Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, today announced the promotion of 42 partners across North America.

“We are delighted to announce and celebrate our newly-promoted partners who represent 21 offices and 16 practices across North America. Each of these partners is recognized for their commitment to Dentons’ clients and people,” said Elliott Portnoy, Global Chief Executive Officer of Dentons.

The lawyers represent practice areas including Business Services; Corporate; Economic Development; Employment and Labor; Energy, Infrastructure and Dispute Resolution; Health Care; Intellectual Property and Technology; Litigation and Dispute Resolution; Public Policy; Real Estate; Regulatory; Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy; Tax; Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation; Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies; and White Collar and Government Investigations.

The newest partners are:

Leanna M. Anderson, Dallas
Jason Antin, Pittsburgh
Sarah Armendariz, Kansas City, Mo.
Derek A. Auito, Washington, DC
Kate E. Beatty, Indianapolis
Keith Bishop, Calgary
Meagan R. Brien, Evansville, Ind.
Wade Carr, Kansas City, Mo.
Bumrae Cho, Washington, DC
Bernardo Cortés, Mexico City
Catherine Dagenais, Montréal
Ryan Dunn, Lexington and Louisville, Ky.
Adam H. Dunst, New York City
Christopher T. Errico, New York City
Christopher W.K. Fetzer, Washington, DC
Benjamin A. Friedman, New York City
Christine Genaitis, Boston
Jonathan Jacobs, New York City
Parker Kuhl, Denver
Simon Kupi, Calgary
Alex M. Lacey, Pittsburgh
Eric Lung, Vancouver
Rebecca Merrill, Atlanta
Jacob K. Michul, Lexington, Ky.
Afshan Naveed, Calgary
Susan Nesbet-Sikuta, Naples, Fla.
Kimberly J. O’Donnell, Lexington, Ky.
Kelly Osaka, Calgary
Kellee A. Padgett, Atlanta
Jawaid Panjwani, Ottawa
Jae K. Park, San Diego
Helen Ogbara Reeves, New York City
John S. Rhee, Honolulu
Bailey Roese, Louisville, Ky.
Andrew Shaw, Washington, DC
Suneet Sidhu, Atlanta
Peter Stockburger, San Diego
G. Christopher Van Bever, Lexington, Ky.
Bruce B. Vance, Washington, DC
Xavier Van Overmeire, Montréal
April A. Wimberg, Louisville, Ky.
Jeff Zachman, Atlanta

For more information about each of our new North American partners, please read their bios below:

Leanna M. Anderson (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Dallas) is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer who focuses on complex commercial disputes and class action defense. She has served as lead or co-lead trial counsel in federal and state court matters across the country. Anderson is also a member of Dentons' E-discovery Task Force, advising clients on issues related to electronic discovery, including litigation hold processes, responding to electronic discovery requests and negotiating and defending electronic discovery production protocols.

Jason Antin (Real Estate, Pittsburgh) concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate and general corporate law. He focuses on all aspects of commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition, disposition, leasing and financing of all types of commercial property. He also has a background as an owner and operator in residential real estate, with a particular emphasis on all facets of landlord operations and representations in properties of all sizes.

Sarah Armendariz (Real Estate, Kansas City, Mo.) focuses her practice on representing financial institutions in connection with commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) loans, syndicated loans, construction financing and other loan transactions involving hotel, retail, office, industrial, self-storage, manufactured homes and multi-family properties. Armendariz has a broad range of knowledge and experience with mezzanine loans, ground leases and condominium properties. She is skilled in all phases of a transaction, including negotiations, due diligence and closings.

Derek Auito (Intellectual Property and Technology, Washington, DC) focuses his practice on intellectual property portfolio development and client counseling, with a particular emphasis on patent prosecution, litigation, competitor portfolio analysis, commercial transactions and licensing. He is a registered patent attorney and has written and prosecuted hundreds of utility and design patents covering a variety of mechanical, electrical and software technologies. He has negotiated and drafted a wide range of agreements relating to the development and use of intellectual property, including licensing, customer agreements, master service agreements, software as a service (SaaS), employment law, domain names, cybersecurity, data privacy and complex contract and litigation settlement negotiations. Auito also advises clients on trademark and copyright matters. He has practiced before US courts at the trial and appellate levels, including the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and before the US International Trade Commission (ITC) and the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Kate E. Beatty (Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation, Indianapolis) focuses her practice on advising individuals with respect to all aspects of the preparation and review of estate planning documents, as well as fiduciary issues, will contests, contested accountings, guardianship matters and business succession planning. 

