Brown Rudnick LLP, an international law firm, is pleased to announce the promotion of six exceptional lawyers to partner. Thomas J. Braiden, Andrew M. Carty, Kyle R. Johnson, Jessica T. Lu, Joseph M. Mercadante, and Arnaud Moussatoff joined the partnership on February 1, 2020.

This experienced group of attorneys will join five dominant practice groups, Bankruptcy & Restructuring; Litigation & Arbitration; Energy, Utilities & Environmental; IP Litigation; and Corporate.

Brown Rudnick’s 2020 partner class joins amid continued expansion of the firm, which has also welcomed 10 new lateral partners from outside its ranks since the start of 2019.

The newly promoted partners are based in the firm’s Boston, Hartford, London, New York and Paris offices. The firm’s new partners include:

Thomas J. Braiden: Corporate (London)
Braiden advises on a wide range of corporate matters in a number of different industries. He has extensive experience advising public and private companies, as well as family offices and other private investors, on IPOs and secondary fundraisings (both AIM and Official List), mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, venture capital, commercial contracts, corporate governance issues, and other general corporate advice.

Andrew M. Carty: Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring (New York)
Carty’s practice focuses on providing effective and efficient solutions to complex corporate restructuring matters. With substantial experience representing secured and unsecured creditors, official and ad hoc committees, equity holders, strategic investors, and other stakeholders in complex reorganization proceedings, his practice spans a wide range of industries, and includes restructuring, finance, and bankruptcy litigation.

Kyle R. Johnson: Energy, Utilities & Environmental (Hartford)
Johnson focuses his practice on environmental issues in real estate and corporate transactions, including environmental due diligence, negotiation of liabilities, and drafting of contractual documents and indemnities, regulatory compliance and enforcement matters, remediation of contaminated properties, and general environmental counseling. Johnson is also experienced in energy and public utility law, including siting, permitting, administrative and appellate litigation, and real estate law.

Jessica T. Lu: Litigation & Arbitration (Boston)
Lu represents clients in general commercial and intellectual property litigation, including patent, copyright, and trademark infringement, contract disputes, business torts, and employment issues. Her practice encompasses stages of litigation from initiation through trial and she also has experience with complex financial and restructuring-related disputes and SEC enforcement actions.

Joseph M. Mercadante: IP Litigation (New York)
Mercadante is an experienced patent litigator with a focus on cases in the field of electronics, including computer hardware and software, automotive technologies, telecommunications, and networking and semiconductors. He represents both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of patent litigation matters, including pre-suit investigations, validity and infringement analyses, discovery, Markman proceedings, expert reports and depositions, motion practice, and trial.

Arnaud Moussatoff: Bankruptcy & Corporate Restructuring (Paris)
Moussatoff represents clients in restructuring operations and distressed transactions relating to underperforming or insolvent companies. His practice also includes a wide variety of litigation matters, including French Insolvency Law and the issues arising from financial difficulties affecting businesses, such as complex M&A litigation and managers’ liability. He offers a wide range of counseling to debtors, investors, purchasers, lenders and managers.

Barnes & Thornburg has added Michelle N. Bradford as partner in the Litigation Department in Washington, D.C. As an experienced litigator and former federal prosecutor, Bradford handles issues in connection with white collar criminal defense and complex civil litigation.

Bradford spent over a decade serving as an assistant United States attorney for the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. In this capacity, she prosecuted cases related to healthcare fraud, tax fraud, money laundering, as well as public corruption matters. She tried nearly 30 felony jury trials more than 20 felony and misdemeanor bench trials.

Bradford also served in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she handled a variety of civil cases and defended federal agencies in issues regarding Title VII of the Civil Rights Act; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the American with Disabilities Act; the District of Columbia Human Rights Act; the Federal Tort Claims Act; the Administrative Procedure Act; as well as the Freedom of Information Act.

Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Bradford was a shareholder at a financial services law firm, where she represented clients, individuals and companies, in government investigations and proceedings involving securities fraud; healthcare fraud, complex financial fraud; the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act; the False Claims Act; and the Anti-Kickback Statute, among others. Further, Bradford has experience serving as counsel for companies conducting internal investigations.

Outside of the office, Bradford is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, teaching trail advocacy, and has served as a faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA). She also serves as board vice president of the Center of Abused Persons, a nonprofit that provides support to victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse.

