Who’s Doing What: New hires at firms; attorneys make partner

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Attorney joins Murphy Desmond

Murphy Desmond has hired Connor Valentyn to work in its Madison office.

The firm made the announcement July 7.

Valentyn’s practice centers on business law and helping start-up companies. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School. During his time as a student, Valentyn was a student attorney at the UW Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic and worked as a law clerk for various business-law firms, including Murphy Desmond.

Godfrey & Kahn welcomes two new attorneys

Two new attorneys have joined Godfrey & Kahn.

The firm announced July 1 that it had hired Allison Reimann and Andrew Spillane.

Reimann is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group in its Madison office. Her practice centers on complex civil litigation, having an emphasis in the areas of antitrust, the False Claims Act, health care, and commercial disputes. She is also experienced in internal investigations and responses to civil investigative demands and grand-jury subpoenas in fraud and abuse and antitrust matters.

Before joining Godfrey & Kahn, Reimann practiced at a large Chicago-based Sidley Austin for more than six years. She also was a law clerk for the Honorable William C. Canby, Jr. of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Phoenix, Arizona. Reimann earned her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009.

Spillane is a member of the firm’s Banking & Financial Institutions Practice Group in the Milwaukee office. His practice centers on mergers and acquisitions, branch and loan-portfolio sales, regulatory compliance, vendor management and financial technology. Before joining Godfrey & Kahn, Spillane was associate general counsel at Guaranty Bank/Best Bank. He earned his law degree in 2011 from Marquette University Law School.

von Briesen lawyers promoted to shareholder

Two von Briesen & Roper lawyers have been promoted to shareholder.

Randall Crocker, von Briesen President and CEO, recently announced the promotion of Nathan Fronk and Meghan O’Connor.

Fronk is a shareholder in the Milwaukee office. His practice centers on transactional matters, placing a particular emphasis on representing businesses and financial institutions in complex commercial-lending transactions and representing conduit issuers in taxable and tax-exempt bond issuances and refundings. He also advises clients on a wide variety of state and federal environmental compliance and enforcement matters. Fronk earned his law degree from Marquette University Law School in 2010.

O’Connor is a shareholder in the firm’s Milwaukee office and leads its health information privacy and security section. She advises health care, government and corporate clients on Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act compliance, use of health information for integrated delivery systems and managed-care arrangements and data-sharing matters. O’Connor also regularly advises clients on a wide range of regulatory compliance, transactional, technology and general corporate matters. She is a frequent writer and speaker on health law and data privacy and security issues and has given lectures on managed health care at Marquette University Law School. O’Connor earned her law degree in 2010 from Marquette University Law School and lives in Milwaukee.

Schimel taps assistant attorney general to lead criminal-litigation unit

Attorney General Brad Schimel has promoted an assistant attorney general to lead the state Department of Justice’s Criminal Litigation Unit.

Schimel recently announced that Randall Schneider has started his new role as the unit’s director, replacing Roy Corte, who retired after more than 30 years of service to the state.

Schneider joined the DOJ in 2015 as an assistant attorney general in charge of gun prosecutions in Milwaukee County. Before that, he spent 22 years as a prosecutor for the Racine County District Attorney’s Office. Schneider earned his law degree from Marquette University Law School in 1985.

Gimbel, Reilly Guerin & Brown attorney makes partner

Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown has promoted one of its lawyers.

The firm recently announced that it had promoted the attorney Jason Luczak to partner. Luczak has been with Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown since 2008, practicing criminal defense, civil litigation, licensing and appeals.

Luczak earned his law degree in 2008 from the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

Husch Blackwell introduces legal team with government experience

Husch Blackwell has announced that it has created a legal team with government expertise.

The firm announced on June 29 that it had formed a Government Solutions team consisting of more than 50 lawyers who have experience working in federal, local and state government, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Congress.

The team has offices in 18 cities in eight states, six of those offices are in state capitals, including Madison.

The Government Solutions team will be led by Catherine Hanaway of the firm’s St. Louis office. Hanaway is a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri and was speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives from 2002 to 2004.

Michael Best promotes 8 attorneys to partner

Eight attorneys have been promoted to partner at Michael Best and Friedrich.

The firm announced on June 26 that Michael Bess, Benjamin Evans, Benjamin Johnson, Laura Konkel, Michelle Kouba, Paulette Mara, Justin Mertz and David Trautschold had been made partner.

Michael Bess, who works in the firm’s Chicago office, is a member of the litigation practice group serving as a strategic counselor in complex commercial and criminal cases. He earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2007.

Benjamin Evans of the firm’s Madison office, is a member of the Intellectual Property Practice Group whose practice centers on preparing, filing, and prosecuting U.S. and international patent applications in the mechanical-arts field. He earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2007.

Benjamin Johnson of the firm’s Chicago office practices in the Labor & Employment Relations Practice Group and defends employers against employment-discrimination claims. He earned his law degree in 2007 from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago.

Laura Konkel, who works in the firm’s Madison office, is a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice Group and handles trademark and copyright prosecution and enforcement. She earned her law degree from University of Detroit Mercy School of Law in 2008.

Michelle Kouba of Michael Best’s Chicago office is a member of the Intellectual Property Practice Group and helps clients build and protect their IP portfolios while providing actionable advice on brand management. She specializes in clearance, prosecution, and enforcement matters. She earned her law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 2009.

Paulette Mara of the firm’s Washington, D.C., office is a member of the firm’s Transactional Practice Group and Life Sciences Industry Group and represents pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech, and healthcare companies in regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters.  She earned her law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1983

Justin Mertz, who works in the firm’s Milwaukee office,  is a member of the firm’s corporate & transactional practice group and negotiates and drafts complex contracts, especially in the area of commercial and residential real estate, and performs the financial and cash-flow analyses that help form successful business strategies and decisions. He also represents clients in general-litigation matters. He earned his law degree from Marquette University Law School in 2008.

David Trautschold, of the firm’s Milwaukee office, practices in the firm’s intellectual property practice group and helps clients obtain patents and manage their intellectual-property portfolios. Trautschold has a biomechanical-engineering background and experience with consumer products. He earned his law degree in 2012 from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Two attorneys promoted to partner at Pines Bach

Madison-based Pines Bach has promoted two lawyers to partner.

The firm recently announced that Holly Slota and Christa Westerberg had made partner.

Slota practices within the Pines Bach Family Law Practice Group. She specializes in divorce litigation, collaborative divorce, appellate practice, international child-abduction cases and estate planning. Slota also serves as a guardian ad litem in family-law matters and volunteers at the Dane County Family Law Assistance Center. Slota earned her law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2003.

Westerberg practices in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. Westerberg concentrates her practice in environmental, land-use and open-government law. She has represented individuals, non-profit groups, businesses and municipalities. Westerberg earned her law degree from the University of Law School in 2002.