BakerHostetler issued the following announcement on Jan. 4.
BakerHostetler announced that 28 lawyers have been elected to the partnership, effective Jan. 1, 2022. The new partners include members of all six practice groups and 12 offices across the U.S.
“This year’s new partner class is an impressive group, made up of attorneys from a variety of practices and offices,” said Paul Schmidt, firm chair. “This fantastic new class will help us grow and become an even stronger firm. I congratulate all our new partners and look forward to working with them for many years to come.”
New Partners:
Joelle A. Berle (Los Angeles) is a litigator representing clients in complex, high-stakes commercial disputes including breach of contract, business torts, environmental, real estate, health care and securities matters. Experienced in all phases of litigation from pre-trial to post-trial in federal and state courts and arbitrations, Berle advocates for her clients by maintaining close attention to detail, developing tailored and effective case strategy, and prioritizing client business goals. She earned her J.D. from Southwestern University School of Law and her B.A. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Kevin D. Bradberry (Atlanta) is a skilled litigator with extensive experience in and a comprehensive understanding of investigations, litigation, and appeals in arbitrated, state and federal forums. He regularly represents clients in almost every aspect of health care litigation, including provider-payer contract disputes, denial of insurance or government health care benefits, government audit response, and federal False Claims Act and state counterpart litigation. He earned his J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law and his B.A. from the University of Georgia.
Jared A. Brandyberry (Denver) is a litigator who assists clients with commercial and intellectual property disputes involving complex technology. His cases typically involve contractual, patent, trademark, copyright and trade secrets claims. He has represented clients in 22 different U.S. District Courts, International Trade Commission investigations, Federal Circuit appeals and multidistrict litigation. He also assists clients with IP procurement and licensing activities and is a licensed patent attorney. He earned both his J.D. and his B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Cincinnati.
Joseph L. Bruemmer (Cincinnati) is a member of the firm’s Digital Assets and Data Management Group and focuses on data privacy, cybersecurity and data breach response. Leveraging his prior experience as a litigator and as assistant general counsel for a leading legal support services provider, he helps clients identify practical, business-oriented solutions to data security incidents. He has handled a variety of matters involving ransomware, business email compromises, payment card compromises, inadvertent disclosures and wire fraud issues for clients in the technology, hospitality, restaurant, retail, professional services, financial and educational sectors. He earned his J.D. from The Ohio State University and his B.A. from Xavier University.
Sam A. Camardo (Cleveland) is a litigator concentrating on commercial disputes and class action defense. He frequently represents corporations in large disputes, including multidistrict litigation, class actions and complex commercial matters. Camardo has significant experience defending companies in the evolving area of data privacy litigation. He earned his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.S.B.A. in finance from The Ohio State University.
Bonnie Keane DelGobbo (Chicago) concentrates her practice on consumer and employment class actions, with an emphasis on privacy and wage and hour cases. She regularly represents businesses in putative class and collective actions involving a wide range of issues, including cases alleging violation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, state and federal wage and hour law, disability discrimination and consumer protection laws. DelGobbo earned her J.D. from Washington University School of Law and her B.A. from Valparaiso University.
Dustin M. Dow (Cleveland) focuses his practice on high-stakes insurance coverage, complex civil litigation and employment representation. With comprehensive litigation experience, Dow manages clients’ needs throughout the litigation process, from prediscovery to appeals. On insurance matters, he counsels both policyholders and insurance carriers, providing practical insight to guide resolution of cutting-edge, nuanced coverage disputes. He earned his J.D. from Boston College Law School and his B.S. from Kent State University.
Kimberly C. Gordy (Houston) counsels clients across the health care space on cybersecurity breach response, regulatory defense, and state and federal privacy compliance. She has handled hundreds of privacy and data security incidents, ranging from sophisticated ransomware to employee theft and approaches each matter with thoughtful nuance and an appreciation of the client’s unique operational needs. Prior to entering private practice, Gordy served as law clerk to the Honorable George C. Hanks Jr. and the Honorable Mary Milloy for the Southern District of Texas. She earned her J.D. from University of Houston Law School and her B.A. from Texas A&M University.
Christopher M. Habashy (Los Angeles) represents clients in all types of employment disputes, including harassment, discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination cases in state and federal courts, arbitration, and administrative hearings. He has handled single-plaintiff and wage and hour class action matters, as well as provided advice and counseling. In the single-plaintiff cases, Habashy obtained a defense verdict in a bench trial involving disability discrimination and obtained summary judgment in three cases that involved breach of contract, age discrimination and disability discrimination. He earned his J.D. from the Gould School of Law and his B.S.B.A. from the University of Southern California.
