Class Notes

1972

Burton S. Odelson, Frankfort, Ill., was featured in a CBS Sunday Morning story on nationwide medical examinations in police-related deaths in June. Odelson is the founding partner of Odelson, Sterk, Murphey, Frazier, & McGrath, Ltd.

1975

Francis Patrick Murphy, Riverside, Ill., partner at Corboy & Demetrio, was selected as a 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America and a 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers for a second consecutive year.

1979

Gail P. Bley, Northfield, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Bley is a partner at Gould & Ratner and has extensive experience in representing real estate and investment partnerships, limited liability companies, and other entities from their inception through the sale, exchange, or other disposition of their holdings.

1983

Carol V. Gilden, Lake Forest, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Gilden is a partner at Cohen Milstein’s Securities Litigation & Investor Protection practice group.

She represents public pension funds, Taft-Hartley pension and health and welfare funds, and other institutional investors in securities class actions, transaction and derivative litigation, and individual actions, as well as in foreign securities litigation.

Cynde Munzer, Highland Park, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Munzer is a member of Dykema Gossett’s Chicago office and represents clients in business and transactional matters.

1984

Anne L. Alonzo, Washington, D.C., joined Corteva Agriscience as senior vice president, external affairs, and chief sustainability officer. A widely recognized global food and agriculture leader, Alonzo is responsible for setting strategy and leading external affairs, which includes corporate communications, global corporate responsibility, government and industry affairs, and product advocacy. In August she was featured in Successful Farming magazine.

1986

James L. Adelman, Bel Air, Md., was hired by the Maryland Office of the Attorney General and is now assigned to the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, a public corporation and independent unit of the state government established in April 2011 in accordance with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. It is responsible for the administration of the Maryland Health Connection and the state’s health insurance marketplace, and works with the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Maryland Insurance Administration, the Department of Human Resources, and stakeholders statewide.

1989

Amy R. Blumenfeld Bogost, Madison, Wis., was appointed by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Board of Regents. Bogost is the owner of Bogost Law LLC and most recently focused her practice in the area of Federal Title IX representation of victims of sensitive crimes. She also started a pro bono training for attorneys to help aid survivors of sexual assault on campuses during their grievance process.

Laurence M. Landsman, Glenview, Ill., joined Latimer, LeVay Fyock LLC as a partner. Landsman’s practice covers securities litigation, and he has successfully represented brokers and financial advisers in disciplinary actions involving the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

1992

Frances P. Kao, Chicago , was re-elected to the Cornell College Board of Trustees, where she has served since 2010. Kao is the managing member of PH2 Square LLC, a design firm committed to designing, developing, and building dwellings based on universal design principles to create thoughtful home environments for families with young children, individuals with disabilities, seniors, and multi-generational families living under one roof.

1993

Rachel B. Cowen, Chicago, was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Cowen is a partner at McDermott Will & Emery and focuses her practice in various employment discrimination and wrongful termination cases in federal and state courts. Her experience includes prosecuting and defending employee mobility and trade secret litigation on an emergency injunctive basis. She also counsels employers facing union organizing activity and picketing, and has successfully tried numerous cases before the National Labor Relations Board.

Lesley A. Wallerstein, Highland Park, Ill., is celebrating nearly a decade of running her own patent and trademark law boutique, the Law Office of Lesley A. Wallerstein, LLC. She has offices in Chicago at the Merchandise Mart and in Lake County, Illinois. Wallerstein was recognized as a 2019 Illinois Super Lawyer.

1994

Susan Meyer, Chicago, was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Meyer was also selected by Best Lawyers for 2021 for her work in franchise law. She is the leader of the Trademark, Copyright, Media, and Advertising group at Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, PC.

Kathleen McDonough Mundo, Chicago, published the book Badger State: A Wisconsin Memoir. Mundo is of counsel at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker.

Larry R. Rogers Jr., Chicago, was installed as president of the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. Rogers is a partner at Power Rogers, LLP with more than 25 years of experience advocating for victims and helping people.

1996

Daniel R. Dosenbach, West Grove, Pa., was promoted to senior vice president of labor relations for Albertons Companies, an American grocery company that is the second-largest supermarket chain in North America.

Shannon N. Hassler, Sandy Springs, Ga., was named a principal consultant for Yardstick Management, recognized globally as a leading Black-owned consulting firm and for acting as a strategic partner for Fortune 500 corporations, charter schools, and not-for-profit organizations. Hassler has more than 20 years of executive talent acquisition and management advisory experience.

Scott S. McDowell, Los Angeles, was included in Billboard’s 2020

Top Music Lawyers. McDowell is the executive vice president of legal and business affairs for Warner Chappell Music.

