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• Michael S. Kurtzon

Schwartz Cooper's Kurtzon Elected as Fellow of American College of Mortgage Attorneys

Schwartz Cooper Chartered, a leading Chicago-based full service law firm, today announced that Michael Kurtzon, head of the firm’s Real Estate Finance practice, was elected as a fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys (ACMA).  He was the only attorney in Illinois to receive this distinction.  

Fellowship in ACMA is by nomination only.  Twelve attorneys were elected nationally by the ACMA this year and there are only 14 other Illinois attorneys in this 400-member organization.  

Kurtzon was nominated by John Murray, vice president and special counsel for First American Title Insurance Co., and a former ACMA president. Prospective members are chosen based on their experience in real estate law and if they have distinguished themselves by publications, presentations, bar association activities, teaching, or participation in the legislative process. There are six classes of membership in ACMA: fellows, academic fellows, judicial fellows, honorary fellows, lifetime fellows and senior fellows.  

Kurtzon counsels institutional real estate lenders on a national basis in a variety of complex lending matters.  He regularly represents real estate development companies in residential and commercial construction and development projects, including mixed-use projects, condominium developments, and retail and office properties.  He also represents real estate investors and owners in acquisitions and dispositions of properties, securitized debt financings, and negotiation of architectural and construction agreements, as well as landlords and tenants in leasing transactions.  

Kurtzon is a member of the Chicago Mortgage Attorneys Association, American College of Real Estate Attorneys, International Council of Shopping Centers, and the Illinois State Bar Association. He also is a member of the Real Property Finance Committee of the Chicago Bar Association and the Section on Real Property, Probate and Trust Law of the American Bar Association.  

Kurtzon frequently speaks on numerous topics including construction lending, syndicated loans, condominium law, construction law, and the Interstate Land Sales Full Disclosure Act.  

He received a J.D. from the University of Chicago and an A.B. from Cornell University.   

The American College of Mortgage Attorneys was formed in 1974 by a group of lawyers seeking to establish and maintain an integrated group of lawyers from each state who are highly skilled and experienced in the preparation of real estate mortgages, lending transactions secured by real estate, and related practice.    

About Schwartz Cooper

Schwartz Cooper Chartered provides practical, efficient legal solutions across a range of disciplines, including banking and finance, corporate, franchise and distribution law, commercial real estate, litigation, bankruptcy, tax and estate planning, labor and employment, securities, technology and intellectual property. Clients include middle-market public and private companies in industries ranging from manufacturing to retail; local and national banking institutions; investment funds; and commercial real estate owners, developers and lenders. For more information, please visit www.schwartzcooper.com.