Type: News
Date: 07/25/2012

Graham Grady Joins Taft (Formerly Shefsky & Froelich)

Taft (formerly Shefsky & Froelich) is pleased to announce that Graham Grady has joined the firm as Shareholder in the firm’s Real Estate & Land Use practice. He joins the firm from K&L Gates where he served as Partner.
 
Grady concentrates his practice on government relations, zoning, land use, licensing and regulatory matters to help clients strategically reach their business objectives. He has extensive experience in securing land use entitlements through planned developments, special uses, variations, rezonings, text amendments, landmark approvals, lake front protection approvals and public way adjustments for a broad range of project types including retail, residential, commercial, healthcare, industrial and institutional.

Grady also serves as legal counsel to one of the five annuity and benefit funds of the City of Chicago. He has advised this client in a broad range of areas including compliance with the Illinois Pension Code, investment management agreements, open meetings and freedom of information act compliance and the fiduciary obligations of the trustees of the pension fund.
 
“Graham is an outstanding lawyer and leader. We are thrilled to have him join the firm,” said Anthony Licata, Taft (formerly Shefsky & Froelich) Chicago Partner-in-Charge. “His extensive experience and keen understanding of the Chicago real estate and land use market is an incredible asset for our team."
 
From 2010 to 2012, Grady has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the area of Land Use and Zoning Law. He has been listed by Leading Lawyers as a Top 10 Leading Lawyer in Illinois in Land Use & Zoning and as a Leading Lawyer in Governmental, Municipal, Lobbying & Administrative Law and Real Estate Law: Commercial. In 2011, he was named a Business Leader of Color by Chicago United. He has been named a Fellow of the Leadership Greater Chicago and was listed in Crain’s Chicago Business “40 Under 40” and Ebony "30 Leaders Under Age 30.”
 
Grady earned his J.D., with honors, from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Illinois. He serves on the Board of Directors for Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois, Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the Chicago Zoological Society/Brookfield Zoo and the Donors Forum of Illinois. He is also a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, Lambda Alpha Honorary Land Economics Society, Lawyers Club of Chicago and the Realty Club of Chicago.
 
Grady’s other civic involvement includes serving as a Land Use Institute Faculty for the American Law Institute-American Bar Association; on the Architecture & Design Committee and Leadership Advisory Council for the Art Institute of Chicago; and as Chair of African-American Legacy for Chicago Community Trust.
 
Grady has served in numerous roles in government including Zoning Administrator and the Commissioner of Buildings of the City of Chicago and as an ex-officio member of the Chicago Plan Commission. He also served as Assistant State’s Attorney, Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office and Executive Director, Private Industry Council of Chicago and Chief Executive of the Chicago Housing Authority.

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