Â鶹ֱ²¥ & Lardner LLP is pleased to announce that 18 lawyers have been elected to the firm’s partnership, effective February 1, 2020.
“We are proud to announce our new partners, all of whom represent our firm’s core values and our vision for the future,” said Jay Rothman, Â鶹ֱ²¥ Chairman & CEO. “Â鶹ֱ²¥ is committed to attracting top talent, and I’m especially proud to have 10 women joining the partnership this year. I congratulate all of our new partners on their well-deserved accomplishment and wish them continued success in this next phase of their careers.”
The firm’s new partners include:
Natalie C. Annis, Business Law, Tampa
Natalie is a member of the Estates & Trusts Practice. She represents clients in developing, implementing and managing sophisticated estate plans, including developing comprehensive strategies to achieve diverse wealth preservation and succession planning goals, estate and gift tax planning and asset protection. After the death of an individual, Natalie assists personal representatives, trustees and advisers on post-mortem planning and related tax strategies, as well as ongoing estate and trust administration matters.
Chase J. Brill, Intellectual Property, Washington
Chase is a patent attorney in the firm’s Mechanical & Electromechanical Technologies Practice and PTAB Trials Group. He counsels clients on a wide range of intellectual property matters, including patent prosecution, licensing, defense of infringement allegations and due diligence investigations. He also has significant experience with complex U.S. Patent Office proceedings such as inter partes review trials, ex parte reexamination and supplemental examination.
Katherine P. Califa, Intellectual Property, Washington
Katherine is a member of the Intellectual Property and Trademark, Copyright & Advertising Practices, as well as the Medical Devices Industry Team. She advises clients on ways to develop, protect, manage and maximize the value of their intellectual property. Katherine regularly counsels clients regarding the selection, procurement and enforcement of brands and other intellectual property assets in the United States and abroad. In addition, she represents clients before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, works on online and brick-and-mortar brand infringement matters, negotiates favorable settlements for complex disputes and provides intellectual property counseling related to business acquisitions and related due diligence.
Amy A. Ciepluch, Business Law, Milwaukee
Amy is a member of the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Practice. She works closely with private and public companies on the design, drafting and ongoing legal compliance of their retirement, health and welfare programs. Amy advises companies on a range of compliance issues, including issues involving correction of plan operation errors, benefit plan claims and appeals, participant election change requests and options for plan design changes.
John T. Dunlap, Business Law, Milwaukee
John is a member of the Corporate, Finance and Government Solutions Practices, as well as the Energy Industry Team. He assists clients in numerous industries with a broad range of commercial, transactional and financial matters. John works extensively with clients in the energy industry, counseling utility companies, developers and investors in the development, sale and acquisition of both traditional and renewable energy facilities. He also advises clients involved in the financing of energy facilities, including tax equity financing.
Jonathan (Jon) H. Gabriel, Business Law, Boston
Jon is a member of the Transactions Practice, as well as the Health Care Industry Team. He advises public and private companies and private equity investors in a wide range of industries. Jon focuses on complex mergers and acquisitions and growth equity financings. He also advises growth companies, from start-up and early-stage through public offering or acquisition, on formation, financing, strategic transactions, cross-border and corporate governance.
Michelle Y. Ku, Litigation, Dallas
Michelle is a member of the Litigation Practice and the Energy Industry Team. Her practice focuses on high-stakes trials and appeals of business cases involving tax controversy, intellectual property, oil and gas and commercial issues. Michelle’s creative legal reasoning and strategy have helped her clients win significant verdicts or settlements, including a multi-million dollar jury verdict in a recent business fraud and theft case. In addition to taking her clients’ cases from initial investigation through trial and into successful appeals, Michelle counsels clients on dispute avoidance and implementing creative, business-oriented strategies geared toward minimizing risk and liability in business operations.
John L. Litchfield, Litigation, Chicago
John is a member of the Labor & Employment, Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Government Solutions Practices and is a leader in the firm’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Compliance Team. His primary practice includes counseling clients on a wide range of employment-related matters, including disability discrimination, FMLA claims and sexual harassment. John also represents employers in federal and state employment and non-compete litigation matters. He also regularly conducts on-site training for clients and their employees covering diversity and inclusion, workplace conduct and sexual harassment prevention.
Benjamin J. Morris, Litigation, San Diego
Benjamin is a member of the Litigation and Construction Practices. He advises and counsels owners, developers, contractors, engineers, subcontractors and suppliers throughout all phases of complex construction projects and construction litigation. Benjamin also handles business and complex litigation, including defense of trade secret misappropriation, breach of contract, unfair competition and consumer class action claims. His commercial clients have included biopharmaceutical companies, consumer electronics manufacturers, technology companies, consumer products companies, banks and engineering and construction firms.
