Chambers Ranks Fast-Growing Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres’ M&A Practice, Recognizes Six Attorneys
June 5, 2025
Croke Fairchild Duarte & Beres LLC (CFDB) is proud to be recognized by Chambers and Partners as one of the nation’s top law firms.
The 2025 Chambers USA guide once again ranked CFDB as a Band 5 leading provider of Corporate/M&A & Private Equity services in Illinois. This marks the second consecutive year that CFDB’s Corporate/Mergers & Acquisitions & Private Equity practice has ranked in Band 5.
Chambers also ranked five CFDB partners, including three partners for the first time, in the Illinois category of their practices:
David Reifman: Band 1, Real Estate – Zoning/Land Use
Jessica Fairchild: Band 4, Corporate/M&A
Andrew Gilbert: Band 4, Corporate/M&A
Ari Krigel: Band 4, Real Estate
Rob Isham: Band 5, Banking & Finance
A sixth partner, Kyle Shires, is recognized as Up and Coming in Corporate/M&A for Illinois.
As one firm client noted in their feedback to Chambers, CFDB has “an exceptional team” made of “strong advocates.” Another client noted that the CFDB “as a whole is very creative. They work diligently to understand and meet their clients’ needs.”
CFDB M&A attorneys routinely represent both buyers and sellers in transactions that help define the future of their enterprises. The team works with family offices, family businesses, fund sponsors, and public companies across a range of industries on their most pivotal transactions.
“Chambers rankings are widely respected within the legal industry because they are a result of substantive research and interviews with clients,” Jessica Fairchild, firm co-founder and co-head of the firm’s Corporate/M&A practice group, said. “This year’s continued ranking of our M&A team and the recognition of CFDB partners in M&A, Real Estate and Finance validates what we’ve always known to be true: Our firm provides top-tier advising and exceptional service to our clients, in Illinois and across the country.”
CFDB advises clients on mission-critical matters, including bet-the-company litigation, industry-defining transactions, and regulatory challenges through CFDB’s lobbying and government affairs partner, Point of Difference Strategies. In April 2025, CFDB marked a significant milestone in its growth with the hiring of its 100th attorney. The firm now includes attorneys qualified to practice in 18 jurisdictions, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Wisconsin.
Widely considered to be the definitive guide of the top lawyers and firms around the world, Chambers and Partners employs an extensive research process to enable decision makers at global blue-chip firms to secure the legal talent that’s right for them.