People & Practices: May 15, 2023

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Husch Blackwell names Kukuljan managing partner

National law firm Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce Rob Kukuljan has been named the Minneapolis Office Managing Partner. The announcement coincides with the Minneapolis office opening on May 8, which was announced in January and comes after the firm added Twin Cities partners Gregory Fontaine, Brad Hammer, Kevin Johnson and Kukuljan.

The Minneapolis office—located downtown at the IDS Center—will accommodate approximately 30 attorneys and business professionals. The firm plans to grow rapidly during the first year of operation.

“I’m eager to help the firm grow in Minneapolis and to develop the firm’s strategic focus on our clients, our people, and commitment to DE&I,” Kukuljan said. “The Twin Cities are a hub for firm clients in the health care, life sciences, natural resources, manufacturing, and financial services industries, and we will continue to attract talented people to provide service to our clients.”

The opening of the Minneapolis office marks the first brick-and-mortar office opening for Husch Blackwell since the firm opened offices in Boston; Los Angeles; Oakland, California; and Providence, Rhode Island, in 2021.

Maslon adds Lacy to Litigation Group

Maslon LLP has announced the addition of attorney Sam Lacy to the firm’s Litigation Group.

Lacy focuses on corporate and securities litigation, government investigations and white-collar defense, and construction and real estate matters. Prior to joining Maslon, Lacy was an associate in the Minneapolis office of Jones Day, where he worked for five years following law school at New York University. Before that, Lacy was a Ph.D. student in the history department of the University of Pennsylvania, a Fulbright Fellow at the Institute for European History in Mainz, Germany, and a graduate of Princeton Seminary. Lacy completed his undergraduate degree at Bethel University, where he also played football.

Lacy has been named a North Star Lawyer by the Minnesota State Bar Association for five consecutive years for pro bono service that includes representing clients seeking asylum, eviction expungement, and post-conviction relief for a capital conviction. Since 2018, he has also served on the board of Jack’s Basket, a local nonprofit that celebrates babies with Down syndrome.

Taft adds six corporate, IP attorneys

Taft has announced the addition of six new attorneys in its Minneapolis office: Chris Carlisle, corporate partner; Jennifer Debrow, intellectual property partner; Ashley Bennett Ewald, intellectual property partner; Chelsey Buck, corporate associate; Hannah Lutz, intellectual property associate; Luke Greiner, corporate associate.

Carlisle is a leading corporate merger and acquisition and emerging company/venture finance attorney in Minnesota and has been recognized as such globally by Chambers and Partners. He provides a broad range of services to both established and emerging companies in a variety of industries and is known for driving growth and helping companies achieve their goals.

Debrow manages global trademark portfolios for a number of well-known brands and regularly advises clients on intellectual property in business transactions, including licensing and mergers and acquisitions. She is recognized by Chambers and Partners and the World Trademark Review for her extensive intellectual property experience.

Bennett Ewald is an experienced intellectual property litigator and trademark and copyright prosecutor who has been repeatedly recognized by the World Trademark Review as a leader in her field. She is routinely sought after for her expertise in advising clients on brand enforcement issues and global brand management. She also has deep experience with social media and domain name enforcement.

Buck focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, general corporate law, and startup and emerging growth companies. She advises clients on a wide range of legal matters, including entity formation, corporate governance, debt and equity financing, contract negotiation, and merger and acquisition transactions.

Lutz counsels clients on trademark portfolio management, including conducting trademark clearance and prosecution in the U.S. and internationally. She also handles intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions, domain name disputes, and copyright matters.

Greiner provides legal advice to both established and startup organizations. His expertise covers the full range of legal issues that businesses encounter throughout their life cycle, such as entity formation, governance, and contract negotiation.

Heimerl & Lammers adds two family law attorneys

Heimerl & Lammers LLC has added Courtney Latcham and Savannah Welch to the firm’s growing family law practice.

Latcham’s legal practice has been exclusively in family law, and she has represented clients in the areas of divorce, child custody, parenting time, child support, and other family law areas. She is experienced in high asset divorces, complex social issues and all aspects of family law. She received her B.A. in political Science from Loyola University in Chicago, graduating cum laude, and her J.D. from St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. Latcham began as a law clerk at a Twin Cities family law firm during her second year of law school and has been helping individuals and families navigate this process ever since.

Welch has worked exclusively in the field of family law and domestic violence, where she received first-hand knowledge of the family court system, insight into how judges make decisions, and comprehension of the needs of families going through change. She received her B.A. from North Dakota State University in Fargo and her J.D. from Mitchell Hamline Law School of St. Paul, graduating magna cum laude. While in law school, Welch gained valuable, diverse legal experience as a law clerk for a small family law firm and for local and regional legal-aid offices.

United Properties promotes Rogers to general counsel

United Properties announced Tuesday that it promoted Laura Rogers to general counsel and senior vice president.

In her role, she will join the leadership team and provide legal guidance to management and transactional oversight. Along with her team, she will aim to improve the efficiency of legal services provided by outside firms. She will continue to manage United Properties’ insurance portfolio and claims along with its dispute resolution needs.

“Laura is very insightful and provides a wealth of legal and industry knowledge,” Matt Van Slooten, chief executive officer of United Properties, said in a press release. “I am pleased to recognize her talents and leadership with this well-deserved promotion.”

She joined United Properties four years ago as its first in-house legal counsel. Rogers established a strong legal team and brought in effective risk management strategies, according to the release. She helped navigate major legal milestones like the closing of the RBC Gateway loan and the licensing of the Four Seasons Hotel. She also assisted with the company’s expansion into Austin, Texas.

Rogers previously served as senior counsel at Empire State Development and also served as in-house counsel to the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation for the post-9/11 redevelopment of the World Trade Center and revitalization efforts of Lower Manhattan.

Rogers holds a bachelor of arts and a juris doctor degree from Indiana University Bloomington.

McGeveran named interim dean of Minnesota Law

William McGeveran, Gray, Plant, Mooty, Mooty & Bennett Professor of Law, has been named interim dean of Minnesota Law, effective July 1, 2023.

In an announcement to Law School faculty and staff, University of Minnesota Executive Vice President and Provost Rachel T.A. Croson announced that Professor McGeveran will “serve as the chief academic and executive officer for the [Law School], providing collaborative leadership that will be invaluable as we prepare to launch a national search in late summer with the goal to have a new permanent dean in place by summer 2024.”

McGeveran will serve as interim dean for the upcoming academic year while the Provost and the University conduct a national search for a permanent dean. As announced earlier this spring, Dean Garry W. Jenkins, William S. Pattee Professor of Law, is departing the University of Minnesota Law School in June to assume the presidency of Bates College in Lewiston, Maine.

McGeveran, who is a leading scholar specializing in information law, including data privacy, intellectual property, communications and technology, and free speech, previously served as Minnesota Law’s associate dean for academic affairs from 2018–22. His scholarship focuses on legal and other rules governing digital identity and privacy, ranging from online impersonation to data security to social media. He has taught Civil Procedure, Law in Practice, Trademark Law, and Data Privacy Law.

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].