News and notes from the legal community

Promotions

Banner Witcoff promoted Liz A. Brodzinski, Robert M. Boyd, Christopher J. Galfano, Zachary L. Getzelman, John “Jake” Anglin Webb Jr. and Eric A. Zelepugas to shareholder.

Brodzinski practices primarily in trademark, copyright, advertising and new media matters.

Boyd focuses his practice on patent prosecution and counseling matters.

Galfano focuses his practice on patent prosecution, patent counseling and patent and trademark litigation matters.

Getzelman practices in all areas of intellectual property, including patent prosecution, patent and trademark litigation and counseling.

Webb Jr. concentrates his practice in a variety of intellectual property areas, including patent and trademark litigation and patent prosecution.

Zelepugas focuses his practice on inter partes reviews, patent infringement litigations and the global preparation and procurement of patents for a variety of clients, including Fortune 100 companies.

Pretzel & Stouffer promoted Kelly A. Kono to partner and Thomas V.P. Draths to shareholder.

Kono represents health-care professionals in a wide variety of litigation matters as well as employers in employment discrimination matters in state and federal courts and administrative agencies throughout Illinois.

Draths’ practice concentrates on the defense of municipalities, professionals, construction companies, long-term care facilities and businesses in personal-injury, wrongful-death and commercial disputes.

Perkins Coie promoted Tyler J. Hagenbuch and Gilbert J. Villaflor to partner.

Hagenbuch advises clients engaged in activities across the political spectrum, helping them navigate their political and ethical compliance requirements to achieve their goals and protect their reputations.

Villaflor has experience representing established and emerging companies in a broad range of technology and data-driven sectors, including software, cloud computing, gaming, entertainment, semiconductor, artificial intelligence, robotics and life sciences.

Berger Schatz elevated Rebecca E. Cahan and Kurt S. Kwidzinski to partner. Both attorneys work in the firm’s Lake Forest office.

Cahan and Kwidzinski represent clients in all areas of family and matrimonial law, including dispute resolution, negotiation and litigation.

Franco Moroney Buenik promoted Meredith B. Fileff to partner. She focuses her practice on tort litigation, including transportation, construction and premises liability matters.

Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa promoted Benjamin E. Haskin to member of the firm, effective Jan. 1. He is a business litigation attorney who specializes in assisting small- and medium-size companies in business disputes involving contracts, shareholders/members, employees, trademarks and other similar instances of alleged wrongdoing.

Coplan & Crane in Oak Park promoted associate attorneys Blake M. Vance, Stephen M. Blecha and Ervin B. Nevitt to partner.

Vance concentrates his practice in plaintiff’s personal-injury law, including cases arising from construction negligence, medical negligence, workplace injuries, transportation negligence, premises liability and wrongful death.

Blecha focuses on a variety of personal-injury cases, including trucking accidents, motor vehicle accidents, bad faith insurance cases, medical-malpractice cases and Federal Employers Liability Act cases.

Nevitt has been involved with a variety of personal-injury cases, including mass tort litigation, product-liability litigation, motor vehicle accidents, wrongful-death claims, medical-malpractice, trucking accidents and Federal Employers Liability Act cases.

Clark Hill promoted Adam J. Fromm to be a member of the intellectual property and technology practice. He concentrates his practice on securing, monetizing and defending intellectual property assets for clients ranging from individual inventors to large corporations.

Neal, Gerber Eisenberg promoted Tanvi B. Patel to the partnership effective Jan. 1. Patel has experience across a spectrum of intellectual property law, including patent and trademark litigation, patent prosecution and client counseling in noninfringement and patent enforcement.

Reed Smith promoted Michael B. Galibois and William S. Weltman to partner, effective Jan. 1.

Galibois, who was previously counsel, is a member of the intellectual property, technology and data practice.

Weltman, previously an associate, is a member of the global commercial disputes practice.

Bolingbrook-based Giamanco Law Partners promoted Corinne N. Cozort to partner. She represents clients in a range of legal matters, including traumatic personal injury, debt collection defense, breach of contract and other civil litigation.