Sherry Knutson Vaughan, Chicago, was named in bond 4 Chambers and Partners U.S.A. rankings in product liability and mass torts. Vaughan is a trial lawyer and partner at Tucker Ellis LLP who has more than 20 years of experience in product liability and toxic tort cases, with an emphasis on defending pharmaceutical and medical device companies.

1997

Georgia Loukas Demeros, Park Ridge, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Demeros is a partner at Thompson Coburn LLP and draws on her background as a certified public accountant to give businesses and individuals a holistic assessment of their assets, tax liabilities, estate planning, and general corporate legal needs.

Andrew P. Fox, Chicago, was named the City of Chicago’s first-ever director of labor standards in February. Fox is implementing Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s groundbreaking worker-protection platform by managing the enforcement of Chicago’s landmark labor laws, including minimum wage, paid sick leave, and fair work week.

Brian A. Friedman, Deerfield, Ill., joined William Blair’s Equity Capital Markets Investment Banking team as managing director. Friedman will lead the origination and execution of late-stage private placement and crossover financings across all growth industries.

Jennifer L. Ashley, Libertyville, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Ashley is a partner at Salvi Schostok & Pritchard and focuses on the areas of personal injury and wrongful death law, including cases that involve car accidents, premises liability, and products liability.

Kathryn B. Ashton, Oak Park, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Ashton is a partner at Dentons and leader of the Global Health Care group and co-chair of the Cannabis group. She concentrates her practice in health care transactional matters with an emphasis on finance.

Jamie H. McDole, Southlake, Texas, joined Thompson & Knight as a partner. McDole has more than 20 years of experience as a trial lawyer in high-profile intellectual property cases and has successfully represented a wide array of Fortune 500 clients in jurisdictions throughout the country. Before joining the firm, he spent 13 years at Kirkland & Ellis and eight years at Haynes and Boone.

2000

Amy C. Antoniolli, Chicago, contributed to the book Distributed Generation Law: A Guide to Regulations, Policies, and Programs. The book is the first to take an in-depth look at the history and regulatory journey of this developing technology. Antoniolli is of counsel in the Environmental Practice group at Schiff Hardin LLP and advises clients on compliance with the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, RCRA, CERCLA, and the Illinois Environmental Protection Act.

2001

Thomas T. Field, Chicago, was named a Top 500 Family Law Attorney in America by Lawdragon. Field is a partner at Beermann LLP and is the head of the Family Law Practice group.

Heidi Hennig Rowe, Naperville, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Rowe is a partner in Schiff Hardin’s Construction Law Group and has significant experience in contract drafting and negotiation, handling more than a billion dollars in contracts on an annual basis for projects throughout the country.

2002

Gina M. Arquilla DeBoni, Glenview, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. DeBoni also received the Illinois State Bar Association’s Elmer Gertz Award, which recognizes long-standing, continuing, and exceptional commitment by an individual or an organization to the protection or advancement of human rights. DeBoni is a managing partner at Romanucci & Blandin, LLC and is responsible for the overall management and quality assurance of legal and compliance services within client engagements.

Jeffrey B. Greenspan, Highland Park, Ill., was named to the board of directors of the Center for Enriched Living, a nonprofit organization serving teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Greenspan is a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Litigation Department in Chicago and concentrates his practice in the areas of professional liability, general commercial litigation, and fee dispute litigation matters.

Thomas C. Wendt, Marathon, Wis., was appointed to a full-time professorship at Northcentral Technical College in Wausau, Wisconsin. Wendt is designing NTC’s new paralegal studies program and began teaching in fall 2020. Wendt previously worked as the legal director at the Center for Disability and Elder Law from 2007–2020.

2003

Thomas Posey, La Grange, Ill., joined Seyfarth Shaw as a partner in the Labor &

Employment Department and Labor Management Relations practice group. Posey was previously with Reed Smith LLP, where he was a partner in its Labor, Employment & Benefits practice. In his practice, Posey regularly handles labor relations and employment issues for businesses ranging from startups to Fortune 500. He often serves as chief labor negotiator for companies from a variety of industries, including hospitality, health care, manufacturing, and automotive.

Melissa K. Ventrone, Chicago, was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business Ventrone is a member of Clark Hill PLC, where she addresses her clients’ cybersecurity needs. As a leader of the Cybersecurity, Data Protection & Privacy team, she focuses her experienced group of first responders, including lawyers and forensic investigators, on around-the-clock management of a situation and minimizes damage by working to limit any public or regulatory fallout.

2004

William T. Gibbs, Chicago, was named to the 2020 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers list. Gibbs is a partner at Corboy & Demetrio and concentrates his practice on cases arising from railroad negligence, automobile collisions, participation in sports, unsafe pharmaceuticals or medical devices, construction negligence, medical negligence, premises liability, product liability, and aviation litigation.

