Husch Blackwell has promoted 15 attorneys to partnership, effective Jan. 1., 2016. Each of these attorneys was unanimously supported by the firm’s strategic business unit (SBU) leaders and the Executive Board. “Husch Blackwell’s standards for partnership are high, requiring sustained, intense effort. Consistent with these rigorous standards for admission to partnership, each one of these attorneys has demonstrated professional excellence, loyalty and pride in our firm and unparalleled commitment to our clients,” said Husch Blackwell Chairman Maurice Watson.
Austin, Texas
Afton Sands-Puryear is a member of the firm’s Healthcare, Life Sciences and Education group and represents clients in a broad range of commercial and business litigation matters in state and federal court. Her experience includes representing healthcare clients in managed care litigation, in responding to government subpoenas, in False Claims Act and Texas Medicaid Fraud Prevention Act litigation, and in other litigation matters. Sands-Puryear has also represented debtors, creditors, and trustees in bankruptcy court. She is a member of the Austin Bar Association, the Austin Young Lawyers Association, and the American Health Lawyers Association. Sands-Puryear earned her J.D. from Texas Tech University School of Law (2007) and her B.A., summa cum laude, from Schreiner University (2004).
Chattanooga, Tenn.
Katie Hall Giannasi is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation group. She concentrates her practice in commercial contracting and sourcing support, and has extensive experience drafting, negotiating and managing capital procurement, long-term supply, professional service and transportation contracts critical to ongoing business operations. Giannasi routinely advises clients in the aviation, software, manufacturing, transportation and chemical industries, working closely with clients’ legal and risk management departments, and directly with sales and procurement personnel and internal business units. She has extensive experience assisting clients in developing forms, providing on-call support, and in both procurement training and leading complex contract negotiations. Giannasi is a member of the Chattanooga and Tennessee Bar Associations, and is currently Treasurer and Membership Chair of the Southeast Tennessee Lawyers’ Association for Women. A graduate of the Chattanooga School for the Arts & Sciences, she earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Tulane University Law School (2005). She also earned her B.A., cum laude, from Tulane (2000).
Chicago
Amy Hammer is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation group. She currently practices intellectual property law, including patent and trademark prosecution, licensing and enforcement. Her extensive industry knowledge benefits her U.S. and international manufacturing and technology clients, most notably in preparing and prosecuting patent applications related to electronics, software-based systems, antennas, control systems, telecommunications systems, detection and measurement technologies, fire and smoke detection systems, gas detection systems, ambient condition detection systems, security systems, and mechanical and electro-mechanical devices. She earned her J.D. from the John Marshall Law School, Chicago (2006) and her B.S. from Northwestern University (2003).
George Pavlik is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation group. Pavlik is engaged in all areas of intellectual property law, including the prosecution, licensing, counseling and enforcement of patents, trademarks and copyrights. He has extensive experience in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications related to mechanical, electrical and biomedical devices, including electronic gaming machines, water management systems and pumps, intravenous ports, hearing aids, vehicle-mounted bicycle and ski carriers, tactical equipment for military and police personnel and detectors and systems for combat simulation. Pavlik is a member of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Chicago and the International Trademark Association. He earned his J.D. from the John Marshall Law School, Chicago (2004) and his B.S. from the University of Kansas (1997).
John Sholar practices in the firm’s Healthcare, Life Sciences and Education group and has extensive experience at the trial and appellate level litigating Hatch-Waxman statutory patent infringement and other actions involving prescription pharmaceutical drugs. He represents clients in patent cases involving a wide range of technologies, including pharmaceuticals, laser manufacturing, thermal insulation, and cellular phone technology. Before entering the legal profession, Sholar was an officer in the U.S. Navy, where he qualified as a surface warfare officer. He also attended the Navy’s advanced FFG engineering school. Sholar earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois University School of Law (2006) and his B.A. from the University of Illinois (2000).
Kansas City, Mo.
Megan Scheiderer is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation group. Scheiderer co-leads the firm’s eDiscovery Solutions team, providing discovery management and consultation, document review and analysis, as well as education and training for firm clients. An experienced litigator, Scheiderer brings knowledge and training in the legal and technical aspects of eDiscovery to bear on client matters, steering the logistics of discovery in her clients’ cases from start to finish. She represents corporate clients in business disputes and employment litigation in jurisdictions across the nation. Scheiderer is a member of the Georgetown Law eDiscovery Training Institute, the Missouri Bar, the Association for Women Lawyers of Kansas City and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association. She earned her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law (2006) and her B.A., cum laude, from Fort Hays State University (2003).
Sean Tassi is a member of the firm’s Healthcare, Life Sciences and Education group. Tassi concentrates his practice on servicing the multifaceted needs of colleges and universities in both the public and private sectors. In addition to providing day-to-day outside general counsel services, Tassi represents higher-education clients in federal court, state court and arbitration on many different matters, including fraud, breach of contract, discrimination and wrongful termination. Tassi also advises clients on compliance and governance issues involving student aid, campus crime, contracting, change in ownership, faculty, students and general employment. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of New Hampshire School of Law (2007) and both his M.S. and his B.S. from Kansas State University (2004).
