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(312) 555-0110Mon–Fri, 8:30 am–5:30 pm Confidential inquiry

127 West Adams Street, Chicago

A business law firm in the Chicago Loop

Commercial litigation, employment law for employers and commercial real estate, for owner-run companies across Chicagoland. Five lawyers on Adams Street, four minutes on foot from the federal courthouse.

Send a confidential inquiry (312) 555-0110

Your description is encrypted in your browser before it leaves your device. How the encryption works

The firm’s conference room: a long walnut table, document binders and steel-framed windows facing limestone and terra cotta office buildings
Our conference room on the fourteenth floor, above Adams Street.

What we do

Three fields that owner-run companies need together: disputes, employees and property. We don’t practice family, criminal or personal injury law.

  1. Thomas Marlowe and Owen Ferris at the conference table, open trial binders in front of them

    Commercial litigation

    Contract and partnership disputes, trade secrets and non-competes, emergency motions. In Cook County, the federal court in Chicago and arbitration.

    Thomas Marlowe, Owen Ferris

    • Contract disputes
    • Disputes between owners
    • Trade secrets and non-competes
    • Emergency motions

    Matters, fees and team in commercial litigation

  2. Adaora Okafor walking a client’s production floor with the plant’s human resources manager, both in safety glasses

    Employment law for employers

    Handbooks, hiring and terminations, investigations, agency charges and lawsuits, for Illinois employers with 10 to 500 people.

    Adaora Okafor, Owen Ferris, Lena Sato

    • Handbooks and policies
    • Hiring and terminations
    • Restrictive covenants
    • Workplace investigations

    Matters, fees and team in employment law for employers

  3. Ruth Zielinski and Lena Sato walking through an empty brick and timber loft space, Lena holding a floor plan

    Commercial real estate

    Leases for tenants and landlords, purchases and sales of commercial buildings, title, survey and zoning review, loan documents.

    Ruth Zielinski, Lena Sato

    • Leases
    • Purchases and sales
    • Due diligence
    • Financing

    Matters, fees and team in commercial real estate

How a first inquiry works

Four steps, usually within two business days. Nothing is billed before you sign an engagement letter.

  1. You write to us

    Use the confidential form or call. Your description is encrypted in your browser before it is sent.

  2. We check for conflicts

    Before we discuss your matter, we make sure we don’t represent anyone on the other side. Usually the same day, or the next business day.

  3. A partner calls you

    Thirty minutes by phone or video, at no charge. You get a plain answer on whether and how we can help.

  4. You decide, in writing

    If we are a fit, you receive an engagement letter with the scope, the rates and a budget. Nothing is billed before you sign it.

Attorneys

Three partners and two associates. A partner is responsible for every matter, and you have their direct line.

Biographies, admissions and direct lines

Fees, in writing

Rates for 2026, effective January 1, 2026. We review them once a year, and existing engagements keep their rates for twelve months.

All fees and billing terms

Partners
$560 an hour
Associates
$340 an hour
Paralegals
$175 an hour
First call, 30 minutes
No charge
Lease review with a summary
From $1,950
Handbook review and memo
$3,800

What clients say

4.8on Google, from 63 reviews

  • “Thomas laid out a budget for each phase before we spent a dollar, and the invoices tracked it. He told us plainly where our case was weak, which nobody else had.”

    Daniel R., Owner, metal fabrication shop 5 out of 5 ·

  • “Adaora rewrote our handbook for Illinois and Chicago rules and trained our supervisors in two sessions. Our managers actually use the checklist she left them.”

    Karen M., HR director, food distributor 5 out of 5 ·

  • “Not the cheapest firm we talked to, and the first call felt like an interview. They asked a lot of questions before agreeing to take us on. In hindsight the conflict check and the written budget saved us time.”

    Marcus T., Co-owner, restaurant group 4 out of 5 ·

Reviews describe each client’s experience with our service. They are not a prediction of the outcome of any other matter.

More reviews

Map of the Chicago Loop showing our office and the two main courthouses Our office at 127 West Adams Street, between Clark and LaSalle. The Dirksen U.S. Courthouse is 4 minutes on foot, east on Adams and south on Dearborn. The Richard J. Daley Center is 7 minutes on foot, east to Clark and north to Washington. Quincy station on the elevated Loop is 4 minutes away. Van BurenJacksonAdamsMadisonWabashClarkDearbornLaSalleMonroeLakeRandolphStateWellsWashington Quincy Dirksen4 min Daley Center7 min Our office
  • Our office, 14th floor
  • Courthouse
  • The elevated Loop
  • Walking route

Street data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Office and directions

Marlowe & Okafor LLP
127 West Adams Street, Suite 1410
Chicago, IL 60603

On the Chicago grid: 127 west, 200 south, counting from State and Madison. Open in a map

Email
office@marloweokafor.com
Hours
Monday to Friday, 8:30 am–5:30 pm
Saturday and Sunday, Closed
Mon–Fri, 8:30 am–5:30 pm
Holidays
Closed Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July 4 (observed) and Labor Day.
On foot
Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, 4 minutes. Richard J. Daley Center, 7 minutes.
Transit
Quincy station on the Loop ‘L’ (Brown, Orange, Pink and Purple Lines) is at Wells and Quincy, four minutes on foot. The station has elevators.
Parking
Public garages on Adams and Wells Streets charge about $25 to $40 for a two-hour meeting. We don’t validate parking.
Access
Step-free entrance on Adams Street, elevators to the fourteenth floor and an accessible restroom on our floor. Tell us if you need a sign language interpreter or another accommodation. We arrange it at no cost.

Tell us what happened

Your description is encrypted in your browser before it leaves your device. A partner reads it and replies within one business day.

Send a confidential inquiry (312) 555-0110