Shareholder
CurrentMs. Cassel is a practicing attorney with 20+ years of experience dedicated to transactional real estate, land use, public incentives, and business licensing. Her work has spanned a wide range of urban and suburban contexts and included mixed-use developments, retail, office, hotel, entertainment, sports/health facilities, hospitals, schools, universities, residential, religious institutions, manufacturing, distribution and commercial signage. Transactional: Ms. Cassel represents buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, debt/equity providers, developers, operators and end users in transactions ranging from initial due diligence and JV formation to design, construction, leasing, redevelopment, refinancing and disposition.Land Use: Ms. Cassel has obtained public approvals for hundreds of projects, including planned developments; subdivisions (vertical/ horizontal); annexations; disconnections; map/text amendments; special uses; variations; permits; liquor, hotel and other licenses; legal-nonconformity/preservation; right-of-way adjustment; rail access; and signage approvals.Incentives: Ms. Cassel has negotiated and closed economic incentive components for several hundred projects nationally, particularly for headquarters, manufacturing, distribution centers, affordable housing, and regional retail and mixed-use developments. Her work has involved tax increment financing; grants; loans; sales and property tax rebates/abatements; bonds; tax credits (state/federal ); impact fee and utility cost reductions; and recapture.Honors/Teaching: Legal 500's inaugural Hall of Fame ('17) for 6 consecutive years of recognition; Best Lawyers; Leading Lawyers; Chambers USA (noting her “phenomenal brain and terrific client skills”); Leadership Greater Chicago ('06); Public Allies Chicago and Partnership to End Homelessness awards; co-taught land use law seminars at Northwestern and University of Chicago ('99-'08); invited speaker/moderator for ICSC, CREW, ULI, ABA, IICLE, and others.
