stories about:
· Commercial and industrial real estate development
· Energy and wind farm development issues
· Rezoning and development for commercial and residential properties.
· Land use issues
· Wind farm development issues
· Legal issues for developing green, renewable properties
About Polsinelli Shughart
With approximately 480 attorneys, Polsinelli Shughart PC (www.polsinelli.com) is a national law firm that is a recognized leader in the areas of business litigation, financial services, real estate, business law, construction, life sciences and health care. Serving corporate, institutional and individual clients regionally, nationally and worldwide, Polsinelli Shughart is known for successfully applying forward-thinking strategies for both straightforward and complex legal matters. The firm has offices in Phoenix, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Wilmington, Delaware; Chicago and Edwardsville, Illinois; Overland Park and Topeka, Kansas; Kansas City, St. Louis, Springfield and St. Joseph, Missouri; New York City; and Washington, D.C.