Minnesota Lawyer
Government specialist Smith joins Fredrikson
Smith
Government relations specialist Bennett Smith has joined Fredrikson in its Government Relations Group. Smith uses sophisticated knowledge of Minnesota politics and government through his experience as legislative staff at the state and federal level to support clients.
Smith has experience with Minnesota agriculture policy and practices and is still involved with his family’s farm operation. He also brings experience working in the policy areas of broadband internet infrastructure and higher education. He understands how to navigate interpersonal dynamics among a diverse group of stakeholders. He helps clients achieve short- and long-term goals ranging from legislative initiatives to public service offices. Smith is not licensed to practice law. His practice is limited to government relations consulting, which includes state and local lobbying.
Greenberg Traurig adds shareholders McIntee, Bagchi
McIntee
Global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP has expanded its Corporate Practice with the addition of Shawn R. McIntee and Shauro Bagchi as shareholders in the firm’s Minneapolis office. Both attorneys have spent their legal career in Minneapolis and join the firm from Maslon LLP, where they were partners.
“We are excited to add Shawn and Shauro to our growing team in Minneapolis,” said Michael B. Fisco, managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Minneapolis office. “They are exceptional corporate lawyers and fit well into the culture of our firm. We will continue to look for opportunities to build our office with business-minded lawyers who provide value-added services to clients across our global platform.”
McIntee represents public and private businesses on a broad spectrum of legal matters, with a focus on mergers and acquisitions (M&A), technology and software transactions, capital raising, and corporate and commercial law, including contracts, electronic commerce, advertising, AdTech and FinTech. He represents automobile companies, manufacturers, technology companies, emerging companies, software companies, law firms, service companies, and financial services companies in large-scale global and national commercial transactions, including regularly advising on technology matters. He supports the entrepreneurial community through his longstanding role as review board member for the Minnesota Cup—the largest statewide startup competition in the country.
Bagchi
Bagchi represents companies and funds in connection with M&A, raising capital, and large-scale global and national technology transactions. His practice spans a variety of industries, with a focus in the automotive, software, and hospitality space. Bagchi’s M&A practice covers domestic and international mergers, acquisitions, sales, divestitures, spin-offs, and joint ventures, representing sellers, as well as financial and strategic buyers, including private equity funds and family offices. Bagchi has represented many of his fund clients throughout their life cycle—formation, capital raising, restructuring, portfolio investment, and divestment. He also has deep experience working with in-house legal counsel on commercial contract negotiations relating to software, platform and infrastructure subscriptions, electronic commerce, media and advertising, IP licensing, and other large-scale, complex commercial arrangements.
McIntee earned his J.D. from University of Minnesota Law School and a B.S. from University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Management. Bagchi earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from University of Maryland at College Park.
Minneapolis-based Johnson joins Husch Blackwell
Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce that Kevin Johnson has joined the firm as a partner in its Energy & Natural Resources industry group. Based in Minneapolis, Johnson will practice out of Husch Blackwell’s virtual link office until the firm opens its Minneapolis office during the second quarter of 2023.
The firm announced its intention to launch a Minneapolis office in January. Johnson becomes the sixth Minneapolis-based lawyer to join Husch Blackwell since May 2022.
For nearly three decades, Johnson has counseled clients on all aspects of environmental, energy and natural resources law. He has a particular focus on renewable energy projects and businesses—including those involving bioenergy (waste-to-energy) and biofuels (ethanol and biodiesel)—as well as waste management projects and redevelopment of contaminated sites.
His practice is comprehensive in scope, and he is routinely called on by clients to develop solutions to address siting and facilities development; regulatory compliance and response to enforcement actions; federal, state, and local permitting; M&A environmental due diligence; and property contamination issues.
Johnson joins Husch Blackwell from Stoel Rives LLP, where he served as that firm’s office managing partner in Minneapolis from 2010 to 2014.
Moss & Barnett announces new shareholders
Etmund
Moss & Barnett, A Professional Association, is pleased to announce that Michael T. Etmund, Chelsy M. Jantsch, Mary Frances Price, and Jeffrey A. Wieland have become shareholders in the firm effective January 1, 2023.
Michael T. Etmund regularly represents clients in the financial services and collection industries – including corporations and other general business entities – in matters involving defense of consumer protection statutes, compliance and regulatory analyses, and commercial collection. He advises clients with regard to federal and state data privacy laws, accessibility, and data security laws and regulations. Etmund also practices in the area of commercial litigation and in defense of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and other consumer protection statutes.
Jantsch
Chelsy M. Jantsch focuses her practice on negotiating, structuring, and closing complex real estate transactions, including multifamily and commercial properties. She represents institutional, bridge lenders, and life insurance lenders in all aspects of commercial real estate financing on a national scale, and also advises on the financing of multifamily housing projects and the sale of loans to secondary market investors such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Price
Mary Frances Price is an experienced VA Accredited Elder Law Attorney who focuses her practice on serving individuals and families who are establishing an estate plan, revising an existing estate plan, or dealing with the legal, medical, and financial impacts of aging, chronic illness, and disability. Her practice includes advising on Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Benefits, Long-Term Care Insurance, Estate and Tax Planning, as well as Asset Protection for families and individuals with disability and long-term care expenses. She has counseled and advised hundreds of clients on their estate, elder care, and disability plans and provides effective and ethical legal guidance, helping clients make difficult decisions and navigate the complicated issues that arise when dealing with chronic health challenges, disability, and aging.
Wieland
Jeffrey A. Wieland practices in construction, commercial, and public procurement litigation. He advocates for and advises clients in all phases of a dispute, from pre-litigation claim and risk analysis through resolution of the case at trial, arbitration, mediation, or appeal. He also advises clients on how to avoid litigation, which often involves drafting and reviewing contracts and negotiating agreements and settlements. Wieland’s engineering and project management background gives him a perspective unusual among construction lawyers.
People & Practices is a lightly edited compilation of news releases from law firms and other organizations. Minnesota Lawyer welcomes news about hires, promotions and other activities in the legal profession. Send releases (and photos if desired) to [email protected].