Seth J. Hanft (Columbus) focuses his practice on the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation. He assists employers of all shapes and sizes, including private and public companies and nonprofit and governmental entities, in all facets of employee benefit plan legal compliance, operation and administration. He has extensive experience in advising clients on plan design and implementation issues for defined benefit and defined contribution retirement plans, all types of welfare benefit programs, and nonqualified and executive compensation arrangements. He earned his J.D. from University of Cincinnati College of Law and his B.A. from The Ohio State University.
Jeremiah L. Hart (Columbus) is a management labor relations and employment attorney. He provides strategic advice to employers across the country on labor relations and employment compliance. Hart represents clients in all aspects of labor relations, including in representation and unfair labor practice matters before the National Labor Relations Board, collective bargaining, and grievance arbitration. He also regularly provides guidance and representation concerning compliance with state and federal employment laws and represents clients in state and federal employment litigation. Hart earned his J.D. from The Ohio State University and his B.S. from The Pennsylvania State University.
James S. Judd (Denver) focuses his practice on estate planning and tax planning for high-net-worth individuals and business entities. Judd designs and implements comprehensive estate and business succession plans in a way that minimizes estate and income tax consequences. Additionally, he manages various state and federal tax controversies and advises corporations, LLCs, partnerships and nonprofit organizations on how to operate in the most tax-efficient manner. Judd earned his J.D. from Creighton University School of Law, his L.L.M. from Georgetown University and his B.S. from Southern Utah University.
Daniel M. Kavouras (Cleveland) is a litigator concentrating on complex commercial disputes and class action defense. Kavouras has experience litigating a wide range of legal issues across various industries, including commercial contracts, insurance, trade secrets and unfair competition, and media and First Amendment issues. In addition to his litigation practice, Kavouras is a contributing author for the Media Law Resource Center’s annual 50-state survey on libel and defamation law and serves on the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s pro bono appellate committee. Kavouras earned his J.D. from University of Michigan Law School and both a B.S. and a B.A. from The Ohio State University.
Ronald C. Kern Jr., Ph.D. (Philadelphia) is a member of BakerHostetler’s Intellectual Property Group and focuses his practice on patent strategy in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries. He assists clients in all stages of the development and commercialization of biological products, including evaluating preclinical and clinical results, advising clients of future scientific studies, and analyzing the patent portfolios of both clients and competitors prior to product launch. Kern assists a large range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, startup companies and universities, to enhance and protect their intellectual property rights. He earned his J.D. from Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and both his B.S. and his Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University.
Joshua A. Lusk (Cleveland) focuses his practice on private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate matters. Lusk represents public and private companies in transactions and corporate matters across a number of industries. He has significant experience working with private equity firms and their portfolio companies, managing platform and add-on acquisitions, dispositions, strategic joint ventures, and a wide range of day-to-day commercial arrangements. He earned his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.S. in accounting from Palm Beach Atlantic University.
Dante A. Marinucci (Cleveland) is a trial lawyer with experience examining witnesses in jury and administrative trials and arguing before the Supreme Court of Ohio. He frequently represents corporations in large disputes, including multidistrict litigation, class actions and complex commercial matters. He always takes a creative, business-first approach to litigation. Marinucci has considerable experience representing financial institutions in commercial litigation and defending companies in the fast-emerging area of data breach litigation. He earned his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.A. from The Ohio State University.
Ernessa B. McKie (Atlanta) focuses her health care practice on facility licensure, accreditation and credentialing, as well as provider audits, appeals and reimbursement work. Previously, she gained a wealth of experience in working with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services by overseeing quality reporting programs, regulatory drafting and creating program integrity education, as well as working with clients in litigation. Well-versed in government policy, analysis and alternative dispute resolution, McKie also has experience working as a pharmaceutical sales representative, which provides her with additional insight regarding the pharmaceutical and health care industry. She earned her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law and her B.S. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Jonathan D. Mitchell (Columbus) primarily represents public and private companies in corporate transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, private investments, and securities offerings. He works closely with clients to develop positive relationships and is diligent in his development of efficient solutions. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, his MBA from The Ohio State University and his B.A. from the University of Dayton.
Marissa A. Peirsol (Columbus) focuses her practice on corporate litigation, class action defense, and both internal and external investigations. Her substantial experience includes securities and finance-related cases, matters governed by the Uniform Commercial Code and complex contract and insurance-related disputes. She has played a critical role in managing large-scale discovery and developing and implementing strategy for cases in which the liability threatens a company’s ability to do business. She earned her J.D. from Southern Methodist University and her B.S. from Northwestern University.