Jeremy R. Holbrook, Mount Prospect, Ill., was named general counsel at 1WorldSync Inc., a business management consultant company.

Holbrook previously served as deputy general counsel at Sears Holdings. In his 12 years with Sears, he guided litigation and led the legal teams responsible for store operations, ecommerce and mobile platforms, procurement contracts, marketing, privacy, and data security.

Jessica Kimbrough, Chicago, was named chief diversity equity and inclusion officer for United Airlines.

Molshree A. Sharma, Oak Park, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Sharma is a partner and owner at Feinberg Sharma P.C., and her practice focuses on family law, adoption law, complex financial settlements, litigation, and custody, including international custody and the Hague Convention.

2005

Antonio Caldarone, Oak Park, Ill., was named to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Under Forty. Caldarone regularly litigates substantial-exposure employment litigation matters as the lead attorney, with a particular focus on defending employers against singleplaintiff and class action wage and hour lawsuits under federal and state wage laws.

Linda S. Fine, Lake Zurich, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business Fine also recently co-founded Buckley Fine, LLC , where she is the department chair of the Estate Planning group. She concentrates her practice in estate planning for high-networth clients, estate and trust administration, estate and gift taxation, guardianships, contested estates, and complex probate matters.

Tonya Gentry Newman, Chicago, was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Newman is a partner and co-chair of the Women’s Network Leadership Team at Neal Gerber & Eisenberg, LLP. Her practice includes defense of state and federal products liability matters and representation of policyholders in insurance coverage matters, as well as the defense and prosecution of complex commercial litigation.

Lilianna M. Kalin, Chicago, was promoted to general counsel for the College of DuPage. Kalin was previously assistant general counsel for three years.

2007

Benjamin I. Edlavitch, Minneapolis, founded Edlavitch Law PLLC in March. Edlavitch Law is an intellectual property law firm located in Minneapolis that specializes in intellectual property strategy and electrical engineering patents. Edlavitch is a USPTO-registered patent attorney and electrical engineer concentrating in patent law counseling, as well as domestic and international patent prosecution.

Heather R. Kissling, Chicago, was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. In June, Kissling was selected as one of Managing Intellectual Property’s Top 250 Women in IP. She is a partner and chair of biotech and life sciences for Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, LLP.

Julia R. Lissner, Chicago, was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business Lissner is a partner at Akerman LLP and represents public and private companies and individuals in a wide range of business disputes in state and federal courts nationwide.

Kristen E. Prinz, River Forest, Ill., was named presidentelect of the International Women’s Forum Chicago Board of Directors. Prinz will assume official duties as president of the International Women’s Forum in June 2021 and will serve for a one-year term. She is principal at the Prinz Law Firm, PC.

2008

Margaret Battersby Black, Elmhurst, Ill., was named to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. Black is a partner at Levin & Perconti handling nursing home and medical malpractice cases.

Justin T. Nemunaitis, Dallas, was included as a Texas Super

Lawyers Rising Stars for 2020. A principal of Caldwell Cassady & Curry, Nemunaitis represents companies and individuals in high-stakes civil litigation, including patent infringement cases, trade secrets claims, fiduciary duty cases, class actions, and disputes involving company founders.

Edgar G. Rapoport, Minnetonka, Minn., was elevated to member at Cozen O’Connor. Rapoport focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity transactions, corporate finance, and general business-related matters.

Emer L. Simic, Chicago, was named to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Under Forty and to the Chicago 2020 Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. As a partner at Green, Griffith & Borg-Breen, Simic focuses her practice on pharmaceutical patent litigation, post-grant review, opinions, and client counseling.

2009

Michelle Bugajsky, Elmhurst, Ill., joined SBK Law Group and focuses her practice on probate, estate planning, and family law.

2010

David R. Doyle, La Grange, Ill., joined Cozen O’Connor in September. He was included in the Best Lawyers, “Ones to Watch” list in Illinois for Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights, Insolvency and Reorganization Law for 2021. This year he was listed as a “Rising Star” in Illinois Super Lawyers for Bankruptcy.

Benjamin J. Wilensky, Beverly Hills, Mich., was elevated to shareholder at Sommers Schwartz, PC. Wilensky focuses his practice on representing railroad workers seeking compensation for injuries sustained on the job under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act.

2011

Alexis M. Crawford Douglas, Chicago, was named to the 2020 Chicago Notable Women in Law list by Crain’s Chicago Business. A partner at K&L Gates LLP, Douglas concentrates her practice in the area of intellectual property and handles a range of transactional and litigation matters related to trademarks, domain names, social media, and copyrights.

Katie C. Jahnke Dale, Chicago, was elevated to partner at DLA Piper. Dale concentrates her practice in the areas of land use and zoning, publicprivate financing, public incentives, and community and economic development, as well as general real estate.

