Smith Gambrell Russell Welcomes Back Former Freeborn & Peters Partner Adam Toosley, Further Elevating the Chicago Office

Press Release

October 18, 2023

ATLANTA (October 18, 2023) – Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP (SGR) is pleased to announce that Partner Adam Toosley has rejoined the Firm’s Chicago office. Mr. Toosley was previously with Freeborn & Peters LLP, which combined with SGR in April 2023, from 2011 until 2021. He joins SGR from Hirzel Law, PLC where he practiced in the Traverse City, Michigan office.

“Adam is held in high regard among his former Freeborn colleagues,” said Bill Russell, co-managing partner of SGR’s Chicago office with Jim Figliulo. “We are thrilled to welcome him back and look forward to his many future successes with the Firm.”

Mr. Toosley focuses his practice on real estate litigation, construction, zoning and land use, and financial services litigation. During his 20-year career, Mr. Toosley has litigated more than 2,000 cases or arbitrations across the United States, including Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Tennessee, Nevada, and Arizona. He has taken or defended more than 500 depositions and argued multiple times at the appellate court level. His experience also includes drafting contracts as well as real estate and lending documents.

Mr. Figliulo added, “Adam is a well-known and highly respected lawyer who brings a unique depth of talent and experience in key practices, including construction, finance, and real estate-related litigation and arbitration. SGR is excited that he has chosen to join the dynamic practice that we are building in Chicago.”

“Once I learned about Freeborn’s merger with SGR, I became extremely interested in the opportunity to work for a well-established, international firm,” said Mr. Toosley. “I greatly enjoyed working at Freeborn with such a smart and talented group of attorneys who, along with the legacy SGR attorneys that I have met so far, have warmly welcomed me back to the Firm.”

Mr. Toosley is licensed in both Illinois and Michigan. He is a member of the Chicago Bar Association, the State Bar of Michigan, and the University of Illinois Alumni Association. Mr. Toosley earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois College of Law and holds a B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Over the last 18 months, SGR’s Chicago footprint has grown through strategic combinations with Chicago-based litigation firms Figliulo & Silverman, P.C. (F+S) in April 2022 and Freeborn & Peters LLP in April 2023. These combinations joined legacy SGR’s global corporate and transactional capabilities with the powerhouse litigation practices of both F+S and Freeborn in Chicago, creating a future Am Law 150 firm with 14 national and international offices and more than 50 practice areas.

About Smith Gambrell Russell
SGR is a full-service, international law firm that advises regional, national and global businesses on a wide range of legal matters. The Firm’s nearly 400 attorneys provide legal counsel in more than 50 specialized practice areas, including corporate transactions, litigation, intellectual property, aviation, banking, real estate, insurance/reinsurance, construction, employment law, international, and employee benefits and executive compensation. Founded in 1893, SGR has 14 domestic and international offices, including Atlanta; Austin; Charlotte; Chicago; Jacksonville, FL; London; Los Angeles; Miami; Munich; New York; Southampton; Springfield, IL; Tampa, FL; and Washington, D.C.