International law firm Clark Hill PLC announced today that the firm is expanding its Chicago office via a combination with Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn Ltd. (FVLD), a full-service firm of 16 lawyers based in Chicago’s Loop. Established in 1981, FVLD’s practicing founding Members will all be joining Clark Hill effective immediately at Clark Hill’s offices in One Prudential Plaza.
“We have been looking to expand our bench strength in the Chicago market. When FVLD approached us, we quickly knew we’d found the right match,” said John Hensien, Clark Hill’s Chief Executive Officer. “Combining with FVLD allows us to better serve our clients and adds outstanding talent to our teams. We’re excited to have them on board.”
Clark Hill opened its Chicago office in 2007. With the addition of the FVLD attorneys, the firm will now have more than 90 attorneys in the city.
“Today’s announcement is a win-win for everyone. It’s the culmination of a strategic process we started 18 months ago, looking at everything from our succession planning to anticipating client needs going forward. With this combination, we have no doubt that both our clients and our colleagues will benefit significantly,” said Vance Liebman, one of FVLD’s founding members. “Clark Hill has a culture that largely mirrors the one we developed at FVLD. It’s a culture based on bringing clients smart, creative, cost-effective solutions.
I believe this is a success from all angles.”
FVLD’s attorneys practice in a variety of areas, including corporate law, commercial litigation, intellectual property, technology, labor/employment, media, futures and securities, real estate, banking and finance, and mergers and acquisitions.
“Chicago’s legal market has been and continues to be robust and competitive,” said Kevin Morse, member in charge of the Clark Hill Chicago office. “Our new colleagues bring significant bandwidth and top-flight talent to the firm, materially increase our transactional capabilities in Chicago, and will be integral to our continued growth and success locally, across the country, and in international markets.”
Clark Hill’s Chicago office is home to the president of the Chicago Bar Association, Ray J. Koenig III. The combination with FVLD is the firm’s third in 2023, having previously added real estate firm Larsson & Scheuritzel and litigation boutique Conrad O’Brien, both in Philadelphia.
- Posted July 28, 2023
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Clark Hill Combines with Chicago-based Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn Ltd. to Expand Firm's Second City Presence

headlines Flint-Genesee County
- Supporting Role: Varnum lawyer joins board of the Opera Grand Rapids
- Bodman appointed co-chairs of Workplace Law Practice Group
- Global warming, greenhouse gases reach crisis point
- Military roots run deep in family of student at Detroit Mercy Law
- Plunkett Cooney names diversity scholarship program winners
headlines National
- Helping Hand: Swapna Reddy is helping asylum-seekers navigate the immigration system
- ACLU and BigLaw firm use ‘Orange is the New Black’ in hashtag effort to promote NY jail reform
- Citing ‘anti-democratic takeover’ by ‘activist’ plaintiffs, Trump seeks money bond for injunction requests
- Law prof suspended over exam question, class discussion can sue for First Amendment retaliation, 7th Circuit says
- On-campus recruiting for summer associates falls in popularity as law firms ‘jockey for positions’
- Former lawyer gets prison time after posing as BigLaw alum, former football player in quest for jobs