Kevin Zeller is a member of the firm’s Financial Services group. He focuses his practice on finance matters, representing lenders and investors in a wide variety of financing and real estate transactions. Zeller often advises clients at the inception of a credit transaction or in developing a line of business in order to create policies and procedures that provide the most collateral or credit protection possible. In addition to his finance practice, he frequently assists start-up, small and mid-size businesses in general business matters. He has guided dozens of companies and investors through the process of structuring and negotiating seed/angel investments and Series A investment rounds. Zeller earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law (2006) and his B.B.A., cum laude, from Notre Dame University (2003).
Omaha, Neb.
Henry Wiedrich is a member of the firm’s Food & Agribusiness group. He concentrates his practice in the area of labor and employment, helping large and small businesses with daily and long-term compliance with federal, state and local employment laws; the development and implementation of best employment practices; advice on employment and termination decisions; and employment-based litigation and administrative actions. He also assists clients with wage and hour audits, helping employers identify areas of compliance and non-compliance with applicable laws. Wiedrich is a member of the Society of Human Resources Management, the Human Resource Association of the Midlands, the Nebraska State Bar Association, the Iowa Bar Association and the Omaha Bar Association. He was named a Rising Star by Great Plains Super Lawyers (2013-2015). Wiedrich earned his J.D., with high distinction, from the University of Nebraska College of Law (2007) and his B.S. from the University of Nebraska (2004).
Phoenix
Donald Scott is a member of the firm’s Financial Services Group. He designs and implements complex estate plans which include some of the following concepts: sophisticated irrevocable trusts, sales to irrevocable trusts, split-dollar agreements and family partnerships. He also develops core estate planning documents such as wills, revocable living trusts, financial powers of attorney and healthcare powers of attorney. He works to maximize the tax benefits available to individuals and their families and to preserve family wealth passing to future generations. As part of his practice, Donald also focuses on the unique considerations common to high-net worth families that are often unrelated to tax concerns. Donald, a member of the Arizona State Bar, earned his J.D., cum laude, from Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Arizona State University (2007). He earned his B.S., cum laude, from Northern Arizona University (2003).
Springfield, Mo.
Amanda Tummons is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation group. Tummons counsels companies through mergers and acquisitions and at the start of new business ventures. She devotes a significant portion of her practice representing entities in commercial airline and business aviation, assisting clients with subsidiary and asset disposition, acquisition of assets, and development of form agreements to streamline day-to-day operations. As a member of Husch Blackwell’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) group, Tummons counsels clients on lawful commercial use of UAS and closely monitors the development of the framework for UAS. In 2015, Tummons was named an “Up and Coming Lawyer” by Missouri Lawyer’s Weekly and was also included in the “40 Under 40” list by the Springfield Business Journal. A member of the American Bar Association and the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association, Tummons earned her J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law (2006) and her B.S., summa cum laude, from Missouri State University (2003).
St. Louis, Mo.
Jordan Ault is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation group. Ault’s practice focuses on the defense of product liability and toxic tort litigation for many of the world’s leading manufacturers of specialty chemicals, petrochemicals, paint and coatings, automobile parts, ammunition, and other industrial and consumer products. His experience includes the defense of hundreds of mesothelioma and lung cancer cases pending in Illinois, Missouri and dozens of other jurisdictions across the country. Ault also regularly handles litigation involving employment discrimination, contract disputes, medical malpractice, intellectual property and ethics complaints. He has also handled numerous pro bono cases on a variety of legal issues, earning a place on the Missouri Bar Pro Bono Wall of Fame. Ault earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois University School of Law (2007) and his B.A., summa cum laude, from Illinois Wesleyan University (2004).
Beth Bozicevic practices in the firm’s Healthcare, Life Sciences and Education group, representing a broad range of clients in the education, healthcare, and banking industries, in civil litigation in state and federal courts. Her experience includes defending clients accused of violating ERISA, breaking consumer fraud laws, and participating in Ponzi schemes. A member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the Missouri Bar, Bozicevic was awarded the Pro Bono Award from the Land of Lincoln Legal Assistance Foundation and was named a Rising Star, Civil Litigation, by Missouri and Kansas Super Lawyers, both in 2015. Bozicevic earned her J.D. from the Washington University School of Law (2007) and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Knox College (2004).
Dan Cohn is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing and Transportation group. His practice focuses on intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, and copyrights, as well as advertising, marketing, and E-commerce. As a former patent agent and currently a patent attorney registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Cohn commonly drafts and prosecutes electrical, mechanical, internet-based and business method patent applications for large private corporations as well as research laboratories. He also has substantial experience in Post Issuance proceedings, challenging the validity of patents within the Patent Office, and is patent counsel on the first two Post Grant Review Proceedings ever to be instituted. Cohn routinely assists clients with mobile and digital applications used in social media and has written extensively on 3D printing. Cohn earned his J.D., with high honors, from the University of Illinois University School Of Law (2007), and his B.E., with high honors, from Vanderbilt University (2004).
Arkadia Olson is a member of the firm’s Technology, Manufacturing and Transportation group. Her practice includes enforcement and prosecution of trademarks and copyrights, as well as handling domain name disputes and Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP) filings. Olson advises clients on various promotion-related issues, including social media-based promotions, sweepstakes and contests and other campaigns, providing advice and recommendations relating to legal issues and terms and conditions for various social media platforms. She is a member of the Brand Activation Association and the International Trademark Association as well as a member of the American Bar Association, Missouri Bar Association and the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis. Olson earned her J.D. from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (2007) and her B.A. from the University of Missouri (2000).