Business · Chicago
Top Business Lawyers in Chicago
Business lawyers advise on company formation, contracts, financing, mergers and acquisitions, and commercial disputes. This list compares 25 business lawyers practising in Chicago on verified licences, years in this area, focus and sourced reputation.
- Updated 19 Oct 2026
- Ranking v1.0.0
- How we rank
- lawyers considered
- 25
- 13 verified licences
- 52%
- average years in practice
- 14
The ranking
Score out of 100- 1
- 2
Thomas J. Abernathy
VerifiedAssociate
Calder Law Group25 yrs in practice4.0(9)BusinessChild CustodyFamily+1 moreSpeaks English, Mandarin
- 3
Hannah Ortega
VerifiedAttorney
33 yrs in practice4.4(7)BusinessDivorcePersonal InjurySpeaks English, Urdu
- 4
- 5
Hugo Kaplan
VerifiedPartner
Redfern & Ashby LLP15 yrs in practice4.5(13)Criminal DefenseBusinessPersonal InjurySpeaks English, Spanish
- 6
Rafael E. Vance
VerifiedOf Counsel
Vance & Granger LLP3 yrs in practice4.0(22)BusinessEstate PlanningSpeaks English, Tagalog
- 7
Olivia Delgado
Out of dateSenior Associate
Vance & Granger LLP30 yrs in practice4.8(25)FamilyBusinessDivorce+1 more - 8
Mateo L. Feldman
VerifiedSenior Associate
Vance Law Group15 yrs in practice3.8(2)BusinessChild CustodyCriminal Defense+1 more - 9
Chloe Fitzgerald
VerifiedPrincipal Lawyer
Prescott Law Group30 yrs in practice3.2(20)Estate PlanningBusinessDivorceSpeaks English, Portuguese, Russian
- 10
Samuel J. Quinn
VerifiedSenior Associate
Marlow Law Group16 yrs in practice4.8(18)EmploymentBusinessCriminal Defense+1 moreSpeaks English, Portuguese
- 11
Esther Chen
VerifiedAssociate
Harrow & Granger LLP8 yrs in practice3.8(12)EmploymentBusinessSpeaks English, Russian
- 12
Clara Galloway
VerifiedPrincipal Lawyer
Prescott Law Group12 yrs in practice4.6(23)EmploymentBusinessEstate PlanningSpeaks English, Spanish
- 13
- 14
Leila Nakamura
VerifiedPrincipal Lawyer
Vance & Granger LLP3.0(1)FamilyBusinessChild Custody+1 moreSpeaks English, Tagalog
- 15
- 16
Irene Byrne
UnverifiedManaging Partner
Prescott Law Group22 yrs in practice4.8(3)BusinessChild CustodyFamilySpeaks English, Spanish
- 17
Zara Cardenas
UnverifiedAssociate
Vance & Granger LLP11 yrs in practice4.0(4)BusinessEmploymentSpeaks English, Urdu
- 18
Aisha Nakamura
UnverifiedAssociate
Kensington & Rowe LLP28 yrs in practice3.7(22)Personal InjuryBusinessSpeaks English, Russian
- 19
Mei Ashford
UnverifiedPrincipal Lawyer
Quill & Brook LLP21 yrs in practice4.6(20)DivorceBusinessFamilySpeaks English, Urdu
- 20
Leila J. Duarte
UnverifiedPrincipal Lawyer
Sterling Law Group26 yrs in practice4.2(26)Personal InjuryBusinessFamily - 21
Laura Ashford
VerifiedOf Counsel
Sterling Law Group5 yrs in practice5.0(2)Criminal DefenseBusinessImmigration - 22
Adaeze Delgado
UnverifiedManaging Partner
Prescott Law Group16 yrs in practice3.8(7)Criminal DefenseBusinessSpeaks English, Hindi
- 23
Yasmin Tanaka
UnverifiedAssociate
Marlow Law Group3.6(24)EmploymentBusinessPersonal InjurySpeaks English, Russian
- 24
Zara J. Chen
UnverifiedManaging Partner
Linden & Harrow LLP18 yrs in practice4.0(1)ImmigrationBusinessChild Custody+1 moreSpeaks English, Mandarin
How we rank
Each lawyer gets nine component scores from 0 to 100. The bar shows how many of the 100 available points each component contributed. Weights are fixed for every lawyer in this list and published in full; payment plays no part.
Expertise50%
- Credentials20%
- Relevant experience15%
- Specialization15%
Standing35%
- Verified reputation15%
- Professional recognition10%
- Relevant track record10%
Service & data15%
- Client experience5%
- Profile & data quality5%
- Data freshness5%
Chicago legal resources
- Illinois State Bar Association
Statewide bar association.
- Chicago Bar Association
Lawyer referral service.
- ARDC of the Supreme Court of Illinois
Lawyer registration search and disciplinary records.
Choosing a business lawyer
Look for experience with businesses of your size and industry. Ask about alternative fee arrangements for routine work.
Frequently asked questions
When should a startup hire a lawyer?
Typically at formation, before issuing equity, and before signing significant contracts or raising investment.