Keith Bishop (Corporate/Energy, Calgary) brings a unique perspective and extensive knowledge of his clients’ businesses, building on his experience as in-house counsel with a major North American energy infrastructure company. He regularly works with clients on a range of commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, dispositions, transportation service, commodities trading, as well as joint venture and project development. As a trusted advisor, his clients rely on and benefit from his solid background in the energy sector, as well as his overall proficiency in general corporate commercial matters.

Meagan R. Brien (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Evansville, Ind.) focuses her practice on business and corporate law, commercial litigation, fiduciary litigation, creditors' rights and employment law, as well as estate planning and probate administration. She is licensed to practice in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky.

Wade Carr (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Kansas City, Mo.) handles cases from pretrial discovery and mediations through trial and appeals. He thrives in complex disputes, whether in federal court, state court or arbitration, and his work spans a wide range, including class action, insurance regulatory, breach of contract, environmental tort, trade secrets, intellectual property, partnership and M&A disputes. Prior to entering private practice, Carr gained appellate insight as a clerk for the Hon. Lavenski R. Smith of the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Bumrae Cho (Intellectual Property and Technology, Washington, DC) focuses on patent litigation, patent prosecution and client counseling, with an emphasis on technology. He has significant experience preparing and prosecuting worldwide patent applications in the chemical, biotech and telecommunication areas. Before law school, Cho worked at a Korean law firm, where he advised several global chemical and pharmaceutical companies in Europe, the United States, Japan, China and Taiwan; drafted patent applications for diverse fields of technology; and was involved in several pharmaceutical patent litigations in the Korean Supreme Court.

Bernardo Cortés (Energy, Infrastructure and Dispute Resolution, Mexico City) has more than nine years of experience in energy transactions in Mexico and Latin America. He has actively participated in a wide range of negotiations of agreements related to the oil, gas and power sectors, and assists clients on related regulatory matters. His practice also covers issues involving foreign investment, dispute resolution, construction, infrastructure, mergers and acquisitions, natural resources and tax. He has represented clients in multiple international arbitrations and judicial proceedings. From 2017 to 2018 he was based in Paris, acting as legal counsel of a French international energy company. Cortés is an active speaker on energy and international arbitration forums in Mexico and Latin America.

Catherine Dagenais (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Montréal) has deep experience in arbitration and alternative dispute resolution, allowing her to help clients efficiently close matters outside of judicial proceedings. Dagenais’ clients also benefit from her considerable experience in civil and commercial litigation and dispute resolution, and in international commercial litigation and arbitration. In addition to her background in construction law, she gained a wide scope of experience from her tenure at the United Nations and the Supreme Court of Canada, exposing her to a broad range of legal perspectives.

Ryan E. Dunn (Tax, Lexington and Louisville, Ky.) concentrates his practice on international tax planning for both businesses and individuals, as well as domestic tax advice to partnerships, corporations, S corporations and their respective owners on various business transactions.

Adam H. Dunst (Corporate, New York Midtown) advises venture capital, private equity and other debt and equity finance funds, as well as the emerging and established companies in which they invest. He regularly counsels fund managers in structuring, formation, operation and investment transactions, as well as negotiations with limited partners and investments and dispositions of portfolio company securities. Dunst also advises senior executives on debt and equity financings, mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic transactions, as well as governance matters and commercial agreements. He is also a member of the Firm’s Cannabis group.

Christopher Errico (Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies, New York Meatpacking) serves as co-chair of Dentons’ US Startup Program and boasts a diverse corporate practice, working with a wide range of fast-growing technology, software, digital media and life science companies at every stage of their development. He counsels private and public companies on a variety of transactional matters, including venture capital, seed/angel financings, public and private offerings, asset and stock acquisitions, debt financings and M&A. Errico also advises his clients on complex securities matters, corporate governance matters, joint ventures, strategic transactions and general legal issues.

