Husch Blackwell announced today that it has elected nine new attorneys to the firm’s partnership, representing five offices and five industry groups across the firm. The promotions became effective January 1, 2017.
“With great pride and high expectations, we welcome nine new partners,” commented Maurice Watson, Husch Blackwell’s Chairman. “The firm’s bright future is assured with the addition of such an accomplished and diverse group of partners who embrace and embody our firm’s core values.”
Husch Blackwell’s 2017 new partner class includes:
- Megan P. Caldwell, Denver
- Chalon N. Clark, Dallas
- J. Andrew Crossett, St. Louis
- Jennifer L. Dlugosz, Chicago
- Cortney O. Morgan, Washington, D.C.
- Dominique Savinelli, Chicago
- Ernesto R. Segura, St. Louis
- Elise V. Senti, St. Louis
- Julie A. Sullivan, Denver
2017 New Partner Class Biographical Summaries
Megan P. Caldwell, Denver
Energy & Natural Resources
Megan Caldwell advises clients on a broad range of issues involving federal environmental laws and their state counterparts, as well as the health and safety requirements under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). She leads federal, state and local environmental and permitting due diligence efforts for wind and solar energy projects across the country for developers, investors and lenders. She guides clients through regulatory compliance issues encountered in day-to-day operations, such as permitting, release reporting, internal compliance audits, inspections and enforcement actions, and counsels clients on environmental issues that arise in real estate transactions. Caldwell also represents companies in complex, multi-party environmental lawsuits throughout the various stages of litigation and facilitates environmental cleanup of contaminated sites nationwide.
She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Saint Louis University School of Law (2008) and has a B.S., summa cum laude, in Chemistry from Saint Louis University (2005).
Chalon N. Clark, Dallas
Financial Services & Capital Markets
Chalon Clark assists clients in disputes involving contracts, review of contracts and leases to identify potential litigation risks, employer/employee relations, collection-related matters, foreclosures, fraud, banking, partnership, real property, mortgage lending, construction and brokerage/securities issues. Clark serves on the firm’s Diversity Council. She earned her J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law (2006) and holds a B.B.A. in Finance from University of Houston (2002), where she graduated cum laude.
J. Andrew Crossett, St. Louis
Real Estate, Development & Construction
Andy Crossett advises commercial real estate clients on purchases, sales, mortgages and leases. His clients span multiple real estate concerns – including retail, office and housing – and he guides developers, builders, investors, banks and mortgage lenders in making decisions that positively influence their business goals. He also advises financial institutions on asset-based lending transactions and is skilled in negotiating various agreements involving real property. Crossett holds a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law (2008) and a B.A. in Political Science from Truman State University (2005).
Jennifer L. Dlugosz, Chicago
Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation
Jen Dlugosz focuses her practice on defending businesses in toxic tort and product liability matters, managing day-to-day operations of cases and working closely with clients and co-counsel to develop and implement overall defense strategies. She has served as national coordinating counsel for toxic tort claims and defended clients in repetitive litigation and pre-litigation claims stemming from product liability issues and recalls. In addition to product liability and toxic tort experience, her broad range of litigation experience includes commercial litigation, white collar investigations, qui tam litigation, insurance litigation and contract disputes. Dlugosz earned her J.D. with high honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law (2006) and holds a B.A., magna cum laude, from Lake Forest College (2002).
Cortney O’Toole Morgan, Washington, D.C.
Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation
Cortney Morgan focuses her legal practice on the manufacturing, sourcing and movement of goods, services and technology across international borders. She advises foreign and domestic clients on all aspects of international trade regulation, planning and compliance, including customs, export controls, economic sanctions, embargoes, international trade agreements and preference programs. She represents clients across various industries, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, automotive, agricultural commodities, plastics, steel, textiles and apparel and consumer electronics. Morgan routinely provides advice on U.S. economic sanctions, export licensing, tariff classification, valuation, country of origin marking, preferential duty programs, IPR enforcement, customs audits and focused assessments, logistics security, penalties and voluntary disclosures. She holds a J.D. from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law and B.A. in International Relations with a focus on Foreign Economic Policy and Japanese from The American University. She also studied Economics at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan.
Dominique Savinelli, Chicago
Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation
Dominique Savinelli litigates and advises on behalf of clients in the pharmaceutical, chemical, and agribusiness industries in high-stakes toxic tort and product liability cases. She deposes and defends authoritative witnesses across various disciplines for bench and jury trials and arbitration proceedings. She also manages expert teams for complex commercial and mass tort litigation. Prior to her career as a litigator, Savinelli worked as a forensic chemist for the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory, where she routinely responded to scenes, analyzed scientific evidence and testified in jury trials as an expert witness. She earned her J.D. from the Boston University School of Law (2007) and holds a M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from Tufts University (1995) and a B.S., summa cum laude, in Chemistry from Merrimack College (1993).
Ernesto R. Segura, St. Louis
Real Estate, Development & Construction
Ernesto Segura represents developers and public bodies in some of the most high-profile real estate and public financing transactions in the region. He advises clients on all aspects of development work, from the acquisition of land through the construction and leasing of commercial, industrial and residential properties. He regularly counsels clients on matters relating to public financing tools and incentives, such as tax increment financing, tax abatement, special taxing districts and state and federal tax credits. Additionally, Segura has extensive experience in drafting state legislation and assisting in its refinement and passage through the legislative process and also represents public bodies with regard to a variety of professional sports franchise facilities, focusing on the negotiation, adoption and implementation of public financing incentives. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from the Saint Louis University School of Law (2008) and holds a B.A. in Environmental, Population and Organismic Biology from the University of Colorado at Boulder (2000).
Elise V. Senti, St. Louis
Real Estate, Development & Construction
Elise Senti advises national and international clients on the acquisition, development, sale and leasing of commercial property throughout North America. Her clients span multiple industry sectors, including distribution, transportation, retail, telecommunications and manufacturing in matters involving office buildings, inventory and data warehousing, restaurants, telecommunication structures and public property. She holds a J.D. from the Saint Louis University School of Law (2005) and a B.S. in Hotel Administration from Cornell University (2001).
Julie A. Sullivan, Denver
Healthcare, Life Sciences & Education
Julie A. Sullivan counsels clients on a variety of regulatory and compliance issues, including state and federal healthcare fraud and abuse, Stark/physician self-referrals, false claims, fee-splitting, patient-brokering, corporate practice of medicine, certificate of need, licensure and accreditation, Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement, medical staffing, and health privacy and security matters. She also advises clients on structuring mergers and acquisitions in the healthcare industry to comply with the myriad of legal and regulatory requirements applicable to arrangements unique to the healthcare industry. Sullivan routinely assists healthcare provider clients – including hospitals and health systems, ambulatory surgery centers, dialysis providers and mental health providers – with referral source relationship compliance issues and has experience with the intricate and involved processes associated with refunds and disclosures. She earned her J.D. with high honors from Chicago-Kent College of Law (2006) and holds a M.P.H. from the University of Illinois (2007) and a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin (2002).