Bradford earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her B.A. from Barnard College.

Barnes & Thornburg has added Stephen C. Smith as a partner in the Intellectual Property Department in Chicago. Smith is the latest addition to the firm’s IP practice, which added a 10-attorney Life Sciences Patent Group in late 2019.

Prior to his legal career, Smith was a supervisor and engineer at a naval power plant facility and joins the firm with deep knowledge of patent law. He counsels a wide range of clients in the consumer product, automotive, medical device and industrial equipment industries on matters including patent prosecution, patent infringement, due diligence, licensing, and disputed matters and litigation. Smith helps clients navigate each stage of prosecution proceedings, including post issuance proceedings, drafting applications and invention harvesting. He also has valuable experience with matters that come before international patent offices and the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Smith earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his B.S. from Purdue University. He joins from Brinks Gilson & Lione, where he served on the board of directors.

Venable LLP is pleased to announce that New York partner Nicholas M. Reiter and Los Angeles partner Celeste Brecht have been elevated to lead their respective litigation groups. Specifically, Reiter has joined Michael J. Volpe as a co-chair of the firm’s national Labor and Employment Practice, and Brecht has joined Daniel P. Hoffer as a co-chair of the firm’s West Coast Litigation Group.

Geoffrey R. Garinther, chair of the firm’s Litigation Division, said, “We are fortunate to have Nick and Celeste, who are well respected among their peers and clients, join our leadership ranks within the Litigation Division. Both of them have demonstrated exemplary work representing clients in complex matters across a variety of forums, acting as trusted advisors, and expanding the capabilities and reach of two thriving practice groups.”

Reiter joined Venable in 2011 and represents employers in employment and traditional labor matters. He has obtained successful jury verdicts as a first-chair trial lawyer and negotiated new collective bargaining agreements with labor unions. Reiter regularly defends and advises employers in the financial services, hospitality, real estate, and healthcare industries, including multinational hotel chains, restaurant groups, investment banks, and hospitals.

When asked about his new co-chair role, Reiter said, “I am grateful for the opportunity to help lead such a terrific group of employment lawyers. There has been no shortage of legal developments for employers lately, and we expect that trend will continue as federal, state, and local legislatures create new rules for the American workplace. Our Labor and Employment Practice will remain focused on staying ahead of the curve and advising our clients on best practices for managing their workforces.”

Brecht is a first-chair trial attorney who focuses on complex civil disputes for clients in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, consumer products, media and entertainment, and transportation industries. In addition to trial work, Brecht has served as national counsel, managing complex litigation from inception through appeal. In connection with her new role, Brecht said, “Since joining Venable in 2013, we’ve doubled the size of the Los Angeles office and our litigation group while maintaining our collaborative culture. We have a deep bench of incredibly talented litigators who are tireless advocates for our clients, and I look forward to supporting this dynamic group as we continue to level up in the years to come.”

Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, high-net-worth entrepreneurs, and individuals. With more than 850 professionals in locations across the country, including California, Delaware, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients’ objectives in the U.S. and around the globe. Venable advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines. For more information, please visit www.venable.com.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Elizabeth M. Boone has joined the firm’s Jackson office as a partner in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group.

“We are thrilled to welcome Elizabeth to our Jackson office,” said Bradley Jackson Office Managing Partner Margaret Oertling Cupples. “With her diverse experience and background in finance, Elizabeth is a great addition to our team of highly skilled attorneys in the Corporate and Securities Practice Group.”

Ms. Boone focuses her practice on business transactions and corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate and municipal matters. She advises clients on general business law matters domestically and internationally, including contract negotiation, establishment and maintenance of legal entities, establishment of terms and conditions for the sale of goods, employment matters, and real estate transactions. Her work also includes managing trademark portfolios for clients in conjunction with intellectual property counsel and advising regarding protection of inventions.

Prior to joining Bradley, Ms. Boone was a partner at Watson Heidelberg PLLC, where she focused on business, real estate and municipal law, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Prior to law school, Ms. Boone worked in finance and as a chemist.

Ms. Boone received her J.D. (magna cum laude) from the University of Mississippi School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) from the University of Tennessee.

