Chicago based Carmen D. Caruso Law Firm welcomes the addition of three new members to its trial and appellate legal team: attorney Shane D. Valenzi, Of Counsel attorney Seamus M. Ryan, and senior litigation paralegal Craig A. Nelson.

The boutique firm concentrates in franchise and general and sharply contested business disputes.

Lead attorney Carmen D. Caruso has been in practice since 1983 and is known for his aggressive and creative representation of clients, including large companies as well as individual plaintiffs.

“We pursue high-stakes litigation and look for cases that are likely to go to trial,” said Caruso. “Our skilled and dynamic new team brings depth and allows us to efficiently represent our clients as we prepare and go to trial,” added Caruso.

Shane D. Valenzi brings invaluable experience recently gained as a federal court law clerk. Valenzi graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School, where he served as the editor-in-chief of the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment and Technology Law, one of the top intellectual property law journals in the country. While attending Vanderbilt Valenzi served as a legal writing teaching assistant, and was an octofinalist in the annual Mock Trial Competition.

Seamus Ryan, a seasoned franchise and commercial attorney who has worked with Caruso informally for years, joins the firm as Of Counsel to expand his practice and provide added depth to the Caruso franchise law team. With over a decade of experience including former General Counsel for two national franchise companies, countless franchisors and associations, Ryan’s insights help clients find the shortest distance between the problem and the solution in any legal manner.

“Carmen is a top franchise litigator. We share the same vision to help clients quickly and effectively resolve business disputes across all legal matters,” shares Ryan.

Ryan graduated with honors and a B.A. in both English and History from Boston College and received his J.D. from Northwestern University where he served as the president of the Student Bar Association. Prior to attending law school, Seamus was the senior franchise paralegal at a premier international law firm where he was mentored by authors of the FTC’s Rule on Franchising.

Craig A. Nelson joins as a senior litigation paralegal with extensive experience in case preparation, witness preparation and research. Previously he held senior paralegal positions at two major Chicago law firms. Nelson holds a degree in music from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Carmen D. Caruso Law firm has been named Best Law firm for franchise and dealership litigation in Illinois. Caruso has repeatedly earned an AV rating by Martindale-Hubble, the highest rating available for both legal ability and ethics and are named by their peers as Illinois Best Lawyers, Leading Lawyers and Super Lawyers.

Caruso is also a member of the Bar Register of Pre-Eminent Lawyers, the Leading Lawyers Advisory Board and for a decade has been named a Legal Eagle by Franchise Times.

The Firm’s practice extends to all areas of civil litigation, on behalf of clients large and small. To learn more, visit www.cdcaruso.com.