Christopher W.K. Fetzer (Public Policy, Washington, DC) leads Dentons’ Defense and Security Policy team. A native Washingtonian, he concentrates on issues at the intersection of business, law, policy and politics with a focus on advocacy and strategy in the defense, trade, security, energy and foreign affairs arenas. Leveraging nearly two decades of public and private sector policy experience, Fetzer represents foreign and domestic clients, including government contractors, across multiple industry sectors, including aerospace and defense, manufacturing, agriculture, energy and technology. He routinely advises, and advocates on behalf of, multinational firms and foreign governments in national security policy; US trade and sanctions policy; and foreign policy matters involving Congress, the Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Treasury, coalitions, nongovernmental organizations and private sector stakeholders.

Benjamin A. Friedman (Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation, New York Midtown) focuses his practice on advising high net worth individuals in connection with domestic and international estate planning, with an emphasis on estate, gift and generation-skipping transfer tax implications, as well as asset protection. He is involved in all phases of the preparation, review and execution of estate planning documents, including Wills, a comprehensive variety of trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies, living wills, decanting documents, governing instruments for entities, prenuptial agreements, and gift and estate tax returns. Friedman has extensive experience in estate administration and probate proceedings.

Christine Genaitis (White Collar and Government Investigations, Boston) combines nearly 20 years of experience as a white collar criminal defense lawyer with extensive knowledge of data privacy and the EU General Data Protection Regulation. She advises clients on how to comply with state and federal laws, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and other international anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws and regulations, without running afoul of their international data privacy obligations. She has extensive first-chair trial experience; advises clients in complex commercial litigation and government and regulatory investigations; and represents public and private companies, as well as individuals, in a wide array of business litigation matters.

Jonathan Jacobs (Real Estate, New York Midtown) has a multifaceted practice focusing on complex commercial real estate matters. He has particular expertise in representing lenders and institutional investors in the origination of bridge, mezzanine, construction and CMBS loans, as well as the purchase and sale of mortgage and subordinated debt. Jacobs’ practice also includes counseling owners and investors in all facets of commercial real estate transactions, including acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures and financings, involving multifamily, office and mixed-use properties nationwide.

Parker Kuhl (Intellectual Property and Technology, Denver) focuses his practice on domestic and international patent prosecution, strategic patent counseling and patent litigation support. He represents companies, both large and small, in a wide range of technologies, including computer software and hardware, computer networking, autonomous vehicles, computer animation, sensor systems, optical systems and mechanical devices. He has experience representing clients at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) and has appeared in several oral hearings before the PTAB. Kuhl previously worked as an engineer for an advanced technologies company, and is a co-­inventor of US Patent No. 7,629,920 involving improved radar signal processing techniques.

Simon Kupi (Regulatory, Calgary) works closely with clients in the power and energy sectors, spanning a range of areas – from economic regulation, to administrative and constitutional law, to environmental assessment and Indigenous rights. Kupi leverages his experience as former counsel to an energy regulator and a Crown electricity agency to provide practical insights to clients on complex matters of law and policy, and frequently appears at regulatory hearings. In addition, he assists energy and non-energy clients across Canada on competition law compliance, both in contentious contexts and as a member of Dentons’ transaction teams.

Alex Lacey (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Pittsburgh) practice focuses on commercial litigation, land use applications and public regulatory practice. He regularly appears before Pennsylvania trial and appellate courts. Additionally, Lacey practices before multiple state and local agencies and administrative bodies and has tried matters for a wide variety of clients, from individual land owners to Fortune 500 companies.

Eric Lung (Corporate, Vancouver) brings extensive capital markets experience to clients, who depend on his practical advice and his comprehensive experience and knowledge in corporate and securities matters. His clients benefit from his transactional capabilities, which include mergers and acquisitions (public and private), initial public offerings, secondary offerings, private placements financings, plans of arrangement, takeover bids, reverse takeovers, joint ventures and complex corporate reorganizations. Lung acts for clients across a range of sectors, with a particular focus on mining, cannabis, technology and life sciences.

Rebecca Merrill (Health Care, Atlanta) counsels a broad range of health care and life sciences organizations in the areas of business strategy and transactions, fraud and abuse protection, regulatory compliance, Medicare and Medicaid coverage and reimbursement, clinical research, and privacy, security and confidentiality matters. She routinely advises clients on corporate and operational matters such as contracting, employment and corporate governance issues, and her practice includes representing providers in directing and responding to internal and governmental investigations, subpoenas and False Claim Act actions.

