Jenner Provides Counsel for the University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute

Partner Michelle McAtee leads a team that is advising the University of Illinois on a milestone project: a permanent home for the university’s Discovery Partners Institute (DPI).

DPI helps people jumpstart their tech careers, research initiatives, and companies in Chicago. It focuses on applied research and development, business building, and tech talent development.

Later this year, the university will break ground on DPI’s headquarters at The 78, Chicago’s 62-acre neighborhood on the Chicago River. DPI will have a state-of-the-art home for education and applied research programs and collaborative work with industry partners.

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The Jenner real estate team represented the university in a true public-private partnership: The university acquired the parcel of land where DPI will built, and additional land that will serve as an access road, from the developer of The 78. With the developer, the team negotiated a complex declaration that will govern uses and restrictions on the land. Jenner also counseled the university on the myriad City of Chicago agreements and with funding requirements of the State of Illinois Capital Development Board.

Michelle is a Co-Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Transactions Practice. She has extensive experience guiding clients through every aspect of a transaction, from acquisitions and finance deals through project construction, development, and dispositions.

Along with Michelle, the team representing the University of Illinois includes
Practice Counsel Katya Lewandowska, Associate Abe Salander, and Partner Sheila Kailus.

 

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© 2026 Jenner & Block LLP. Attorney Advertising. Jenner & Block LLP is an Illinois Limited Liability Partnership including professional corporations. This publication, presentation, or event is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide information on legal matters and/or firm news of interest to our clients and colleagues. Readers or attendees should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication or at this event. The attorney responsible for this communication is Brent E. Kidwell, Jenner & Block LLP, 353 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654-3456. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Jenner & Block London LLP, an affiliate of Jenner & Block LLP, is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA number 615729. Information regarding the data we collect and the rights you have over your data can be found in our Privacy Notice. For further inquiries, please contact dataprotection@jenner.com.

Jenner Provides Counsel for the University of Illinois System’s Discovery Partners Institute

Partner Michelle McAtee leads a team that is advising the University of Illinois on a milestone project: a permanent home for the university’s Discovery Partners Institute (DPI).

DPI helps people jumpstart their tech careers, research initiatives, and companies in Chicago. It focuses on applied research and development, business building, and tech talent development.

Later this year, the university will break ground on DPI’s headquarters at The 78, Chicago’s 62-acre neighborhood on the Chicago River. DPI will have a state-of-the-art home for education and applied research programs and collaborative work with industry partners.

Learn More Button

The Jenner real estate team represented the university in a true public-private partnership: The university acquired the parcel of land where DPI will built, and additional land that will serve as an access road, from the developer of The 78. With the developer, the team negotiated a complex declaration that will govern uses and restrictions on the land. Jenner also counseled the university on the myriad City of Chicago agreements and with funding requirements of the State of Illinois Capital Development Board.

Michelle is a Co-Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Transactions Practice. She has extensive experience guiding clients through every aspect of a transaction, from acquisitions and finance deals through project construction, development, and dispositions.

Along with Michelle, the team representing the University of Illinois includes
Practice Counsel Katya Lewandowska, Associate Abe Salander, and Partner Sheila Kailus.

 

Related Capabilities

Related Locations

© 2026 Jenner & Block LLP. Attorney Advertising. Jenner & Block LLP is an Illinois Limited Liability Partnership including professional corporations. This publication, presentation, or event is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide information on legal matters and/or firm news of interest to our clients and colleagues. Readers or attendees should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication or at this event. The attorney responsible for this communication is Brent E. Kidwell, Jenner & Block LLP, 353 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654-3456. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Jenner & Block London LLP, an affiliate of Jenner & Block LLP, is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA number 615729. Information regarding the data we collect and the rights you have over your data can be found in our Privacy Notice. For further inquiries, please contact dataprotection@jenner.com.

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