Chicago · Est. 1987
Lawyers you can call by their first name.
Hale & Mercer is a 40-lawyer firm serving businesses, families, and the people who build things. You will know your lawyer, you will understand your invoice, and you will always know where your matter stands.
What we do
Five practices, one standard.
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Commercial Litigation
Contract disputes, business torts, employment claims, and the trials nobody else wants to take.
Led by Daniel Okafor
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Corporate & Transactions
Formation, financing, and sale of privately held companies, with the owner in the room.
Led by Priya Raman
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Real Estate
Commercial and residential transactions, leasing, development, and the title problems nobody saw coming.
Led by Thomas Lindqvist
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Family Law
Divorce, custody, support, and guardianship, handled with steadiness and respect.
Led by Marisol Vega
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Intellectual Property
Patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and software licensing for people who build things.
Led by Samuel Byrne
Our people
Real people. Not names on a letterhead.
Every lawyer and leader at the firm has a page that tells you who they are — where they grew up, the case that shaped them, and what they do on a Saturday. Because you are about to trust them with something that matters.
Elena Marsh
Managing Partner
Leads the firm, still tries cases, and will tell you exactly where you stand.
Daniel Okafor
Partner, Head of Litigation
Trial lawyer, former public defender, and the calmest person in any courtroom.
Priya Raman
Partner, Head of Corporate
Closes deals for founders and family businesses, and reads every schedule herself.
Thomas Lindqvist
Partner, Head of Real Estate
Has closed more than a thousand property transactions and still walks every site.
Founded in Chicago by Margaret Hale and David Mercer, who still have offices on the 18th floor.
Cases tried to verdict. We prepare every matter as if it will be one of them.
We return every client call the day it is made. Every lawyer, every time.
Client portal
Your matter, in your pocket.
Upload documents, see exactly where each one stands, message your lawyer securely, sign engagement letters, and pay invoices — all in one place, any time.
“They told me on day one what it would cost and what would happen. Both turned out to be right.”Owner, family manufacturing business, Rockford