Johnson & Bell promoted Monica Burkoth and Matthew P. D’Avanzo to shareholders.

Burkoth focuses her practice on municipal liability, class actions, civil rights law and prison litigation. Her clients include municipalities, law enforcement officers and security personnel.

D’Avanzo focuses on health-care law with a concentration in medical-malpractice defense. He has defended numerous cases relating to medical malpractice and the Nursing Home Care Act.

Thompson Coburn elected Shannon R. Sheehan to partnership. Sheehan represents property owners in real estate tax assessment proceedings in Cook County and throughout the state of Illinois. She also provides guidance on the latest county and municipal incentives available to industrial and commercial property owners.

Barack Ferrazzano Kirschbaum & Nagelberg promoted Connor T. Gants and K.C. Klagos to partnership.

Gants concentrates his practice on commercial litigation, including matters relating to commercial contract disputes, insurance coverage, professional liability and government contracting.

Klagos regularly counsels clients on the design and implementation of employment agreements, including tax and securities law issues arising in connection with deferred compensation plans, equity and incentive compensation arrangements and executive employment agreements.

Tucker Ellis promoted Branden A. Gregory and James R. Shultz to counsel.

Gregory defends complex civil litigation in product liability, toxic tort, general liability and casualty, professional liability, transportation and commercial matters.

Shultz focuses on product-liability and toxic tort matters with an emphasis on defending industrial manufacturing clients in asbestos litigation.

Moves

Schiff Hardin added Susan L. Welsh as a partner in the leveraged finance group.

Thompson Coburn tabbed Renee Cipriano as a partner.

Howard & Howard elected Justin D. Gingerich to its 2020 class of shareholders.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner added Walter Jones Jr. as senior counsel in the litigation and internal investigations practice groups.

Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff added associates Sheila Prendergast and Theresa L. Starck to the firm’s litigation practice group.

Ice Miller added Diane Menashe as a partner in the litigation practice and as director of litigation training and pro bono activities. The firm also added Onica R. Matsika and Maria M. Bazakos as associates.

Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone added Lance C. Tyson, Carson P. Veach and Glenn E. Weinstein as principals.

Taft Stettinius & Hollister added Stephen M. Cramarosso as counsel in the mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and venture capital and emerging companies practice groups.

Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella added Stephen H. Pugh as a shareholder.

Freeborn & Peters brought on Nellie C. Stoeckel as an associate in the litigation and intellectual property practice groups.

Chuhak & Tecson added Carly B. Robin and Margaret M. Walsh as associates to the firm.

Holland & Knight brought on Brian Hayes as a partner and head of the firm’s white-collar defense and investigations practice.

Eversheds Sutherland added Lance J. Phillips as a partner in the mergers and acquisitions and private capital groups within the firm’s corporate practice group.

Goodman Law Group added Jacqueline B. Carroll as an attorney.

Blank Rome added Craig R. Culbertson as a partner in the corporate, mergers and acquisitions and securities group.

Swanson, Martin & Bell added Nina C. Kelly, Maura J. Ashe, Thomas J. Kliebhan, Brooke M. Rogers, Madison C. Shepley and Brandon E. Villa as associates.

Megan E. Hamilton was elected as a member at Funkhouser Vegosen Liebman & Dunn.

Elections

Chico & Nunes senior partner Gery J. Chico was elected as a member of DePaul University’s board of trustees.

Dinsmore & Shohl partner Johner T. Wilson III was named a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity fellow and received the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell. The leadership council is a national organization training program designed to build relationships and leadership skills among diverse attorneys and the firms where they work.

Fox Rothschild associate Christina M. Sanfelippo was named to the International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation’s board of directors, where she will serve on the Managing Committee for the 2020 term.

Mergers

Effective Jan. 1, the firms of Rusin & Maciorowski and Maciorowski, Sackmann & Ulrich merged. The new law firm will be known as Rusin & Maciorowski.

Programs

Chuhak & Tecson principal Kevin M. Coyne has created Safe DuPage, a new program designed to raise awareness about crime and public safety. The group will hold town halls and rallies to discuss subjects including gun violence, social equity and marijuana stores.