Chicago, IL December 17, 2014 – The law firm of Brown, Udell, Pomerantz & Delrahim Ltd (BUPD Law) is proud to announce that effective on January 1, 2015 Rasha Elganzouri Gad, Bryan King, Gary Saipe, and Shelley Smith will be promoted to partners with the firm. The four were formerly Counsel with the Firm and will continue their practices in the areas of real estate and commercial litigation. Prior to joining BUPD Law each of the four new partners spent many years with some of the country’s largest and most prestigious global law firms.
“BUPD Law is proud to welcome Rasha Elganzouri Gad, Bryan King, Gary Scott Saipe, and Shelley Smith to the partnership ranks as these four talented lawyers exemplify the service delivery, hard-work and dedication that our clients expect from BUPD Law,” said managing partner Michael Delrahim. “We believe that these moves in combination with recent infrastructure improvements further our ability and commitment to provide quality and responsive legal services to clients,” said Delrahim.
Rasha Elganzouri Gad practices in the areas of general corporate and complex commercial real estate transactions. She serves as chair of the firm’s Middle East Practice. Her work includes acquisitions and dispositions, financing, construction, joint venture formation, development, leasing, hotel management and operation, structuring of entities for investment, cross border commercial transactions and workouts and restr
ucturing. Prior to joining the firm, she was Of Counsel to the global law firm of DLA Piper LLP and Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering Hale & Dorr in Washington DC. She was also a Senior Associate at Patton Boggs in Dubai, UAE, and In-House Counsel for one of Dubai’s largest real estate developers. Rasha also worked for Trowers & Hamlins in Egypt where she gained significant experience in the Egyptian legal market, especially in the area of real estate commercial transactions and PPP projects. At Trowers & Hamlins, she was Chair of the Cairo Real Estate practice and advised a diverse clientele of local and multinational companies on commercial real estate matters. Rasha also worked at Shalakany Law Offices in the Hospitality and Tourism practice. Rasha served as a frequent speaker at Middle East industry events including GRI MENA, Global Trade Matters, and Euromoney.
She received a joint JD/MBA degree with honors from Chicago Kent College of Law in 1993. She was awarded a BA degree magna cum laude from Saint Mary’s College, Notre Dame in 1993 in Political Science with minors in Business and History. Rasha is fluent in Arabic. Ms. Gad is 43 and resides in Chicago, Illinois.
Bryan King is a seasoned trial lawyer who has represented clients in a wide range of complex commercial and securities litigation matters. He serves as the Chair of BUPD Law’s Litigation Department. His practice includes contract and licensing disputes, securities and common law fraud, bankruptcy litigation, trade secret claims, fiduciary duty litigation, and other business torts. He also has experience representing broker dealers and investment advisors in arbitration before NASD/FINRA. Bryan has represented clients from various industries, including financial services, venture capital, high tech manufacturing, alcoholic beverage, software and internet, and real estate. Mr. King began his career at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto, California. After moving to Chicago, he worked at Jenner & Block, where he became a partner in 2007. Mr. King graduated from Stanford University in 1995 with degrees in psychology and economics. He obtained his J.D. degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1998, where he was editor-in-chief of the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law and a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. Mr. King is 41 and resides in Lincolnshire, Illinois.
Gary Scott Saipe has over thirty-five years of transactional real estate experience. His practice includes the representation of banks, savings and loan associations, insurance companies and other lenders with respect to construction loans and permanent loans involving high-rise and single-family residential developments, shopping centers, hotels, office buildings, apartments buildings, nursing homes and multi-state retail sites, and the representation of developers in connection with single-family and multi-family residential developments (including numerous condominium developments, both new construction and conversions) and commercial shopping centers. Mr. Saipe also has substantial experience representing borrowers and institutional lenders in connection with work-outs of problem loans. He was awarded a Juris Doctorate degree from Northwestern University School of Law, where he was the Article Editor of The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology and an instructor of the first-year writing course. He received a B.S. degree in psychology with High Honors from the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois. Mr. Saipe is 66 and resides in Libertyville, Illinois.
Shelley Smith is an experienced litigator who has tried cases in state and federal courts across the country in a broad range of business and commercial matters. Her experience includes civil and criminal antitrust actions, construction defect and other real estate litigation, fiduciary duty cases, securities fraud, breach of contract disputes, bankruptcy proceedings, and patent and trademark infringement litigation.
Ms. Smith has worked with clients in a variety of industries including real estate, financial services, and manufacturing. After law school, she joined Sullivan & Cromwell, in New York, and later joined Jenner & Block in Chicago, where she became an equity partner in 1996. Ms. Smith received her Juris Doctorate degree from Columbia University School of Law in 1988, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone scholar and the Managing Editor of the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems. She was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities in 1984, summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where she graduated as valedictorian and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. Ms. Smith is 53 and resides in Oak Park, Illinois.
About BUPD LAW
Brown, Udell, Pomerantz & Delrahim Ltd. (www.BUPDLaw.com) is a general commercial law firm representing business owners, developers, lenders and individuals in complex real estate, corporate and commercial litigation matters. The firm is a zealous client advocate and strives to provide clients with responsive high-quality legal services on a cost effective basis. BUPD Law was founded in 1978, and today has 23 lawyers with offices in Lincoln Park. The firm is led by managing partner Michael J. Delrahim. BUPD Law lawyers work on a team basis within a flexible and efficient infrastructure. Visit: www.BUPDLaw.com for more information.
For more information or to arrange an interview with Michael Delrahim contact Jan Anne Dubin, Marketing and Communications Consultant at 312.399.3116 or jan@janannedubinconsulting.com.