Attorneys in Bradley’s nationally recognized Corporate and Securities Practice Group guide and advise clients in a variety of industries, working with emerging companies, family and closely held business, and publicly traded corporations, as well as venture capital and private equity funds and their operating companies.

About Bradley
Bradley combines skilled legal counsel with exceptional client service and unwavering integrity to assist a diverse range of corporate and individual clients in achieving their business goals. With offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the firm’s over 500 lawyers represent regional, national and international clients in various industries, including financial services, healthcare, life sciences, real estate, construction, technology, energy, insurance, and entertainment, among many others.

Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Michael Hanahan has joined the firm’s Chicago office as a partner in the Construction practice.

Hanahan represents commercial and public project owners and other industry participants on a wide variety of construction-related matters, including contract drafting and negotiations, disputes, and overall contract administration. He also provides procurement counsel to government entities and private organizations, which in the past has included public entities in Chicago. In recent years, Hanahan has helped draft and negotiate contracts with a combined value of over $2 billion.

Hanahan’s addition to the Chicago office follows the arrival of Labor and Employment Partner Sarah Flotte to the office this month. To accommodate Perkins Coie’s continued growth in the Chicago area, the firm will move to a larger, more collaborative office space at 110 N. Wacker Drive in 2021.

Hanahan joins the firm from Schiff Harden where he was a partner in Schiff’s construction practice. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Illinois Chicago Graduate School of Architecture, and has been recognized for his excellence in construction law, including as a “Recommended Construction Attorney” by The Legal 500 United States. Michael earned his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, and received his B.Arch from the University of Notre Dame.

Franklin D. Rosenblatt has joined Butler Snow’s Ridgeland, Miss. office, and will practice with the firm’s commercial litigation group.

Rosenblatt retired as a Lieutenant Colonel with more than 12 years of experience serving in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps as a prosecutor, legal advisor and defense attorney. As a prosecutor, he tried dozens of international, financial and violent crimes cases to verdict. Additionally, he successfully prosecuted four terrorism suspects in the Iraqi court system of Kirkuk, Iraq. As a defense attorney from 2014 to 2018, Rosenblatt served as lead military defense counsel for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl in the most publicized court-martial in American history.

Rosenblatt has won national recognition for his legal writing, having authored book chapters and co-authored two books. His latest contribution is the third edition of “Military Justice: Cases and Materials,” a law school textbook recently published by leading law publisher Carolina Academic Press co-authored by Rosenblatt and other prominent scholars. Rosenblatt has also been invited to speak about litigation and internal investigations to several of the world’s flagship institutions, including Yale Law School, The Hoover Institution, The Pentagon and The Peace Palace in The Hague.

Rosenblatt is a member of the Federal Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War, where he serves as vice president for Criminal Law of the United States Chapter. He received his bachelor’s degree from James Madison University, his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law and his Master of Laws from The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. Most recently, he served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Barbara Jacobs Rothstein in the U.S. District Court, District of Columbia.

Foley & Lardner announced that Lewis Zirogiannis has joined the firm as a partner in its Litigation Department and Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations Practice Group. Zirogiannis is resident in the firm’s San Francisco and New York City offices.

Zirogiannis’ practice focuses on complex litigation, as well as government and internal investigations and corporate compliance. He has deep expertise in counseling corporations and company executives in connection with litigation and investigation matters in the areas of anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, trade sanctions, information governance, securities fraud, and data privacy and protection, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). Zirogiannis has appeared before the U.S. Supreme Court and in federal and state trial and appellate courts, and he has conducted investigations in Asia, Latin America, Africa and Europe.

Zirogiannis brings extensive in-house experience from having served six years in legal leadership roles at two global businesses of General Electric Co., where he oversaw global compliance programs and supervised litigation, investigations and regulatory relations. In addition, he previously served as Associate General Counsel and Global Anti-Corruption Officer at American International Group.

Zirogiannis comes to Foley from Reed Smith, where he was a member of the complex litigation and global regulatory enforcement practice groups. He began his legal career as a staff attorney in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and as a federal judicial law clerk in the Southern District of New York before entering private practice.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Jacqueline A. Mrachek as a shareholder in its Minneapolis office. Mrachek joins from Faegre Baker Daniels, where she co-led the firm’s employment litigation practice.

