Andy Schwartz is a Member in the firm’s Business Litigation practice group with more than 35 years of experience practicing law. He focuses on the litigation of complex collections, including disputes between competing lien creditors, fraudulent transfer litigation, successor liability and veil-piercing actions. Andy primarily partners with high-end personal injury lawyers to aid in collecting judgments exceeding available insurance limits and has frequently served as lead collections counsel. He also has extensive experience representing parties in business and real estate litigation.

Andy has worked as a co-counsel for fraudulent transfer litigation across the country and has gone on to teach other attorneys on this matter through presentations and publications.

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Andy earned a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from the University of Michigan in 1985, and his law degree from Loyola University of Chicago Law School in 1988. He began practice at Davidson & Schwartz that same year, focusing on estate planning, real estate transactions and civil litigation. In 2000, Andy joined the litigation group at Sugar, Friedberg & Felsenthal as a partner, where he handled litigation matters on behalf of individuals and businesses, including the successful prosecution of a $30 million fraud claim and the defense of $75+ million securities fraud claim against a director and officer of a publicly traded company.

In 2007, he founded his own boutique firm, Schwartz & Kanyock, LLC, where he managed large-scale collection and fraudulent transfer cases. Andy joined Aronberg Goldgehn in 2025.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

• Kamuda v. Sterigenics, et. al ($360 million+ judgment involving EtO poisoning in Circuit Court of Cook County, IL). Principal drafter of related $1.2 billion+ UFTA complaint against related companies. This case and related cases settled for over $460 million.

• Fern v. DuPage Medical Group, et. al ($30 million+ judgment from catastrophic medical malpractice case in Circuit Court of Cook County, IL).

• Spicer v. City of Chicago ($80 million judgment from catastrophic automobile injury case in Circuit Court of Cook County, IL).

• Janousek v. Slotky ($13.6 million judgment in corporate freeze-out case in Circuit Court of Cook County, IL). Settled case for confidential sum.

• Cervantes v. Sayeg, et. al ($66+ million judgment in catastrophic medical malpractice case in Circuit Court of Cook County, IL).

• Armagan v. Pesha (multimillion-dollar judgment for fraud / related UFTA cases in Circuit Court of Cook County, IL). Settled case for undisclosed sum.

SPEECHES AND PUBLICATIONS

• “Resolving Contract Ambiguity: Parol Evidence Versus the Rules of Contract Construction”, 87 Ill.B.J. 622 (lead author), April 1999

• “Recovering Costs in Illinois Civil Actions”, 88 Ill.B.J. 504 (co-author), Sept. 2000

• “Winner Take All: Recovery of Fees for Fee Litigation in Illinois”, 45 ISBA Fam.Law Newsletter No. 4, April 2002

• “Litigating the Suit to Set Aside Fraudulent Transfers”, IICLE CHANCERY AND SPECIAL REMEDIES (lead and/or sole author), 1999, 2004, 2009, 2021, 2023 and 2025 Editions, 2002, 2006, 2011, 2013 and 2017 Supplements

• “Fraudulent Transfer Litigation for Matrimonial Attorneys”, ISBA Family Law Section (Chicago), April 7, 2010

• “Attacking Rule 137 Sanctions Motions as Pleadings”, 98 Ill.B.J. 196 (lead author), April 2010

• “Fraudulent Transfer Litigation for Matrimonial Attorneys”, ISBA Family Law Section (Bloomington-Normal), May 20, 2010

• “Fraudulent Transfer Litigation for Matrimonial Attorneys”, American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (Chicago), April 26, 2011

• “A Divorce Lawyer’s Guide to the Illinois Fraudulent Transfer Act”, 99 Ill.B.J. 462 (lead author), September 2011

• “Fraudulent Transfer Litigation for Collection Lawyers”, Illinois Creditors’ Bar Association (Chicago), March 5, 2012

• “Fraudulent Transfer Litigation for Matrimonial Attorneys”, Joint Conference of AICPA/American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (Las Vegas, NV), May 10, 2012

• “The Secret Stash: How to Combat Divorcing Spouses Who Hide Assets and Income”, ISBA Family Law Section (Chicago), May 15, 2014

• “Charging Orders: Enforcement Against Members & Their LLCs”, IICLE Creditor’s Rights Section (Chicago), October 2, 2014

• “Defending Confession Judgment Cases in Illinois”, 102 Ill.B.J. 494 (sole author), October 2014

• “Collecting Your Verdict”, ISBA Tort Law Section (Chicago), May 21, 2015

• “You Won, Now What? – Illinois Collection Law”, Lorman (Teleconference), December 3, 2015

• “Literally Taking the Case”, 108 Ill.B.J. 24 (lead author), December 2020

• “Following the Money: A Primer on Fraudulent Transfer Litigation for the Uninitiated” – National Academy of Continuing Legal Education (national webinar), April 5, 2023

• “Complex Collections in a Mass Tort Case: You Won Your Big Case. Congratulations! Now What?” – Lake County Bar Association (Illinois), May 24, 2023

• “You Won! Now What? – Collecting Judgments Under Illinois Law” – National Academy of Continuing Legal Education (national webinar), June 6, 2023

• “Getting Plaintiffs (and Their Lawyers) Paid on Judgments in Excess of Available Insurance (or Congrats: You Won! Now What?)”, 27 ITLA Trial Journal 40, May 2025

LEADERSHIP ROLES

• Author and Lecturer, Illinois Institute for Continuing Legal Education (IICLE)

• Member, Author, and Lecturer, Illinois State Bar Association

• Member and Lecturer, Lake County Bar Association

• Member and Author, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association

RELATED NEWS

• Aronberg Goldgehn Welcomes Business Litigation Veteran Andrew R. Schwartz as a Member