Faegre Drinker Announces 2023 Board Elections and Leadership Transitions

Faegre Drinker is pleased to announce its 2023 board elections and practice group, industry team, office and community leadership appointments.

Board Elections

Partners Libby Baney, Trevor Carter and William Connolly have been elected as board members, with effective term dates beginning in 2023. Faegre Drinker’s Board is elected by a vote of the partners and is responsible for setting the firm’s policies and strategy.

Baney is a government and regulatory partner in Faegre Drinker’s Washington, D.C., office who works primarily on policies and issues confronting the digital health, pharmacy and pharmaceutical industries. Baney’s term will be effective on April 1, 2023.

Based in Indianapolis, Carter is an intellectual property partner who litigates patent and other intellectual property matters in courts across the United States. Carter’s term became effective on January 1, 2023.

Connolly is an accomplished litigator in the firm’s Philadelphia office who represents companies and professional services firms in commercial litigation and class action matters. Connolly’s term will be effective on April 1, 2023.

Practice Group and Industry Team Leadership

The following attorneys will be appointed to practice group and industry team leadership positions on April 1, 2023, unless otherwise stated.

Practice Groups

Faegre Drinker’s Executive Leadership Team also appointed new leadership within several practice groups and industry teams in the second half of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.

• Benefits & Executive Compensation: Los Angeles partner Summer Conley succeeded Sarah Bassler Millar as benefits and executive compensation practice group leader. Conley guides companies through the complicated legal landscape surrounding employee benefits, advising on qualified plan, health and welfare and executive compensation issues.

• Construction & Real Estate Litigation: New York partner Patrick Miller succeeded Mark Voigtmann as construction and real estate litigation practice group leader. Miller is a member of both the firm’s construction and real estate litigation and corporate practice groups. He also leads the firm’s infrastructure team and has extensive experience with heavy civil and highway construction, P3 projects and real estate development.

• Health Care: Minneapolis partner Steve Lokensgard succeeded Jeffrey Ganiban as health care practice leader. Lokensgard advises health care clients on regulatory and compliance issues, investigations and transactions. Special areas of focus include digital health and pharmacy issues.

• Product Liability & Mass Torts: Minneapolis partner Amy Fiterman succeeded Joe Tanner as product liability and mass torts practice group leader. Fiterman serves clients as trial, national, regional or local counsel in actions most often involving mass torts and multidistrict litigation for a variety of products, with a focus on the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

Industry Teams

• Food & Agribusiness: Des Moines partner Ross Johnson has been appointed co-leader of the firm’s food and agribusiness industry team. Johnson succeeds John Mandler in this role and will serve as co-leader with Minneapolis partner Breia Schleuss. Johnson is an experienced litigator and strategic counselor who works with clients in the agribusiness, finance, insurance and other industries to develop and execute plans for avoiding, resolving or taking product, commercial and other disputes to trial as necessary. He previously served as office leader of the firm’s Des Moines office starting in 2017.

• International: London partner Patrick Corr became co-leader of the firm’s international practice group on January 1, 2023, joining co-leader and Washington, D.C., partner Angella Castille. Corr also serves as the transnational head of the restructuring and insolvency team, where he delivers creative solutions and sound, business-minded legal guidance to corporations facing challenging financial circumstances.

Deputy Practice Group Leadership

The following attorneys were appointed to deputy practice group leadership positions on January 1, 2023.

Investment Management

Chicago partner David Williams has been appointed deputy practice group leader of the firm’s investment management practice under practice group leader Joshua Deringer. Williams represents and counsels clients in the investment management industry, with a particular focus on counseling investment advisers on registered investment company fund formation, regulatory requirements and corporate governance.

Product Liability & Mass Torts

Indianapolis partner Andrew Campbell, Minneapolis partner Christopher Dolan and partner Traci McKee have been appointed deputy practice group leaders of the firm’s product liability and mass torts practice under incoming practice group leader Amy Fiterman.

Campbell guides health care clients, including pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, through litigation and pre-litigation risk management. Dolan represents clients in complex environmental litigation and helps clients reduce risk and operate successfully within environmental laws and regulations. As a product liability litigator, McKee defends medical devices and pharmaceutical products that save lives and consumer products that enhance lives.

Practice Team Leadership

The following attorneys were appointed to practice team leadership positions on January 1, 2023.

Benefits & Executive Compensation

• Health & Welfare Plans: Chicago counsel Dawn Sellstrom succeeded Summer Conley as co-leader of the benefits and executive compensation group’s health and welfare plans team and will serve as co-leader with Minneapolis partner Maureen Maly. Sellstrom focuses her employee benefits practice on health and welfare benefits. She advises employers on all aspects of plan design, administration and compliance under various federal and state laws and regulations.

Business Litigation

• Trade Secrets & Non-Competes: Indianapolis partner Harmony Mappes joined Minneapolis partner Randy Kahnke as co-leader of the trade secrets and non-competes team. Mappes litigates complex commercial disputes. Her work focuses on trade secret and non-compete litigation and counseling. In addition, she has experience in finance litigation, including bankruptcy adversary proceedings.