Mrachek counsels and defends companies in a wide range of employment law matters, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour compliance, drug and alcohol testing, and disability and medical leave requirements. She also regularly conducts workplace investigations and counsels on the enforcement of noncompetes, restrictive covenants and other employment contracts. Mrachek has represented employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Minnesota Department of Human Rights, and has extensive experience in such sectors as automotive, retail, financial services, health care, insurance, manufacturing and medical devices.

Mrachek received her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and her B.A. from College of Saint Benedict. She is a former president of Minnesota Women Lawyers and serves on its advisory board.

Farrell Fritz is pleased to welcome Christopher J. Clarke to its Uniondale office as a commercial litigation associate.

Chris is a South Huntington, NY, resident. Prior to joining Farrell Fritz, he was an associate at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone, LLP in Mineola. Chris earned his J.D. from Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center and his B.A. from Skidmore College. He is admitted in New York State; the United States District Court, Eastern District of New York; and the United States District Court, Southern District of New York.

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced that San Antonio-based attorneys Danielle Rushing and Melanie Fry were each elected to hold leadership positions for Bexar County Women’s Bar Foundation (BCWB). Rushing was elected to serve as Vice President, while Fry was re-elected for her position as a Director with the Foundation.

Rushing takes the Vice President role after serving as the Foundation’s Secretary in 2019 and after being selected as a member of the 2019 class of its LEAD (Lead. Empower. Advance. Develop.) Academy. Fry, who is a 2018 graduate of the BCWB Foundation’s LEAD Academy, returns to her role as a Director after being elected for the second consecutive time.

In her practice, Rushing focuses on bankruptcy and restructuring matters. She currently represents several multi-million dollar businesses, particularly in the oil and gas/energy, retail, and transportation industries. Rushing has drafted and argued various motions in state and federal courts. She is involved in several professional and industry organizations, having been recently elected as a Member of the San Antonio Bar Foundation’s Fellows Program and serving as a Director for the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association and Foundation.

Fry leads Dykema’s appellate practice in San Antonio. She has briefed and won cases in the Texas Courts of Appeals, the Supreme Court of Texas, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. Fry’s experience includes high-stakes matters such as personal injury and product defects, contract and business tort claims, consumer financial services disputes, and oil and gas law. Outside of her practice, Fry has served at all leadership levels of the Federal Bar Association’s San Antonio Chapter (including as President in 2015-16) and is a member of Leadership San Antonio Class 45.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Dane Steffenson as Special Counsel in its Atlanta office where he will focus on Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), wage hour and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) litigation. For more than 17 years, Steffenson was a Senior Trial Attorney at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) representing its various enforcement agencies in the Atlanta Solicitor’s Office. In this role, he received the DOL’s top national award for litigation excellence.

During his tenure with the DOL, Steffenson served as lead counsel on hundreds of employment law cases, including more than 25 trials and several mediations that involved complex matters under ERISA, Fair Labor Standards Act, OSHA, Service Contract Act, H1-B and various whistleblower statutes. He advised top officials and local managers at the Department’s enforcement agencies on local and national policies and procedures, investigation and pre-litigation issues, and enforcement, litigation and settlement strategies. Steffenson also has extensive experience in all aspects of case preparation, such as developing and executing litigation strategy; drafting effective discovery documents, motions, and briefs; and negotiating settlements.

Steffenson received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Georgia State University College of Law, his M.A. in International Relations from Baylor University and his B.S., cum laude, from California State University. Additional information on Steffenson’s background is available here.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Richard E. Graves has joined the firm’s Nashville office as an associate in the Real Estate Practice Group.

Graves focuses his practice on real estate law and zoning and land use. His experience includes preparing and reviewing purchase and sales agreements, as well as closing documents, on behalf of purchasers and sellers. He also reviews environmental site assessment proposals and reports to ensure compliance with all appropriate inquiry requirements and ASTM standards. In addition, he reviews title commitments, surveys and plats, and private and public property restrictions and regulations on behalf of clients. His litigation experience includes prosecuting and defending easement and title disputes, as well as common law writ of certiorari appeals of decisions of local land use administrative bodies.

Prior to joining Bradley, Graves was an attorney at Frantz, McConnell & Seymour, LLP. He clerked for Judge Sharon G. Lee of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Graves received his J.D. (magna cum laude) from the University of Tennessee College of Law and his Bachelor of Arts (magna cum laude) from the University of Tennessee.

