Firm News
Husch Blackwell continues to be recognized by outside organizations for its impact on industry groups. HB was named a “Top 50 Construction Law Firm” as ranked by Construction Executive magazine. The firm is a finalist for Law Firm of the Year for the P3 Awards 2019. Our Retail Practice was recognized by Real Estate Forum magazine as a “2019 Influencer in Retail.” We received a perfect score from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation for the 2019 Corporate Equality Index. In addition, we were recognized by Women Inc. Magazine as a “Top 100 Law Firm for Women.”
HB had 143 attorneys named to the 2020 Best Lawyers list. For the 2019 Chambers USA, 33 attorneys were recognized, along with 16 practice rankings. HB was recognized as a Leading Law Firm by the 2019 Legal 500, in which three national practice areas were named. Three attorneys made the “40 & Under Hotlist,” as named by 2020 Benchmark Litigation. The 2019 Benchmark Litigation named 27 attorneys as Local Litigation Stars. Sixteen attorneys were ranked in the 2019 IFLR 1000 U.S. directory. The 2019 Best Law Firms recognized eight HB practice areas.
Pro Bono News
Our pro bono work spans multiple areas, including children’s initiatives, community development, civil rights and working with victims of human trafficking. HB won two Hague Convention international child abduction cases recently. HB attorneys reunited two young girls with their fathers after the children were brought into the U.S. illegally by their mothers. Congratulations to Jennifer Ziegenhorn, Ryan Burgett, Samantha Lunn, and Derek Terry in our Chattanooga office; Millie Bond in our St. Louis office; and Chris Weiss and Shelly Rosenfelder in our Springfield office.
Our Omaha office devoted a recent Saturday to helping more than 80 people “set aside” their past criminal records. Designed for people trying to get their lives back on track, six of our attorneys helped individuals fill out needed forms. Congratulations to Marnie Jensen, Brent Meyer, Kamron Hasan, Grant Leach, Tannaz Kouhpainezhad and Quinn Eaton. The attorneys said it was a very satisfying time to help people get a new start in life.
Two of our attorneys in Washington, DC, recently won a trial that resulted in political asylum for a Belarus citizen who had previously been arrested and beaten by Belarusian police for engaging in political opposition activity. Congratulations to Steve Neeley and Charles Fleischmann. Charles has been working on the case since it initially came to HB four years ago!
Our HB attorneys continue to do a great job at contributing to the community through their pro bono efforts. Todd Richardson (Omaha) received the Nebraska State Bar Association’s Visionary Award in recognition for his pro bono work. Brandan Mueller and Brandan Black (St. Louis) were recognized by the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis as Volunteers of the Month in February. Larissa Whittingham (Springfield) received a Women’s Justice Award from the Missouri Lawyers Weekly for her pro bono contributions. Michael Bridges (Springfield) received a Legal Service Corporation Pro Bono Award for his work with Legal Services of Southern Missouri. Theresa Mullineaux (St. Louis) and Jordan Ault (Jefferson City) received Pro Bono Publico Awards from the Missouri Bar in recognition of their outstanding pro bono service to indigent or low-income persons in need of legal assistance. Larry McMullen (Kansas City) received a Pro Bono Award from the University of Missouri Veterans Clinic for his significant legal contributions to veterans. We’re so proud of all of these attorneys!
Diversity
Mansfield Certification Plus
We are excited to announce that Husch Blackwell has achieved Mansfield Certification-Plus designation, a milestone that demonstrates the firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion for leadership positions and attorney hiring. To receive Mansfield Certification, law firms must consider at least 30 percent women, attorneys of color or LGBTQ attorneys for 70 percent or more of the firm’s leadership positions. The firm was also awarded the “Plus” designation based on already achieving 30 percent women and minorities in a large number of key leadership roles and with lateral hires.
Diversity Champion Award
Partners Chris Miller (St. Louis) and Singleton McAllister (Washington, D.C.) were awarded the first-ever Husch Blackwell Diversity Champion Award. The two were recognized for making significant contributions to diversity, equity and inclusion at the firm. A total of 12 attorneys were nominated for the award, and the two winners were announced at the firm’s All-Attorney Retreat in August. Congratulations to Chris and Singleton. They are great champions of diversity and inclusion!
Innovation
Shortlisted for the 2019 Changing Lawyer Awards
Litera Microsystems, a leading software provider to the legal and life sciences industries, has named Husch Blackwell as one of five law firms to its shortlist for the “Changing Lawyer Awards 2019” in the Law Firm of the Year category. Husch Blackwell was chosen as a finalist from among hundreds of nominations by a panel of judges.
Paperless Pilot
To encourage attorneys to operate efficiently, HB formed a pilot group of 25 attorneys to incorporate tablets and related applications into their practices. This “Paperless Pilot” program team met weekly for four months, with an overwhelming majority of the participants using their devices at least three to four times per week, and some using it as their primary device, replacing their laptop. One participant said, “I've gained efficiencies in countless ways since I've started.”
Cortex Anniversary
In August, Husch Blackwell celebrated its five-year anniversary of establishing an office at Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis. Clients, local entrepreneurs and startup enthusiasts attended a reception held at one of the top restaurants in St. Louis. HB has helped companies at Cortex in a variety of ways, including IP, labor and employment, corporate, financing and ecommerce.
Team Members
Led by Dean Boeschen, the firm’s Chief Growth Officer (CGO), the team includes a variety of skillsets from various backgrounds including business professionals, attorneys, technologists, and program managers. The team currently includes the following members:
- Dean Boeschen (Chief Growth Officer)
- Rebecca Holdredge (Innovation Manager)
- Annie Kramer (Innovation Program Administrator)
- Julie Vomund (Innovation Coordinator - Cortex)
- Keith Braman (Innovation Technology Manager)
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