Taft, one of the fastest-growing law firms in the nation, is pleased to announce that partners Jennifer Garner and James (Jay) Augustyn, and associate Bob McAuliff have joined the firm’s Real Estate practice in Chicago. The trio joins Taft’s 140-strong Real Estate group, which was recently named the #1 Top Real Estate Law Firm by Midwest Real Estate News in its 2024 “Best of the Best.”

“We are pleased to welcome Jennifer, Jay, and Bob to our top-ranked real estate group,” said Kathryn Kovitz Arnold, co-chair of Taft’s Real Estate practice. “They bring a strong mix of experience representing a wide variety of real estate matters including acquisitions, development, leasing and investor-focused matters.  They are a great fit for Taft and expand our talents.”

Garner works on matters involving the acquisition, disposition, leasing, and financing of commercial properties, both locally and nationally. She drafts and negotiates purchase and sale agreements, leases, financing documents, and reciprocal easement and operating agreements. A significant part of Garner’s practice ‎‎includes working with landlords on office, industrial, and retail ‎‎leasing. ‎‎She currently serves as lead landlord ‎‎counsel for 11 downtown Chicago ‎‎high-rise office buildings and two ‎‎suburban high-rise office ‎‎buildings, as well as serving as lead landlord leasing ‎‎counsel for four other high-rise office ‎‎buildings in other large United States cities.

Augustyn represents institutional and non- institutional private equity sponsors, developers and capital providers in commercial real estate, real estate finance, and other related transactions. He advises clients in the structuring, negotiating, and documenting of all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including financing, acquisitions and dispositions, joint ventures, leasing, and development of various property types located throughout the United States. Augustyn has also counseled clients on the real estate aspects of large private equity and corporate transactions.

McAuliff practices on all aspects of real estate law. He has experience representing real estate developers, investors, and corporate clients in a broad range of transactional matters including acquisitions, dispositions, construction financings, and joint ventures.

Partner Todd Dixon also joined the Chicago office of Taft earlier this month to co-chair the firm’s Aviation practice.

Through a series of strategic mergers in recent years, Taft has become one of the fastest-growing firms in the Am Law 100, with more than 1,000 attorneys spanning from the Mountain West region to Washington, D.C. Today, the firm ranks in the top 25 law firms in Chicago, with 160 lawyers.