Richard B. Raile (Washington, D.C.) is a member of the litigation team and focuses his practice on appeals and major motions. He frequently plays the principal role in drafting briefs for his clients and in delivering oral argument, including on dispositive motions, bench trials and appeals. He has represented parties and amici curiae at every level of the judiciary, including in merits briefing in the U.S. Supreme Court. His litigation experience runs the gamut, including everything from commercial, civil rights, constitutional, campaign finance, voting rights, labor and bankruptcy law. He earned his J.D. from University of Minnesota Law School and his B.A. from St. John’s University.
David J. Richardson (Los Angeles) is a member of the firm’s national Bankruptcy and Restructuring and Litigation teams. He has more than 25 years of experience in restructuring and commercial litigation, with a focus on complex litigation in bankruptcy cases and actions against corporate insiders for pre-petition or post-petition violations of fiduciary duties and related claims. He also has substantial experience with representation of committees of unsecured creditors, post-confirmation trusts and Chapter 11 debtors-in-possession, in industries as diverse as energy, telecommunications, art sales, transportation, construction and consumer products. He earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his B.A. from Queen’s University.
Victoria M. Rutherfurd (New York) focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, as well as government and internal investigations. Rutherfurd has extensive experience with the fact-finding and discovery process across a broad range of substantive issues and areas of the law. She specializes in the development and execution of discovery strategies, optimizing efficiencies and reducing exposure. She earned her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and her B.A. from Franklin & Marshall College.
Andrew E. Samuels (Columbus) is an intellectual property litigator and registered patent attorney who represents intellectual property owners and accused infringers in federal court, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the International Trade Commission. He earned his J.D. from University of Michigan Law School and his B.S. from The Ohio State University.
George R. Skupski (Cleveland) focuses his practice on representing a diverse range of clients in debt finance, real estate and project development and finance, capital raising and joint venture transactions, and related matters. In his real estate and project finance practice, Skupski represents operating companies, developers and other project sponsors implementing sophisticated financing structures using both traditional and alternative financing sources, including new markets tax credit, historic tax credit and low-income housing tax credit financing and various government-sponsored subsidies and incentives. He earned his J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Akron.
Erika K. Thomas (Washington, D.C.) is a seasoned litigator who currently serves as lead attorney on significant litigations in the firm’s Madoff recovery efforts. As a member of the litigation team representing the Securities Investor Protection Act trustee in the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, Thomas brings a distinct perspective and insight to her practice, leveraging more than 25 years of experience as a litigator and strategic advisor, including four years as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York and 12 years as in-house counsel with a Fortune 500 company. She earned her J.D. from University of Pennsylvania Law School and her B.A. from Harvard College.
Miranda Aiqing Wang (Seattle) is an intellectual property lawyer and brings an international practitioner’s perspective to legal practice, helping U.S. companies and organizations efficiently deal with IP issues in China and assisting Chinese companies in obtaining IP protection in the U.S. She leverages her strong connection with the State Intellectual Property Office of China, where she served for 12 years. While there, she directed Chinese industrial associations in formulating IP strategies, supervised Chinese patent agencies, led the reform of the national patent bar examination, participated in the third revision of Patent Law of China and the formulation of National Intellectual Property Strategy and examined patent applications. She earned her J.D. from Seattle University School of Law and her B.E. from Tianjin University.
Jennifer P. Whitton (Atlanta) focuses her practice on health care law, advising clients in regulatory and compliance matters and structuring complex transactions involving acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic affiliations. She develops strategies and solutions that assist clients in navigating statutory and regulatory requirements, while effectively and efficiently meeting clients’ business objectives. She earned her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law and her B.A. from Agnes Scott College.
Genevieve G. York-Erwin (Seattle) focuses her practice on securities litigation, representing and counseling clients in securities class actions, shareholder derivative suits, Securities and Exchange Commission investigations and related matters. Drawing on a broad background in complex litigation, York-Erwin combines strong writing skills with thoughtful storytelling to defend the honesty and good faith of her clients from the get-go, frequently achieving early dismissal of all claims against them. Intellectually curious and analytically creative, she has a knack for distilling complex matters into simple, compelling legal narratives and for coming up with creative solutions to legal problems. She earned her J.D. from New York University of Law and her B.A. from Yale University.
Original source can be found here.