Michelle E. P. Nunez, Business Law, Boston
Michelle counsels private funds, advisers and institutional investors on U.S. legal and regulatory matters. She advises clients on a variety of matters relating to private fund investments, including structuring and forming funds, regulatory and compliance of existing funds, fund governance and investment adviser compliance. She has specific expertise in the structuring and formation of direct lending funds sponsored by U.S. managers and marketed outside the United States, in the application of U.S. securities and investment laws on non-U.S. investment advisers. She also advises impact investors on the legal and regulatory issues surrounding launching private funds that focus on achieving social benefit as well as financial returns.
Rachel Kingrey O’Neil, Litigation, Dallas
Rachel is a member of the Litigation Practice, as well as the Hospitality & Leisure and Energy Industry Teams. She represents clients in a variety of complex litigation matters, including director, officer and shareholder disputes, fiduciary duty claims, health care business disputes, business fraud claims, breach of contract, and banking and intellectual property disputes. Rachel handles litigation matters from inception through completion, including pre-suit investigation, motion and pleading practice, discovery, mediation, settlement, trial and appeal. Rachel has recently served as lead counsel in two jury trials and obtained winning verdicts for her clients in both cases.
Lori A. Rubin, Litigation, Washington
Lori is a member of the Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations Practice and the Health Care Industry Team. Her practice is devoted to defending clients nationwide in government investigations and enforcement actions, conducting internal investigations particularly as related to allegations of fraud, and health care litigation. Lori is a False Claims Act lawyer, and she has represented health care providers, hospitals, medical device companies and other health care organizations, as well as government contractors and other recipients of government funding, in investigations and litigation initiated by the federal government, whistleblowers or the company itself. She also appeals and litigates Medicare reimbursement rules and decisions in federal court on behalf of health care providers, and she counsels and defends clients from allegations of website noncompliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Stephen B. Sandover, Litigation, New York
Stephen is a member of the Securities Enforcement & Litigation Practice. He represents multinational financial services firms in investigations and inquiries brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, state Attorney General offices, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the National Futures Association and the International Stock Exchange, among various other government agencies and regulators. Stephen regularly conducts internal investigations on behalf of clients facing allegations of securities fraud and other regulatory and compliance breaches.
Howard (Wes) W. Taylor, Business Law, Madison
Wes is a member of the Estates & Trusts Practice. He advises individuals and families on estate planning, business and wealth succession planning, tax-minimizing planning, disposition and management of sensitive assets, charitable planning, the creation and administration of family foundations, special-needs trust planning, trust and estate administration and beneficiary mediation. He enjoys working with families to develop effective, customized and streamlined plans that meet individualized goals, are optimized to provide maximum flexibility and provide peace of mind. He also is an adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School, where he teaches Federal Estate and Gift Tax.
Dorothy (Dottie) E. Watson, Business Law, Houston/Orlando
Dottie is a member of the Environmental Regulation Practice, as well as the Energy and Manufacturing Industry Teams. She works with clients on a wide range of environmental matters, including compliance counseling, rulemaking, permitting, site remediation, brownfield redevelopment, corporate transactions and litigation matters. She has advised municipalities and public utilities in addition to both privately held and publicly traded companies. Dottie also works in the areas of land development, real estate and municipal law, including review of land titles, surveys, development plans, drafting and negotiation of purchase agreements and crafting of municipal ordinances.
Kathleen (Kate) E. Wegrzyn, Business Law, Milwaukee
Kate is a member of the Commercial Transactions & Business Counseling and Distribution & Franchise Practices and the Food & Beverage and the Manufacturing Industry Teams. Her areas of focus include counseling businesses on general corporate and commercial matters, including commercial contracts, dealer arrangements, licensing issues, supply chain contracts, marketing and promotion agreements and logistics and transportation contracts.
Joanna A. White, Business Law, Jacksonville
Joanna is a member of the Real Estate Practice. Her practice is focused on the acquisition, disposition, leasing and finance of various asset classes, including multifamily, office (including medical office), retail shopping centers and vacant land (including timber). She represents and provides counsel to investment firms, institutional lenders, family offices and private equity funds, among others, in high-profile acquisitions and dispositions.
Jonathan (Jon) P. Witt, Business Law, Detroit
Jon is a member of the Corporate Practice, as well as the Automotive and Manufacturing Industry Teams. He represents both public and private acquirers and targets in domestic and cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Jon represents businesses on a wide range of matters, including company formation, capital raising, equity holder agreements, employee and consulting agreements, commercial arrangements, joint ventures and strategic planning. He works with businesses transitioning ownership to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), issuers in public and private equity and debt securities offerings, and public companies on federal securities law compliance, disclosure and reporting obligations and corporate governance.
