Freeborn & Peters LLP is proud to announce that Anne R. Garr and Richard A. Wendy have joined the Firm as Partners in the Real Estate practice group.
Ms. Garr has a broad range of experience in commercial real estate transactions and is responsible for the day-to-day counseling of a number of retail real estate clients. A significant portion of her practice involves the representation of financial institutions in connection with the acquisition, disposition, leasing and development of office and retail commercial space. In addition, she has actively worked in the area of representing both tenants and landlords in industrial, office and retail commercial leasing transactions. Ms. Garr has also represented parties on both sides of the table in negotiating and closing loans, sales and acquisitions for many different types of commercial properties, including office buildings, hotels, industrial facilities, multi-family apartment buildings, shopping centers, vacant land and nursing homes. Prior to joining Freeborn & Peters, Ms. Garr was a partner at Lord, Bissell & Brook LLP, where she also held the role of hiring partner.
Mr. Wendy focuses his practice in land use, historic preservation and real estate development. Mr. Wendy has been involved with virtually every type of land use project; having successfully obtained approvals for tens of millions of square feet of commercial, institutional and industrial development and for thousands of residential and hotel units in Chicago and its outlying communities. His historic preservation work has included negotiation of landmark approval for high-rise additions to two separate Chicago Landmarks; challenge to a National Register listing that would otherwise have prevented development of an elderly residential project; and negotiation of operational guidelines for the historic interior of a significant Chicago retail structure. He was recently successful in obtaining the largest tax-increment financing ever approved by the City of Chicago in favor of one of the Firm™s clients. Prior to joining Freeborn & Peters, Mr. Wendy was a partner at DLA Piper, and prior to DLA Piper, he was the City of Chicago's Deputy Commissioner for Zoning and Central Development.
"With Anne™s retail expertise and Rick™s land use expertise, we™ve added significant depth to the development practice at Freeborn & Peters LLP," said Richard J. Traub, partner and co-chair of the Firm™s real estate practice.
"We are thrilled to have Anne and Rick join us," continues Michael A. Moynihan, partner and co-chair of the Firm™s real estate practice. "Their exceptional skills and experience are a perfect complement to our already highly-regarded real estate practice. This is a tremendous coup for the group, and a tremendous benefit to our clients."
For more information about the real estate practice or the attorneys, please visit: www.freebornpeters.com/realestate