• White Collar Defense & Investigations: Minneapolis partner Erica MacDonald and Washington, D.C., partner Henry Van Dyck succeeded partner Nicholas Klinefeldt as co-leaders of the firm’s white collar defense and investigations team. MacDonald is a former U.S. Attorney and district court judge who serves clients in white collar defense, internal investigations, trial strategies and quasi-judicial matters such as monitorships. Van Dyck is a former federal prosecutor and experienced trial attorney who represents corporate clients and individuals in complex criminal, regulatory, administrative and congressional investigations.

Construction & Real Estate Litigation

• Eminent Domain & Real Estate Litigation: Denver executive partner Jack Sperber became leader of the construction and real estate litigation group’s eminent domain and real estate litigation team. Sperber represents private owners in eminent domain proceedings and related real estate litigation across the U.S. and has been involved in numerous condemnation trials, evidentiary hearings and appellate arguments.

Government & Regulatory

• Customs & International Trade: Chicago partner Randy Rucker succeeded Doug Heffner as leader of the government and regulatory group’s customs and international trade team. Rucker assists global and domestic clients with all aspects of U.S. customs law. With a business-focused approach, he advises on optimizing trade operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, and handling administrative and judicial actions.

Intellectual Property

• Technology Transactions: Chicago partner Ira Kalina succeeded Robert Leonard as leader of the intellectual property group’s technology transactions team. Kalina is a sought-after technology attorney who protects and leverages client innovation and negotiates and executes multimillion-dollar strategic agreements and transactions. He advises multinationals and other companies on the development, distribution and monetization of technology, content and data.

Labor & Employment

• Compliance, Training & Transactions: Minneapolis partner Dan Prokott has succeeded Susan Kline as leader of the labor and employment group’s compliance, training and transactions team. Prokott advises businesses regarding complex workplace matters. He represents employers of all sizes, including multinational public and private companies, established and emerging private businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

• Employment Litigation: Philadelphia partner David Woolf succeeded Michael Giudicessi as leader of the firm’s employment litigation team. Woolf litigates a wide variety of employment claims, including claims involving non-compete and other types of restrictive covenant issues. He also provides day-to-day counseling on employment matters and labor relations and assists our corporate group with labor and employment-related diligence on mergers and acquisitions. Woolf previously served as leader of the firm’s employee mobility and restrictive covenants team.

• Immigration: Minneapolis partner Scott Wright became leader of the labor and employment group’s immigration team. Recognized nationally for his proficiency in I-9 and immigration compliance matters, Wright counsels on immigration issues that arise in employment decisions, mergers and acquisitions, government audits and investigations, and labor law disputes.

• International: New York partner Erika Collins is leader of the labor and employment group’s international team. She handles complex cross-border employment and human resources needs for multinational clients.

Office Leadership

Effective April 1, 2023, the following attorneys will be appointed to office leaders of several firm offices.

Des Moines, Iowa

Corporate partner Adam Hertzke has assumed the role of office leader of the firm’s Des Moines, Iowa, office, succeeding partner Ross Johnson. Hertzke advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and general corporate counseling. He works with clients in a variety of industries, including food and beverage, renewable energy, manufacturing, financial services, insurance and technology.

Florham Park, N.J.

Labor and employment partner Helen Tuttle has been named office leader of the firm’s Florham Park, N.J., office. She succeeds partner Andrew Joseph. Tuttle counsels clients at every stage of the employment spectrum — from helping to foster a strong workplace culture to defending disputes related to discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

Los Angeles

Labor and employment partner Pascal Benyamini has been appointed office leader of the firm’s Los Angeles office. He succeeds partner Tarifa Laddon. Benyamini teams up with employers to defend them against employment law claims — including wage and hour, discrimination and wrongful termination claims — and to advise them on compliance, claim prevention, investigations and employment best practices. He previously served as co-leader of the firm’s consumer products and retail industry team.

New York

Finance and restructuring partner Laura Appleby will now serve as office leader of the firm’s New York office. She succeeds partner Marc Leaf. Appleby represents clients in all aspects of complex bankruptcy proceedings, out-of-court restructurings and distressed transactions to maximize their return and protect their interests. She quickly assesses and translates critical legal issues to help clients understand their risk and develops innovative strategies to protect their investments.

Princeton, N.J.

Construction and real estate litigation partner John Mitchell has been named office leader of the firm’s Princeton, N.J., office. He succeeds partner Dorothy Bolinsky. Mitchell helps clients manage and resolve complex construction disputes, real estate litigation, large environmental lawsuits and other complex commercial litigation matters.

Committee Leadership

Diversity Collective

Chicago associate Joan Akalaonu has joined partner Pablo Svirsky as co-chair of the firm’s Diversity Collective, succeeding partner Lica Tomizuka and associates Joie Hand and Ruben Gonzalez on January 1, 2023.