Eversheds Sutherland is pleased to announce that Stanley Freeman has joined the firm in Washington DC as partner. With more than 25 years of experience,  Freeman’s arrival expands the firm’s education service offering with a practice focused on the representation of postsecondary institutions and adjacent clients in higher education. Before joining Eversheds Sutherland, Freeman was a partner at Powers Pyles Sutter & Verville.

Freeman counsels public and private colleges and universities, allied educational companies, and investors in higher education on administrative, transactional, regulatory and litigation matters. He regularly advises educational institutions on strategic issues pertaining to their participation in federal student financial assistance programs, accreditation, licensure and related regulatory concerns.

Freeman also assists clients concerning regulatory and compliance matters arising under the Higher Education Act of 1965, including program reviews, audits, substantive changes, changes in ownership and control, and other oversight matters.

Freeman has represented numerous schools before the US Department of Education and before other federal agencies, state educational oversight agencies, and accreditors on compliance matters, financial responsibility concerns, legislative issues, and investigative matters. He has also litigated cases in the state and federal courts.

Freeman is a sought-after speaker for college official and student aid administrative audiences and has authored numerous articles on federal student financial aid issues for higher education publications.

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced that Danielle Rushing, San Antonio-based attorney in Dykema’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency & Creditors’ Rights Practice Group, was selected by the San Antonio Bar Foundation (SABF) as one of 25 newly elected members to the SABF Fellows Program.

According to the SABF, its Fellows are a group of friends who serves as patron of the charitable heart of the legal community. These elected members make a difference in expanding civics education, filling the gap for access to justice and supporting the pipeline of future leaders in the San Antonio legal family. Fellows are selected for their professional achievements and their commitment to the legal community.

In her practice, Rushing focuses on bankruptcy and restructuring matters. She currently represents several multi-million dollar businesses, particularly in the oil and gas/energy, retail, and transportation industries. Rushing has drafted and argued various motions in state and federal courts.

She is involved in several professional and industry organizations. Rushing currently serves as Vice President of the Bexar County Women’s Bar (BCWB) Association and Foundation and a Board Member for the San Antonio Young Lawyers Association and Foundation. She also previously serves as both Secretary and as a Board Member of the BCWB and was a member of the 2019 class of its LEAD Academy.

She earned a J.D. from St. Mary’s University School of Law and a B.S. from Louisiana State University.

On Jan. 21, the Chicago office of Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., celebrated the opening of the new Norwegian Honorary Consulate for Illinois – located at Greensfelder – and introduced Greensfelder Officer Susan Meyer as the newly appointed Norwegian Honorary Consul.

In conjunction with Meyer’s appointment late last year, Greensfelder’s Chicago office was designated by Norway’s Foreign Ministry as the Norwegian Honorary Consulate. Norway’s Honorary Consul assists with consular affairs and helps to facilitate development of business, cultural and educational relations between Norway and the United States.

The Jan. 21 event also featured an address from Harriet E. Berg, Norwegian Consul General in New York, and a medal ceremony honoring Eirik Seim for his overseas service.

In addition to her new consulate role, Meyer is a past president and current member of the Chicago Chapter of the Norwegian-American Chamber of Commerce. She frequently advises companies on matters related to commerce between the United States and Scandinavia. She is also actively involved with the Norwegian-American Defense and Homeland Security Industry Council and the Swedish American Chamber of Commerce. In addition, she is on the board of Women Entrepreneurs Grow Global, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping women-owned businesses expand internationally.

As leader of Greensfelder’s Trademark, Copyright, Media, and Advertising group and a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property and Franchising & Distribution groups, Meyer advises businesses in the areas of intellectual property, franchising, and distribution. She represents companies in the United States and internationally in every stage of development. In addition to her work involving intellectual property transactions, licensing, and dispute resolution, Ms. Meyer has extensive experience in trademark law, representing clients before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and federal courts. She also works with franchisors on compliance issues and serves as outside general counsel for businesses on general business matters.

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP is pleased to announce that Andrew Tuggle has joined the firm’s Huntsville office as an associate in the Intellectual Property Practice Group.

Tuggle focuses his practice on technology and intellectual property law.