Aura L. Lichtenberg, Chicago, was named to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Under Forty. Lichtenberg devotes her practice to all aspects of family law, specializing in the litigation, negotiation, and alternative dispute resolution of divorce and post-divorce matters, parentage and support matters, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, and incidents involving domestic violence.

Erick J. Michel, Wilmette, Ill., was elected as a shareholder with McAndrews, Held & Malloy. Michel’s practice includes obtaining patent protection for clients by assessing the patentability of inventions and then drafting and prosecuting patent applications before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

2012

Jessica T. Cooper, Bannockburn, Ill., was recognized among the “Ones to Watch” in the 2021 Best Lawyers award listings. Cooper is an associate at Firsel Ross, focusing her practice in all aspects of commercial real estate, including the acquisition, financing, leasing, disposition, and zoning of commercial, industrial, and multi-unit residential properties.

Christopher Griffin, Chicago, joined Swanson, Martin & Bell LLP as an associate. Griffin focuses his practice primarily on the representation and defense of physicians, nurses, hospitals, and other health care providers in medical malpractice lawsuits. He also represents clients in toxic tort, product liability, and general tort litigation.

Bruno R. Marasso, Chicago, was named second vice president for the Justinian Society of Lawyers. Marasso is a senior associate at Romanucci & Blandin, where he focuses his practice in the area of construction negligence, automobile collisions, wrongful death, premises liability, police misconduct, sexual abuse, and institutional misconduct.

Bradley E. Puklin, Palatine, Ill., joined Swanson, Martin & Bell LLP’s Chicago office as an associate. Puklin practices in general civil litigation with an emphasis on the defense of attorneys, health care professionals, product manufacturers, and insurers.

Carlos Vera, Chicago, was named to the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin’s 40 Under Forty. Vera concentrates his practice in general and complex commercial litigation, particularly in the areas of business torts, professional liability, white collar defense, and contractual disputes.

2013

Sylvia Bokyung St. Clair, Los Angeles, is now licensed in California and works out of the Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP office in Los Angeles. St. Clair is an associate and counsels and defends employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters arising under both state and federal laws. In addition to her experience in employment matters, she represents clients faced with investigations and commercial litigation.

2014

Rob L. Kohen, Chicago, was included in the 2020 Best Lawyers “Ones to Watch” list. Kohen is an attorney at Salvi, Schostok

& Pritchard PC and focuses on personal injury, wrongful death, car accidents, truck accidents, bicycle accidents, construction negligence, and medical malpractice.

2015

Adam Orr, Washington, D.C., was awarded the American Bar Association’s 2020 Top 40 Young Lawyers Award. Orr is assistant counsel in the U.S. Department of the Navy’s Office of Naval Research, and his main practice areas include federal contracts and financial assistance, as well as civilian personnel law.

2016

Kenneth Matuszewski, LaGrange, Ill., joined Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP as an associate counsel in the Intellectual Property & Technology Transactions practice group. A registered patent attorney, Matuszewski advises clients on patent prosecution for both utility and design patents. He also has extensive experience litigating software, electrical, and mechanical patents arts in district court and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board.

Benjamin S. Van Airsdale, Chicago, joined Carter & Tani as an associate.

2017

Bryce Hensley, Chicago, was named to the Crain’s Chicago Business 20 in Their Twenties list. Hensley is an associate at Romanucci & Blandin and works in the Complex Litigation group representing individual and classes of victims of toxic exposures, product defects, civil rights violations, fraud, sexual harassment, wrongful death, injuries from vaping and JUUL use, and other catastrophic personal injuries.

Kwanwoo Lee, Chicago, was elected to the Asian American Bar Association of Greater Chicago Board of Directors for a second term. Lee is an associate at Marshall, Gerstein & Borun LLP and registered patent attorney who secures and protects intellectual property rights for Fortune 500 companies, universities, and other high-tech clients in the electrical and computer technology fields.

2018

Tiffany T. Tran, Chicago, joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP as an associate in June. Tran focuses her practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate finance, and general corporate governance. She represents public and private companies, startups, and nonprofits across diverse industries, including automotive, food and beverage, and health care, in an array of corporate matters.

2019

Taylor Brewer, Chicago, joined Morici, Longo & Associates as an associate. Brewer recently won a $93,000 verdict against the City of Chicago for a sidewalk defect case.

Josh R. Denison, Naperville, Ill., joined Barnes & Thornburg, LLP. Denison assists clients with virtually every aspect of their intellectual property portfolios.

Wisu Sul, Chicago, joined Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP as an associate attorney in the Intellectual Property practice. Before moving to Chicago and earning his J.D. from Chicago-Kent, Sul worked as a patent attorney in Korea for multiple firms.