Our team of experienced attorneys provides counsel regarding, among other things, contracts, company organization and capital structure, finance transactions, angel and venture investment transactions, securities issuances and placements, mergers and acquisitions, software and technology licensing, eCommerce, intellectual property protection, international transactions, regulatory matters, real estate, employment and incentive compensation matters and litigation.

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BARTLY J. LOETHEN
J.D. / B.S. / B.A. Accounting
direct 312.454.0312
email bart@synergylawgroup.com

Bart is a founding Partner of Synergy Law Group (May 2000) and has a background that has enabled him to develop expertise in a variety of disciplines. Bart practices in all of the firm’s practice areas, including Corporate Law, Securities & Finance Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Technology & Licensing, Real Estate, and Litigation. Bart has an emphasis on corporate law, specializing in information technology and marketing companies. His experience includes work with privately-held and public companies, mergers and acquisitions, private placement investments, financial transactions and licensing matters, as well as general corporate matters. Bart has significant experience with software providers, real estate settlement companies (mortgage, title and mortgage due diligence), hedge funds, real estate developers and service companies. Bart also does significant work in the emerging alternative public offering sector, working with several companies that have become public through reverse mergers and other alternative means.


Prior to the practice of law, Bart was a Revenue Agent with the Internal Revenue Service.


Bart holds a B.S./B.A. in Accounting from the University of Missouri (1986), took and passed the CPA exam and received his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law (1994). Bart is a member of the Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations.

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ARTHUR E. MERTES
J.D./M.B.A./B.S.M.E.
direct 312.454.0311
email amertes@synergylawgroup.com

Art Mertes is a founding Partner of Synergy Law Group (May 2000) and practices in the areas of Corporate Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, Securities & Finance Law, and Technology & Licensing. His experience is transactions-intensive and includes work with privately-held middle market and emerging growth companies, public companies, financial institutions, family-owned businesses, investors and entrepreneurs in matters involving business and capital structure, mergers and acquisitions, private equity and venture capital, commercial finance, licensing and intellectual property protection, joint ventures, distribution and supply, international transactions, incentive compensation structures, corporate governance, and other general corporate, shareholder and contract matters. His work with companies includes strategies for creation of enterprise value. He has negotiated and closed numerous transactions opposite public companies.

Prior to founding the firm, Art held positions as an associate attorney in the mergers & acquisitions practice of Altheimer & Gray, formerly a well-known large Chicago-based international firm, and the corporate law practice of a mid-sized business law firm in Chicago. His participation as an associate attorney in the summer program of one of Chicago's former and oldest intellectual property firms, Hill, Steadman & Simpson, instilled a keen insight for intellectual property matters in business and transactions. Prior to his law career, Art gained Fortune 500 sales and distribution experience as a top Technical Salesperson for Ingersoll-Rand Company, which garnered him key insight into distribution models and manufacturing.

Art received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law, and a Master of Business Administration, with highest honors for academic achievement, from the University of Illinois College of Commerce, each awarded in 1994, and holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois College of Engineering awarded in 1988.

Art has participated in numerous legal and business organizations in the Chicago community, including the Chicago Bar Association, Midwest Business Brokers & Intermediaries (MBBI), the Midwest Entrepreneurs Forum, MIT Enterprise Forum, TIE Midwest, Entrepreneur's Round Table (GSB), and local angel investor groups.

Art has served as a Business Plan/Funding Request Review Panel Volunteer for the Illinois Coalition; lectured at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management on the topic of Capital Formation; lectured for the University of Illinois Executive MBA program on topics of Intellectual Property, Licensing, Joint Ventures and Business Organizations; and been included in various panels / lectured on topics related to Venture and Angel Financing. Art holds an Illinois Real Estate Broker license and has engaged in real estate developments. He has served on Charitable and fraternal boards associated with education, including 9 years with the associate board of the LEARN Charter School.

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JOSEPH L. KISH
J.D. / B.G.S. Economics, Political Science
direct 312.454.0286
email jkish@synergylawgroup.com

Joe joined Synergy Law Group in 2006 as a Partner and heads the firm's Litigation Group. He has extensive trial and appellate experience in federal and state courts, as well as alternative dispute resolution experience involving mediation and arbitration. His areas of expertise include complex commercial and financial litigation, class actions, restrictive covenant litigation, and intellectual property litigation, including trademark, copyright, and trade secrets, and employment litigation. Joe has also counseled clients on various aspects of risk and liability management, including the management of complex discovery involving millions of pages of documentary evidence and electronic discovery of even greater proportions.

Joe is licensed to practice in Illinois and California, as well as the United States Courts of Appeals for the Seventh and Ninth Circuits, the United States District Court for the Northern District Court of Illinois, including its Trial Bar, the Central District of Illinois, the Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern Districts of California and the District of Colorado. He is a member of the American, Illinois, Chicago and Federal Bar Associations.

Joe is a faculty member for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, where he teaches trial advocacy and deposition skills in Illinois and California. Joe has also taught numerous continuing education courses in various areas of litigation. He has written and lectured extensively on various aspects of internet liability and litigation. Joe is the General Editor for Business and Commercial Litigation 2007 published by the Illinois Institute of Legal Education (IICLE) and has authored chapters on libel and slander for the attorney practice book entitled California Causes of Action.