Jacob K. Michul (Economic Development, Lexington, Ky.) focuses on a broad range of commercial real estate matters, including acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, financing, development, title examinations and insurance, investment, operations and land use/zoning. He also provides clients with general counsel services and advises clients in connection with business mergers and acquisitions, business financing and structuring and a variety of commercial contracts.

Afshan Naveed (Restructuring, Insolvency and Bankruptcy, Calgary) provides her clients with the support they need to navigate through all aspects of bankruptcy, insolvency, restructuring and related litigation matters. As a well-rounded and solutions-oriented lawyer, she acts for creditors, debtors, court-appointed monitors, receivers and trustees-in-bankruptcy in complex and sensitive insolvencies and restructurings of all sizes. Her clients trust Naveed to represent them before any level of court, bringing a commercial mindset to help protect their business interests. Her practice also encompasses commercial litigation outside the insolvency context. She is also qualified to practice law in Scotland, where she was admitted as a Solicitor in 2009, and is presently retained on the Rolls of Solicitors.

Susan Nesbet-Sikuta (Trusts, Estates and Wealth Preservation, Naples, Fla.) is Board Certified by the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts and Estates Law. Her practice focuses on domestic and international estate planning and estate administration. Nesbet-Sikuta works closely with clients to develop and implement effective strategies for both long- and short-term estate planning. Her knowledge of the German language complements her work with international clients on issues specific to resident and non-resident alien US estate tax and succession planning.

Kimberly J. O’Donnell (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Lexington, Ky.) advises and represents clients in matters involving a broad range of employment issues. She represents employers in litigation before state and federal entities on matters of employment discrimination, retaliation, retaliatory discharge, harassment, state and federal wage and hour laws and violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act.

Kelly Osaka (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Calgary) is an experienced litigator, highly respected for her strong advocacy skills and common-sense approach. She frequently works on shareholder disputes, class actions, privacy law claims and regulatory investigations. Osaka works closely with her clients to understand their business needs, and provides creative and practical legal solutions as they protect their ability to grow in the market. Osaka represents a diverse group of clients in industries including finance, energy, cannabis, health care and consumer products.

Kellee Padgett (Real Estate, Atlanta) concentrates on real property acquisitions, dispositions, leasing, development and finance. Her experience includes representing multi-family and single-family home builders in land acquisition and related matters; representing borrowers and lenders in commercial real estate lending transactions; representing shopping center developers and owners; leasing of shopping centers, office buildings, industrial buildings and mixed-use projects; ground lease transactions; complex real estate purchase and sale transactions; development agreements; and build-to-suit transactions.

Jawaid Panjwani (Regulatory, Ottawa) focuses on communications, technology and digital media, and provides sage counsel to a wide range of national and international clients on regulatory and corporate matters. He leverages his strong, established knowledge of federal and provincial regulatory compliance protocols to help clients navigate complex regulatory landscapes, and provides strategic regulatory and business advice to investors on their development of novel products and services.

Jae K. Park (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, San Diego) focuses on construction litigation and complex commercial litigation. He represents public and private developers, general contractors and subcontractors on a wide variety of construction and engineering disputes, and has particular experience related to construction and engineering disputes that arise in public infrastructure projects and energy projects. Park’s experience also includes the defense or prosecution of commercial torts, contract disputes, professional negligence, employment and intellectual property matters as first- and second-chair trial counsel in state and federal courts as well as in private arbitration. He also serves the community through pro bono representation of victims of human rights abuses and refugees fleeing political and religious persecution.

Helen Ogbara Reeves (Venture Technology and Emerging Growth Companies, New York Meatpacking) focuses on representing growth-stage companies on a wide range of complex transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, venture capital transactions, startup founder/corporate structuring issues, employment matters and general corporate advice. She serves as the outside general counsel to a number of emerging-growth and middle-market companies, providing both strategic and transactional advice on major business transactions domestically and internationally.

