Henry J. Underwood, a lawyer at Defrees & Fiske since 1972 and an equity member since 1979, counsels a broad spectrum of private and public sector entities in corporate and commercial matters.  Mr. Underwood has been a member of the firm's Executive Committee since 1989 and became Chairman of its Executive Committee in January 2000.

Mr. Underwood has counseled a number of medium sized manufacturing and service businesses and their boards of directors regarding general contract, commercial finance and corporate planning issues.  Through these relationships, Mr. Underwood has gained extensive experience in  evaluating, planning and documenting vendor/customer transactions, OEM/distributor arrangements, executive compensation plans, asset acquisition, and business expansion through purchase, sale and joint ventures.

For over 20 years, Mr. Underwood has represented SigmaTron International, Inc., an electronic contract manufacturer whose stock is traded through the Nasdaq,  which has grown from a one-plant operation with annual sales of less than $10 million to a multi-national company with facilities in Mexico, China and Taiwan, in addition to its five U.S. locations, with annual sales in excess of $100 million.  For many years, he represented The Martin-Brower Company, a leading distributor to fast food and casual dining restaurants, including McDonald's, Arby's, Chili's, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, TGI Fridays, and others with 28 distribution centers throughout the U.S. and Canada, and an international division servicing McDonald's Restaurants in the Carribean, South and Central America.   He continues to represent a privately held lender that financed equipment leasing companies in acquiring computer equipment, software, and other assets for use by Fortune 500 companies;  the worldwide leader in manufacturing and sales of film printing, cleaning and inspection equipment to the motion  picture industry; and a  leader in sales of printed waxed paper to the U.S. food industry.  He has recently guided International Business Solutions Alliance, LLC, an affiliation of printing distributors, in the start up of a significant national network to offer printing services throughout the country to large consumers.   In each of these situations, Mr. Underwood has made it a priority to earn  the  trust and confidence of the executive officers in charge of those operations.

During his diverse corporate practice, Mr. Underwood has represented companies in the sale or acquisition of businesses.  Mr. Underwood represented  the majority shareholders of Joanna Western Mills Company in the sale of that family owned business; The Martin-Brower Company in the sale of its two primary business divisions in separate transactions that aggregated over $400 million; and the Knowles family in the sale of Knowles Electronics, Inc. to an affiliate of the London investment firm of Doughty Hanson Company for $530 million.  Mr. Underwood has represented many other companies in the acquisition or sale of business units, and the establishment and operation of joint venture entities.

He is a member of the American Bar Association (Business Law Committee), the Illinois State Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association.  He has been active in the Chicago Bar Association's Commercial Law Committee and assisted in the drafting of Article 2A of the Illinois Uniform Commercial Code governing equipment leasing.  Mr. Underwood has a Martindale rating of AV, and has recently been selected as a Super Lawyer in a merit-based selection process of Chicago Magazine.

He received a J. D. degree from the University of Chicago, a Masters of Law from the London School of Economics, and a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.