icon on Chicago/Peoria, Ill., November 3, 2021 – Mark Ryerson, Emily Bennett, and Joseph VanFleet have been named to leadership positions at Howard & Howard, a leading business law firm. Ryerson has been selected as the chair of the Business & Corporate Practice Group. Bennett has been named the managing attorney for the firm’s Chicago office and VanFleet the managing attorney for the firm’s Peoria office.
In making the announcement, incoming President and Chief Executive Office Jon Kreucher said, “Mark, Emily and Joe have demonstrated thoughtful leadership, delivered outstanding client service and served as effective ambassadors for the firm. Mark’s inclusive team perspective and proven abilities to manage attorneys and meet the expectations of our clients make him the right choice to lead our corporate practice group. Emily’s strong focus on mentorship has led to the respect and admiration of her colleagues and Joe’s steady leadership and the admiration of industry colleagues are among the assets that these two will bring to their roles as office managing attorneys.”
As part of the firm’s Business & Corporate, M&A, Financial Institutions and Securities Practice Groups, Ryerson has represented buy- and sell-side entities in stock and asset transactions, mergers, consolidations, spinoffs, and joint ventures. He has also overseen numerous equity, debt, and convertible debt securities offerings on behalf of bond issuers and angel and institutional investors.
Ryerson has also been consistently named to Illinois Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” (2014-2020) and Illinois Leading Lawyers “Emerging Lawyers” (2015-2020). He is a cum laude graduate of St. Louis University School of Law and Marquette University.
Bennett has worked across several of the firm’s practices, including the Litigation and Labor and Employment Groups, where she has represented clients in state and federal courts litigating complex commercial disputes, defending class actions, and advocating for employers in a range of employment and workplace cases. She also regularly advises clients on multiple issues related to harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination, internal investigations and wage and hour compliance.
She has been regularly named to Illinois Super Lawyers “Rising Stars” (2017-2021) and Illinois Leading Lawyers “Emerging Lawyers” (2015-2021). She is a summa cum laude graduate of Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a magna cum laude graduate of Washington University in St. Louis.
VanFleet focuses his practice on business, banking, commercial, real estate, and construction litigation. He is a nationally recognized trial lawyer with over 100 victories and billions of dollars at issue in trials, appeals and alternative dispute resolution. He represents clients in a range of industries and businesses, including small businesses, community banks, Fortune 100 publicly traded entities and large-scale lenders.
VanFleet is a member of the Peoria County Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, American Bar Association, Federal Bar Association, the Abraham Lincoln Court, and the Illinois Creditors’ Bar Association. He has been consistently named to Illinois Leading Lawyers (2009-2021), is a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America and holds a Martindale-Hubbell® AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rating. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Law.
About Howard & Howard
With a history spanning over 15 decades, Howard & Howard is a full-service law firm with a national and international practice, providing legal services to businesses and business owners. More than 140 attorneys practice out of offices in Royal Oak, Michigan; Illinois (Chicago and Peoria); Las Vegas, Nevada; and Beverly Hills, California. For more information, please visit howardandhoward.com.
Kady Volmering
PR and Communications Coordinator
248-723-0331
[email protected]