Joe received his Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1988 where he was a member of the DePaul Law Review and president of the Moot Court Society. He received his B.G.S. in Economics and Political Science from the University of Michigan in 1983 where he was an Associate Editor of the Michigan Journal of Political Science.

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KRISTEN A. BARACY
J.D. / B.S. Finance
direct 312.454.0264
email kbaracy@synergylawgroup.com

Kristen is a Partner of Synergy Law Group and focuses her practice in the areas of Corporate Law, Securities & Finance Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Technology & Licensing. She regularly works with clients on complex and routine business law issues. Her experience includes representing both privately-held and public companies, where she has worked on public and private offerings of securities and compliance with rules and regulations enforced by the Securities and Exchange Commission, mergers and acquisitions and general corporate matters. For public clients, Kristen prepares quarterly, annual and current reports, and beneficial ownership reports, as well as registration statements, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Kristen also provides legal counsel in the area of alternative public offerings, with an emphasis on reverse mergers, in which a private company becomes a publicly traded company through a merger or acquisition of a public company. She has assisted in alternative public offerings for companies that are found in the green technolgy sector. She has also worked with several high-tech companies, such as software providers and mortgage due diligence companies, where she assisted in drafting licensure and development agreements.

Prior to law firm employment, Kristen worked as a Brand Protection Officer for the Sydney Olympic Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games in their intellectual property legal division, where she reviewed and enforced terms of sponsorship agreements.

Kristen holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois (1997) and received her J.D. from Saint Louis University School of Law (2000). Kristen has had articles published in the Saint Louis University Law Journal and the Company and Securities Law Journal, a leading Australian corporate journal. She has also served as a panelist for topics on securities issues with respect to alternative public offerings. Kristen is a member of the American, Illinois and Los Angeles County Bar Associations.

Kristen is licensed to practice law in California, Illinois and Missouri.

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TRISHA COLE
J.D. / B.A. International Studies
direct 312.454.0265
email tcole@synergylawgroup.com

Trisha joined Synergy Law Group as an associate in 2006 and practices in the areas of complex commercial and financial litigation, restrictive covenant litigation, intellectual property litigation, including trademark, copyright and trade secrets and employment litigation. She also practices in the areas of commercial law and corporate law. Trisha received her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in 2006 where she was a member of the Chicago-Kent Moot Court Honor Society. She received her B.A. degree in International Studies in 2003 from Wichita State University. Trisha is licensed to practice law in Illinois and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Trisha is a member of the Chicago Bar Association.

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CAROL S. McMAHAN
J.D., University of Utah
direct 312.454.0292
email cmcmahan@synergylawgroup.com

Carol practices as an attorney of Synergy Law Group in the areas of Corporate Law, Securities & Finance Law, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Technology & Licensing. Carol has worked on numerous commercial transactions. Carol has served as counsel to corporate and financial institution issuers in private placements, exempt and registered offerings and has participated in the organization of de novo banks. She has broad experience with clients, both public and private, in a wide variety of industries including bank holding companies, industrial manufacturers, distribution companies and software developers in commercial and contract matters, commercial litigation, corporate governance, shareholder matters and entity formation. Carol has also qualified and represented 501(c)(3) charitable foundations and organizations and has practiced in the areas of estate and trust litigation and administration.

Carol holds a J.D. from the University of Utah S. J. Quinney College Of Law (1985) and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association. Carol is licensed to practice in Illinois and the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

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JEREMY WAITZMAN
J.D. / B.A. History/ B.A. Economics
direct 312.454.0277
email jwaitzman@synergylawgroup.com

Jeremy Waitzman joined Synergy Law Group as an associate in September 2003 and practices in the areas of Corporate, Technology and Real Estate Law. His experience includes work with privately-held companies, mergers and acquisitions, private placement investments, financing transactions, software licensing as well as other general corporate matters. Prior to becoming an associate, he had previously been employed with the firm as a Law Clerk since September 2001. Jeremy holds a B.A. in both Economics (magna cum laude) and History from Washington University in St. Louis (1999), and was awarded his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in May 2003. Jeremy is a member of the American, Illinois and Chicago Bar Associations.

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GINA N. MALANDRINO
J.D. / B.S. Accountancy
direct 312.334.9037
email gmalandrino@synergylawgroup.com

Gina joined Synergy Law Group as an associate in September 2008 and practices in the areas of Corporate Law, Securities & Finance Law, and Technology & Licensing Law. Prior to becoming an associate, she had previously been employed with the firm as a Law Clerk since January 2007. Gina was awarded her J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law in May 2008 where she was a finalist in the Charles Evans Hughes Moot Court Competition. She received a B.S. in accountancy from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2005. Gina is licensed to practice in Illinois and is a member of the Chicago Bar Association.

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SHAINA A. MOSS
J.D. / B.B.A. Business Management
direct 312.454.6157
email smoss@synergylawgroup.com

Shaina joined Synergy Law Group as an associate in 2008 and practices complex commercial litigation in the firm’s Litigation practice area. Shaina holds a B.B.A. in Business Management from Texas A&M University (2001), and received her J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis in 2004. Shaina is licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois, the United States District Courts for the Northern, Central and Southern Districts of Illinois and the Supreme Court of the United States. Shaina is an active member of the Young Lawyers Section of the Chicago Bar Association and is a member of the Young Professionals Board of the Chicago Bar Foundation.