Prior to law school, Tuggle worked for a large multinational hardware manufacturer and for a small engineering-design startup. He also worked in academic DARPA- and G8-funded research. His R&D experience includes magnetic devices and materials, nanoscale electronics, computer modeling and simulation, Barker codes, and sensors.

Tuggle worked as a summer associate at Bradley in 2017 and 2018. He received his J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law and his Bachelor of Science from the University of Alabama.

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that William “Bill” E. Lawler has joined the Firm’s Washington, D.C., office as a Partner in the White Collar Defense & Investigations group. Lawler joins from Vinson & Elkins LLP where he was co-head of the firm’s government investigations and white collar practice group. Prior to his tenure at Vinson & Elkins, he served as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia (1989–1996).

Lawler represents corporations, organizations, government entities, and individuals in high-stakes, high-profile matters in federal and state courts and before regulatory agencies and Congress. He brings extensive experience counseling clients on various types of government enforcement actions—enduring numerous administrations in the United States and abroad—on matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”), criminal antitrust, healthcare fraud, government and public corruption, campaign finance, and other white collar crime issues.

Lawler’s comprehensive and geographically diverse experience gives him insight into the nuances and developments in international enforcement approaches and actions. Throughout his career, Lawler has tried more than 70 jury cases to verdict, has argued 15 appellate cases, and has conducted hundreds of grand jury and motions proceedings across 37 U.S. states and more than 30 countries.

He is active in the legal community, serving as a member of the International Association of Defense Counsel’s White Collar Committee and previously serving on the board of directors of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia where he formerly served as president and as chair of the Young Lawyers Section. Additionally, he has been repeatedly recognized by Chambers USA for his white collar defense and FCPA practices.

Lawler was previously a leading member of the Catholic Charities Legal Network, and in keeping with Blank Rome’s dedication to pro bono work, plans to continue his commitment to providing pro bono counsel at the Firm. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown Law, and his B.A. in English and Government, cum laude, from the University of Notre Dame.

Brouse McDowell is pleased to announce the addition of two new partners – Lori R. Kilpeck and Heather Allred – adding to our bench strength in Cleveland and Toledo, respectively.

Lori R. Kilpeck joins Brouse McDowell’s Cleveland Office as a partner in the Estate, Succession Planning and Probate Administration Practice Group. Prior to joining Brouse, she was a partner with a Cleveland estate planning boutique firm and has also previously served as acting Magistrate for Judge Lawrence Allen of the Willoughby Municipal Court. She has counseled her clients in complex probate and trust administration as well as contested estates that result in litigation due to undue influence, breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and elder abuse. Additionally, Kilpeck serves as a court appointed guardian.

Kilpeck received her BA from Cleveland State University and her JD from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.

Heather Lee Allred joins Brouse McDowell’s Toledo Office as a partner in the Health Care Practice Group. Prior to joining Brouse, she was Vice President of Risk Management and Senior Counsel at ProMedica. She has comprehensive legal experience in the health care industry. As Senior Counsel she addressed legal challenges including, but not limited to, HIPAA, fraud and abuse, CMS conditions of participation, EMTALA, academic affiliations, residency and fellowships, research, GME issues, contract negotiations, patient care and risk management issues. She also has experience in business litigation, insurance recovery and tort litigation.

Allred received her BA from Brigham Young University, her MPH in Health Care Administration from Bowling Green State University and The University of Toledo, and her JD from University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Holland & Hart announced the addition of Karen Dean as Of Counsel joining the firm’s Denver office. Dean strengthens Holland & Hart’s Tax Controversy practice by bringing experience as a former senior in-house tax counsel for multiple global Fortune 500 companies.

Dean understands the complex business challenges multinational corporations face to evaluate and solve tax matters. She represents clients in high-stakes tax controversies and litigation and advises clients on a broad range of tax issues, helping them untangle complex tax matters. Dean has represented large public companies in audits and controversies before the IRS and state and local taxing authorities. She has extensive experience negotiating favorable resolutions of audits and appeals.

Prior to joining Holland & Hart, Karen served as in-house tax counsel for more than 10 years for several publicly traded multinationals. She also practiced as a tax attorney at McDermott Will & Emery in New York and at Ivins, Phillips & Barker in Washington, D.C. Dean is admitted to practice in Colorado, the District of Columbia, and New York.