Our Team

Alison N. Zirn is General Counsel and an Executive Vice President of ECD Company and a senior member of its leadership team.   In such capacities, Ms. Zirn oversees the legal support of ECD Company’s and its affiliates’ commercial and real estate activities and transactions including acquisitions and dispositions, financings, and negotiating and closing transactions as well as legal matters relating to management, operations and legal compliance.

Prior to joining ECD Company in 2019, Ms. Zirn was a partner at DLA Piper LLP (US) in Chicago, Illinois as well as an associate at Rudnick & Wolfe (a predecessor firm to DLA Piper LLP (US) in Chicago, Illinois) and at Stroock & Stroock & Lavan in Los Angeles, California.

Ms. Zirn brings over 30 years of legal experience to ECD Company.  While a partner at DLA Piper, she represented clients in all manner of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions and development of commercial, hospitality, office, industrial and multi-family residential properties, and representing owners in single property and complex multi-state portfolio transactions as well as lenders, investors and borrowers in structuring financing through traditional mortgage loans, joint venture formations, and other financing and investment mechanisms.

Some examples of Ms. Zirn’s experience and involvement in complex real estate projects include: work as part of the team representing the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center Site; development and financing of theWit hotel and Hotel EMC2 in Chicago, Illinois; and redevelopment of Fort Sheridan in Highland Park and Highwood, Illinois as part of a base closure and redevelopment transaction.

Ms. Zirn is passionate about helping those in need and is deeply committed to pro bono legal service and has participated in a number of pro bono initiatives including helping improve the lives of children; access to education; immigration and asylum matters; reparations for victims of the Holocaust; and juvenile and adult expungements. She also has participated in mentorship programs for high school students from various Chicago public high schools.

Ms. Zirn received her Bachelor’s Degree from University of Michigan and her Juris Doctorate from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco.

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