Aaron E. Rifkind, JD, LLM

Co-Managing Partner

Attorney Aaron E. Rifkind

Aaron is a “one-stop shop.” He’s a multi-dimensional business partner, transactional lawyer, commercial litigator, and outside general counsel for companies of all sizes, including luxury lifestyle brands based in New York, Chicago, and Italy.

When negotiating across the table from Fortune 500 dealmakers and AmLaw 200 lawyers, Aaron brings a secret weapon: he has always been more than “just” a lawyer. Having personally built several successful businesses, Aaron has a real world understanding of the pressures that businesses—and their owners—face. He leverages that personal experience to design practical, data-driven solutions to problems like:

Business Growth Strategies: As a true strategic partner and corporate generalist, Aaron works with leadership to design and execute market entry, identify potential partners, and negotiate business alliances, as well as goal setting, performance matrices, team management, marketing, risk management, budget, finances, and more.
Business Operations: Aaron is a versatile lawyer able to add value across business operations, including intellectual property protection, master service and vendor agreements, selection and design of office and retail spaces, workflow systems, and technology solutions. He also negotiates a wide array of individual commercial contracts ranging from construction and union contracts, to real estate leases, to purchase agreements.
Sales, Marketing, and e-Commerce: Aaron helps assess marketing scripts, client generation systems, compliance with rules on advertising, website terms and conditions, user privacy policies, and other end-user notifications.
Employment Law and Employee Training: Federal, state, and local employment regulations are continually changing. Aaron creates hiring processes, employer policies, employee handbooks, NDAs, and confidentiality agreements to help companies keep up.
Dispute Resolution and Settlement Negotiations: Aaron advises on both offensive and defensive disputes with business partners, vendors, clients / customers, and regulators. He helps evaluate potential corporate exposure and personal liability, as well as negotiates resolutions to minimize business interruptions.
Litigation and Appeals: An award-winning litigator, Aaron has been Lead Counsel on 7th Circuit appeals, cases before federal trial-level courts, 1000 cases before state courts, and 2000+ administrative hearings across the country.

In 2015, Aaron co-founded Rifkind Patrick LLC, a client-focused law firm representing businesses, investors, entrepreneurs, and others in general transactions, compliance, business operations, contract negotiation, partnership and shareholder disputes, commercial real estate transactions, construction disputes, and more. He is also the firm’s Co-Managing Partner.

Sample Professional Associations and Leadership

Speaker at nearly 10 conferences and CLEs and author of publications on topics like LLCs, arbitration, and tax. Chief arbitrator in Cook County Mandatory Arbitration Program, overseeing 40+ arbitrations. Former board member for the Business Division of DuPage County Bar Association, member of Chicago Bar Association, and former member of the State Bar of Nevada Ethics Committee.