Taft Stettinius & Hollister is pleased to announce that A. Thomas Skallas and James R. Litzow have joined the firm’s Chicago office in the Business & Finance practice. Both attorneys bring extensive experience and a hands-on approach to a wide range of business matters. Skallas and Litzow join the more than 20 attorneys who chose to bring their practices to Taft’s Chicago office in 2017.

Skallas brings his interdisciplinary and inventive approach to a wide range of issues, including shareholder and corporate governance disputes, contractual matters, international operations, banking, insurance, employee relations and asset-protection strategies. He assists business owners through the mergers and acquisitions process by drawing on his significant business and tax experience. Beyond his role as a counselor to their businesses, Skallas helps high-net-worth individuals achieve their estate and succession planning goals. He received his J.D., an LL.M. in Taxation and an M.B.A. from DePaul University. His undergraduate degree in finance is from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Litzow has a broad business law practice representing a variety of privately-held companies and their owners. He works with clients on issues encompassing the entire life cycle of businesses, including entity formation, financing, contracts, commercial lending, business disputes and sales. Litzow has extensive experience in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, secured transactions, real estate, tax, estate planning and intellectual property. He received his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, graduating in the top ten of his class. He has a B.A. in political science from Vanderbilt University.