Paul Fisher is a founding partner of Fisher Cohen Waldman Shapiro, LLP. His practice concentrates on helping clients with their commercial real estate and commercial lending needs. Prior to co-founding FCWS, Mr. Fisher was a partner for 10 years at the law firm of McGuireWoods, LLP and head of its commercial real estate department in Chicago. Previously, he was a partner for 21 years at Rudnick & Wolfe.

Mr. Fisher represents clients in the acquisition, sale and financing of office, retail, hotel and multifamily properties and retail and medical facility leasing. He works extensively on the restructuring of commercial debt and capitalization, recapitalization of commercial ventures, purchase of commercial debt, private equity transactions, tax credit transactions and bank regulatory matters.

He has also served as an expert witness in a variety of matters related to commercial lending and finance, including in the area of HUD lending.

Mr. Fisher is an adjunct professor in hospitality law at Kendall College in Chicago. He also is a regular contributor to the Illinois Real Estate Journal and serves on their Editorial Advisory Board.

Admissions

• Illinois

Education

• J.D. – University of Michigan Law School, 1973
• B.A. – Rockford College, 1969

Allen Shapiro is a founding partner of Fisher Cohen Waldman Shapiro, LLP. He has over 35 years of experience representing financial clients and assisting them with all aspects of their legal needs.

Mr. Shapiro has also acted as general counsel to a number of local banks and is particularly familiar with banking regulations and the complexities of mergers and acquisitions in the banking industry. He regularly counsels both debtors and creditors with respect to loan restructuring, business reorganization and other financial transactions.

Previously, Mr. Shapiro taught at the University of Toledo College of Law in the areas of public law and municipal finance. He has testified as an expert witness with respect to issues involving the Uniform Commercial Code and regularly advises distressed businesses, seeking to help them avoid bankruptcy and secure new sources of funding.

Admissions

• Illinois

Courts

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• Illinois Supreme Court
• U.S. Tax Court

Education

• J.D. - University of Chicago, 1968
• B.S. - Northwestern University, 1965

Joey Waldman is a founding partner of Fisher Cohen Waldman Shapiro, LLP. Her broad-based transactional and real estate practice focuses on finding long-term solutions for her clients’ immediate legal and business needs.

Ms. Waldman has particular expertise assisting distressed clients to find workable solutions to immediate financial crises. She negotiates with lenders, represents both banks and debtors in the loan workout process and structures complex financial and real estate transactions for asset purchases and sales, assumptions of debt, deeds in lieu and other matters.

Joey also represents traditional real estate and mergers and acquisitions clients, including a number of health care entities. She regularly negotiates and drafts complex legal contracts, lease agreements and loan documents. She previously served as in-house counsel to S-K Partners, Ltd.

Admissions

• Illinois

Courts

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Education

• J.D. - DePaul University College of Law, 1999
• B.A. - University of Iowa, 1996

Daniel Klapman recently joined the firm’s litigation group and brings many years of valuable commercial litigation experience to the firm.

Mr. Klapman began his practice in the public sector with six years of investigative and prosecutorial experience at the Cook County State's Attorney's Office. He served in several different divisions where he trained and supervised many junior attorneys.

Additionally, Mr. Klapman has over 14 years of experience in private practice. Dan's combined knowledge of the law, business and economics allows him to create litigation strategies to effectively present his clients’ positions, whether to a judge or a jury, that lead to efficient resolution of complex issues.

Mr. Klapman received his J.D. in 1997 from Chicago-Kent College of Law with a focus on strategic business planning He earned his B.A. in economics in 1994 from the University of Illinois.

Mr. Klapman serves clients ranging from entrepreneurs to Fortune 500 companies in complex litigation cases before state and federal courts. He has represented clients in matters including shareholder and other business investment, ownership and governance disputes, commercial contract cases, estate and trust litigation, employment and labor matters, as well as manufacturer-representative, real estate, landlord-tenant, consumer fraud, intellectual property and trade secret litigation.

Admissions

• Illinois

Courts

• Supreme Court of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Education

• J.D. - Chicago-Kent College of Law, 1997
• B.A. - University of Illinois, 1994

Memberships

• Illinois State Bar Association
• Chicago State Bar Association

Bob recently joined Fisher Cohen Waldman Shapiro, LLP 's Business group and brings over 20 years of valuable experience to the firm.

Mr. Strauss serves as a trusted advisor to his clients, counseling individuals and businesses on a variety of issues. He has substantial experience in representing investors and entrepreneurs. Bob handles myriad commercial, real estate and private equity transactions, and serves as counsel to many healthcare professionals and practices including many types of physicians, dentists, veterinarians and related specialists as well as acts as outside counsel to a varity of businesses. His practice also focuses on the representation of national, regional and community banks and private lenders in loan package negotiations and preparatoin, document work-outs, forbearance agreements and commercial foreclosure litigation.

