Henry M. Morris has had a distinguished career as a lawyer providing full-service counsel to his clients. He currently concentrates his practice in real estate and real estate financing, counseling a wide variety of clients in the acquisition, sale, development (including rezoning where necessary), leasing and financing of commercial, residential and industrial real estate.

Henry has considerable depth of experience representing developers and owners of regional shopping centers throughout the United States as well as representing members of the health care profession with real estate development, including the development of medical office properties and health care facilities. His practice is also heavily concentrated in the development, leasing and financing of restaurant properties.

Henry represents a significant number of both landlords and tenants in commercial lease matters on a national basis.

In his financing practice, which has covered more than 25 years, Henry is focused on the representation of institutional lenders making loans on commercial, industrial and residential properties, both locally and on a national basis.

In addition, Henry has extensive experience in probate and trust, and estate planning matters. In the administration of decedent’s estates and trusts, he has experience in will contest and contested creditor claim matters, as well as contested estate tax matters, both administratively before the Internal Revenue Service and in the United States Tax Court. His estate planning experience includes assisting clients to make informed decisions about asset protection and the disposition of assets consistent with, and taking advantage of, available federal and state tax strategies.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS

Real Estate

  • Counseling the developers of several medical office buildings, including one containing an ambulatory surgical treatment center, which was a joint venture between a local hospital and a number of surgeons on its staff

  • Representing sales, purchases and the leasing of shopping centers in all parts of the United States, including the need to defease conduit financing on the sales of the same

  • Effecting tax-free exchanges, including reverse exchanges

  • Worked with a number of title insurers to craft specific title endorsements to solve particular title problems arising with regards to one or more properties

  • Successfully defended a contractor’s mechanic’s lien claim and successfully prosecuted the owner’s counterclaim for damages for defective roof construction in the case of a Kane County discount department store.

  • Represented the developer of more than 15 Kmart stores, including, but not limited to, assembling of land parcels, land purchase, architect and engineers’ construction contracts, easements and leases

  • Negotiated Kohl food store leases for a shopping center developer

Trusts and Estates

  • Defending a major will contest

  • Handling the administration of estates and trusts of varying sizes and composition

  • Creating family limited partnerships

  • Handled an extensive genealogist search covering 16 states in an intestate estate in order to determine heirship

  • Handled the federal estate tax audit of several multimillion-dollar estates (and was able to secure significant discounts), including estates containing valuation issues regarding family limited partnerships and limited liability companies as well as personal holding companies

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Henry joined Aronberg Goldgehn in August 2001. Among his accolades, he holds the AV® Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for ethics and legal ability. Since 2003, he has been recognized annually as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in Closely & Privately Held Business Law and Commercial Real Estate by Illinois Leading Lawyers. Also, he has been named a Super Lawyer in Real Estate and Estate Planning & Probate Law by Illinois Super Lawyers, a designation awarded by peers to only 5 percent of Illinois attorneys.

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Northwestern University School of Law, J.D., 1962
Law Review - Editor

Northwestern University, B.S.L., 1960



BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS

  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
  • United States Tax Court
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Bar Association
  • Chicago Bar Association
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • International Council of Shopping Centers, Associate Member


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  • AV Peer Review Rating from Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for ethics and legal ability
  • Illinois Leading Lawyer in Closely & Privately Held Business Law and Commercial Real Estate (2003-2020)
  • Illinois Super Lawyer in Real Estate and Estate Planning & Probate Law (2005)

PERSONAL

What would you be doing if you weren’t a lawyer? If I weren’t practicing law I would be teaching social studies and political science in a small liberal arts college
What is your favorite restaurant? Guy Savoy’s L’Atelier Maitre Albert, in the 5th arrondissement, Paris