John S. Rhee (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Honolulu) helps companies and employers with dispute resolution, handling all aspects of litigation, from discovery to mapping trial strategy, as well as appeals. His clients have ranged from Fortune 500 companies to low-income residents of housing projects. His practice covers a broad range of pre-litigation and litigation matters on behalf of employers, including internal investigations, administrative proceedings before the Hawai`i Civil Rights Commission and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as civil lawsuits in state and federal courts. His experience covers a number of industries, including transportation, real estate, health care and finance. Rhee has also litigated pro bono and public interest class actions on behalf of public housing residents and public employee retirees.

Bailey Roese (Tax, Louisville, Ky.) represents taxpayers in federal, state and local tax controversies. She regularly advocates for clients in the state courts and administrative tribunals of Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, as well as the United States Tax Court.

Andrew Shaw (Public Policy, Washington, DC) focuses primarily on energy, environmental and US-Canada cross-border issues. Using his knowledge and experience of Congress and the Executive Branch, Shaw provides clients with guidance on federal legislative and regulatory issues, including climate change mitigation and adaptation, renewables, nuclear power, natural gas, trade, transportation and tax. In addition, he develops and implements government affairs strategies for domestic and international clients in engaging with Congress, the Executive Branch, industry associations and nongovernmental organizations.

Suneet Sidhu (Real Estate, Atlanta) focuses his practice on commercial real estate, joint venture and finance transactions. He advises many of the world’s leading financial institutions, investors and developers in connection with the acquisition, financing (through debt and equity), development, leasing and sale of commercial properties spanning a broad array of sectors, including health care, multi-family, retail, hospitality, office, industrial and data centers. Sidhu has considerable experience drafting and negotiating loan and security documents for a variety of complex revolving and term senior debt, conduit loans, mezzanine loans and other structurally subordinated debt, and syndicated financings. In addition, Sidhu routinely represents clients in connection with the acquisition, development, leasing and disposition of commercial real estate projects located throughout the US, as well as in domestic and cross-border joint venture transactions.

Peter Stockburger (Employment and Labor, San Diego) focuses his practice on the unique intersection between data privacy, cybersecurity and employment law. Stockburger regularly advises clients on data governance, employee privacy programs, cybersecurity resiliency, information security risk assessments and defending management in all manner of employment matters before state and federal courts, including non-competition and trade secret disputes. Stockburger is a regular speaker and author in the field of data privacy, cybersecurity and employment law, including with groups such as the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia. In addition, Stockburger has authored numerous high-profile amicus briefs in the US Supreme Court and multiple courts of appeal, and successfully acquired legal status for refugees from Haiti, Mexico and Egypt before US immigration courts, pro bono.

G. Christopher Van Bever (Business Services, Lexington, Ky.) is an experienced lawyer and registered professional engineer representing coal, oil and gas, landholding and other natural resources industry and commercial clients in connection with mergers and acquisitions, real property and commercial transactions, environmental compliance and permitting and regulatory enforcement matters.

Bruce B. Vance (Intellectual Property and Technology, Washington, DC) prosecutes US and foreign patent applications in a broad range of technical fields, including telecommunication systems and standards, DTV, home appliance devices, construction works, power tools, packet-switched networks, electronic test equipment, computer software applications, computer-based control systems, microprocessors, business methods, photolithography, semiconductor fabrication and devices, electronic design automation, biometric devices, wind power, engines and automotive systems, electrical power and analog electronics. He is also involved with patent reissues, reexaminations and appeals, and has experience assisting with patent litigation.

Xavier Van Overmeire (Corporate, Montréal) brings extensive experience in multi-jurisdictional transactions in the energy, natural resources, pharmaceutical, new technologies, e-commerce and services sectors, providing a broad knowledge base to each client opportunity. With a focus on Canada-Europe transactions, Van Overmeire’s clients rely on his skillful counsel and guidance on international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances, including international franchise, distribution and technology transfer agreements.

April A. Wimberg (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Louisville, Ky.) represents both debtors and creditors in bankruptcy proceedings, workouts and commercial litigation in federal and state courts in Kentucky and Indiana. Her clients have included major corporations, small business owners, trustees and creditor committees. Wimberg has also assisted organizations in wind-down operations, serving as a receiver and advisor.

Jeff Zachman (Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Atlanta) focuses his practice on complex consumer and statutory class actions. He has represented financial technology companies, national banks and insurers in class actions in federal and state courts throughout the country. Zachman also has experience litigating commercial disputes relating to technology, real estate and general commercial litigation.  

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