Bob received his J.D. in 2000 from Chicago-Kent College of Law, with high honors. He earned his B.S. in Biology/Pre-Medicine from the University of Illinois.

Admissions

• Illinois

Courts

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Education

• J.D. - Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2000, with honors
• B.A. - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1995

Memberships

• American Bar Association
• Illinois State Bar Association
• Chicago State Bar Association

Ken Strauss recently joined the firm’s Real Estate group and brings many years of valuable experience to the firm.

Mr. Strauss’s practice focuses on foreclosure law and loan workouts; evictions for real estate investors; real estate investor and developer representation; commercial and residential real estate transactions for financial institutions and real estate investors; commercial loan documentation; and creditor collections. Ken also represents financial institutions and private lenders in foreclosures, breach of note and guaranty actions, bankruptcies and in proceedings to enforce judgments. He has extensive expertise in resolving title defects and represents bidders in judicial sales. In addition, Ken represents landlords and commercial tenants in lease negotiations and forcible entry and detainer actions.

Ken appears before the chancery law, housing and eviction courts in Cook County, the collar counties and in the federal courts. Through his far-ranging foreclosure related experience, he has developed a method that streamlines the process for bidders at judicial sales to accelerate the sale confirmation process. He works closely with investors, financial institutions and private lenders to counsel them through the foreclosure process developing and implicating strategies, as well as advising them on loan sales and workouts as well.

Mr. Strauss received his J.D. in 2002 from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He earned his B.A. in sociology in 1997 from the University of Illinois.

Admissions

• Illinois

Courts

• U.S. District Courts for the Northern & Central Districts of Illinois

Education

• J.D. - Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago-Kent College of Law, 2002
• B.A. - University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1997

Mark Lenz is an attorney at Fisher Cohen Waldman Shapiro, LLP. He specializes in representing clients in real estate and financial matters, focusing on transactions involving public sector financing, tax credits and grants. Mark also represents clients undertaking commercial and industrial projects.

Mark’s broad knowledge and expertise in government practices and procedures includes experience with tax increment financing, low income housing tax credits, state affordable housing credits, tax exempt bond financing, HOME Investment Partnership Program, Section 811 financing for housing for the disabled and environmental sustainability initiatives.

Mark has been practicing law for 30 years, the last ten years in private practice. Prior to that, he was an attorney for the City of Chicago for 18 years. Mr. Lenz was a critical member of the “City’s team” in the development of the New Homes for Chicago Program and the Green Homes for Chicago Initiative. He also represented the City on several prominent developments in which the City provided tax increment financing. These projects include the redevelopment of the Oriental Theater, the Carbon and Carbide Building, the Carson Pirie Scott Department Store Building and the Goodman Theatre.

Admissions

• Illinois
• Michigan

Education

• J.D. - University of Texas at Austin
• B.A. - University of Michigan at Ann Arbor

Memberships

• Illinois Bar Association
• Chicago Bar Association
• Phi Alpha Delta (Current Board Member)
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Unites States Green Building Council

Honors

• Leading Lawyers Network: Selected by peers as a Leading Lawyer in: Public Finance; Commercial Real Estate and Real Estate Finance (2013)

Charles Adler is of Counsel to Fisher Cohen Waldman Shapiro, LLP. His extensive experience as a business owner and real estate developer provides a valuable business perspective to his legal practice.

Mr. Adler concentrates his practice in the areas of commercial debt restructuring and strategic business planning. He previously worked for many years as a real estate attorney at the firm of Altheimer & Gray, and as a real estate and general corporate partner at the firms of Epstein, Grosby and Adler and Marks, Marks and Kaplan.

Throughout his career, Mr. Adler has also owned and developed a number of real estate projects including small shopping centers and commercial and residential lofts. These endeavors allow him to advise his clients on their immediate legal issues while simultaneously addressing their ongoing business needs.

Admissions

• Illinois

Courts

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

Education

• J.D. - University of Michigan Law School, 1968
• B.A. - University of Wisconsin, 1965

Paulette Kirschner is the Chief Operating Officer of Fisher Cohen Waldman Shapiro, LLP. Paulette works alongside the attorneys of FCWS to provide strategic business planning directly to clients. Her experience navigating the challenges facing distressed businesses and entrepreneurs has made her a valuable resource for all of the lawyers at the firm.

Ms. Kirschner concentrates on advising clients on their mergers and acquisition transactions, financing and general business decision-making. Her experience includes negotiating with creditors on behalf of clients, acting as an in-house human resources specialist, and facilitating relationships for clients as they work with firm lawyers to untangle complex financial difficulties and strategize for the future.

Organization

• Leadership Illinois: Fellow since 2004; Board Member 2010

Education

• B.S. - University of Illinois, 1967