Our Attorneys

Lawrence B. Swibel

Larry Swibel is a founding partner and Chair of the Real Estate Group. Larry practices in the areas of real estate, corporate law and hospitality, and specializes in both restaurant-related work and advising foreign clients doing business in the U.S. He represents clients, as developers and lenders, in the development of restaurants, hotels, shopping centers, office buildings, theaters and residential properties. In the corporate area, Larry handles mergers and acquisitions, and advises closely-held businesses regarding shareholder agreements, buy‐outs and similar transactions.

Much of Larry’s hospitality practice is devoted to restaurant leases, licenses, management agreements, financings, equity raises, corporate structuring and contracting. He represents some of the world’s best‐known chefs and most successful restaurant operators located throughout the United States, Canada, the Caribbean region, Europe and Asia. His clients include, among others, Alain Ducasse; Marcus Samuelsson; Richard Melman and his company, Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc.; Brendan Sodikoff and his company, Hogsalt Hospitality; The Cheesecake Factory; Weber Grill Restaurants; Four Corners Hospitality, a division of Sterling Bay Realty; and T.I.C. Restaurant Group (with 15 Japanese concepts in New York).

One of Larry’s noteworthy non-hospitality transactions occurred when the United States Treasury selected the Firm as the only small U.S. law firm to assist in administering the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP). In that assignment, Larry co‐led a team of Firm lawyers in approximately 165 transactions in which the federal government funded $1.7 billion to community banks around the United States.

Larry has been a guest speaker on statewide and national webinars, and has assumed various leadership positions outside the Firm. He has served as an adjunct professor at DePaul Law School, and since 1991 has served on the board of The Interlex Group, and currently serves as its President. Interlex is an association of leading law firms from more than 60 countries around the world, and is one of a small number of international law firm associations ranked by Chambers as “Band 1 – Elite”.

Since 1991, Larry has served on the board of The Interlex Group and currently serves as President. Interlex is an association of leading law firms from 60 countries around the world.