Handler Thayer, LLP Wins 2012 PAM Award for Best Overall Law Firm

CHICAGO, March 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- At the Annual Private Asset Management Awards Dinner held in New York City, Private Asset Management Magazine named Handler Thayer, LLP as the Best Overall Law Firm in the United States serving Ultra-High Net Worth ("UHNW") families and family offices.

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Private Asset Management Awards, organized by Private Asset Management Magazine, recognize and reward those firms and institutions that have successfully served UHNW individuals in an increasingly complex economic environment and have proved true ability in all seasons. Private Asset Management Awards 2012 was a tremendous success, with wealth management professionals from throughout the United States in attendance at the black-tie event held at Cipriani's 42nd Street, New York Venue.

According to Private Asset Management, "Handler Thayer stood out from the crowd with its current technology and innovative professional services to affluent families, family offices and privately-held companies."

Robert Bernstein, CEO of Prism Family Office, commented, "Unconflicted practice management and true open architecture are the cultural fiber of Handler Thayer, LLP. The firm is universally regarded as expert legal counsel in the areas of family governance, taxation, estate planning, asset protection and family office structures.  Handler Thayer's own best-in-class standards and consulting firm approach compels them to seek, refer and collaborate with expert outside attorneys whenever it is in the client's best interest."

Glenn Main, a Certified Public Account and 30-year veteran in the financial services industry said, "I can say that Handler Thayer is the unequivocal leader in the highest net worth family marketplace.  Jarrett Bostwick and Tom Handler have been invaluable to my clients. The same level of creativity, best-in-class strategies and client-centric approach is simply unavailable at other law firms."

Lisa Gray, Managing Member of Gray Matter Strategies, LLC commented, "Handler Thayer is the preeminent legal partner for families who seek advisors who consistently remain ahead of the game on critical issues directly related to family wealth and family office success. Our trust level with the firm is at a premium – we would be comfortable referring our family clients to any of the firm's principals and leaving the room, confident that the level of service would exceed expectations. In our minds, there is no better resource for family clients' and family office clients' legal counsel."

Handler Thayer, LLP has also been named to the U.S. News & World Report List of Best Lawyers and Best Law Firms in America. The firm is dedicated to rendering superior, technologically current, and innovative professional services to affluent families, family offices and privately-held companies. In furtherance of this objective, the firm attracts and develops highly qualified, dual-degreed attorneys committed to personal and professional excellence. The firm's reputation has been built upon a foundation of integrity, community service and creative, cutting edge, business, tax, and financial solutions. Above all, it is the firm's unique combination of exceptional work product and highly responsive, personalized client services that makes Handler Thayer, LLP one of the premier private client law firms in the United States.

"It is an honor to receive this award and we are truly grateful for all the support we have received over the years from our clients and fellow professionals in the wealth and family office industry," said Thomas J. Handler, Managing Partner and Chair of the firm's Advanced Planning and Family Office Practice Group.

About the PAM Awards

The PAM Awards are designed for investment professionals and wealth advisors, operating within the private asset management industry, who have proved themselves over the course of 2011. The judging process, using an independent panel, made-up of industry experts, was based on a mixture of qualitative and quantitative performance indicators.  Successful candidates have demonstrated exemplary performance in four critical categories: Financial Progress, Growth, Client Satisfaction, and Product Innovation

About Handler Thayer, LLP

Handler Thayer, LLP is one of the premier private client law firms in the U.S. Its national and international practice, based out of Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C., utilizes interdisciplinary teams of advanced planning attorneys.  Handler Thayer, LLP is dedicated to providing distinctive, technologically-current and responsive services to affluent families, family businesses and family offices. The firm's practice is concentrated in Corporate, Real Estate and Securities Law, Sports & Entertainment Law, Federal, State and International Taxation, Trusts & Estates, and Financial & Estate Planning. Firm clientele include foundations, multinational corporations, professional athletes, prominent entrepreneurs, celebrities and family offices. See WWW.HANDLERTHAYER.COM.

SOURCE Handler Thayer, LLP