Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce several changes to its roster of business unit leaders and office managing partners, including a number of newer partners serving in key roles.
Partners Jacque Albus (Financial Services & Capital Markets), Jeff Sigmund (Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation), and Anna Kimbrell (Energy & Natural Resources) have been selected to lead three of the firm’s six business units. Husch Blackwell also has five new office managing partners, including Jon Anderson (Madison), Barbara Grandjean (Denver), Rebecca Mitich (Milwaukee), Jody Rudman (Austin), and Eric Weatherford (Dallas). Additionally, effective January 1, 2022, Husch Blackwell introduced four new practice-area leaders. These include Joe Bredehoft (Tax Credit Finance & Development), Pete Enko (Healthcare Regulatory), Daisy Manning (Intellectual Property), and Wendy Proctor (Real Estate & Development).
Albus and Kimbrell will begin their terms on March 1, 2022, while the office managing partners’ leadership terms began January 1, 2022, as did Sigmund’s leadership of the Technology, Manufacturing & Transportation industry group. Patrick Conner will become the lead of the Private Wealth practice on March 1, 2022.
Among the newcomers to Husch Blackwell’s leadership team are several partners who either arrived at the firm recently or were elected to the partnership in recent years. Mitich arrived at Husch Blackwell in 2016, courtesy of the firm’s business combination with Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., which added new office locations in Milwaukee and Madison. Rudman joined Husch Blackwell in 2019, and Anderson came to the firm in 2020 as part of an eight-lawyer team that joined the firm’s Madison office. Albus and Kimbrell were both members of Husch Blackwell’s 2020 new partner class; Manning and Bredehoft were members of the firm’s 2019 and 2018 new partner classes, respectively.
“Our firm seeks to elevate talented lawyers into key leadership roles, regardless of tenure or age,” said Catherine Hanaway, Husch Blackwell’s Chair. “We’re fortunate to have a very talented group of newer partners who are ready and capable to help lead the firm.”
“Husch Blackwell is driven by the firm’s exceptionally talented and engaged partners,” said Paul Eberle, Husch Blackwell’s Chief Executive. “Some of the most talented partners are under the age of 45 or have arrived at the firm within the past few years as lateral hires. The partnership is proud of its ability to identify leadership qualities and to promote people who can help move us forward.”
“Our outgoing leaders—Steve Carman, Jack Enea, Chris Erblich, Mindi Giftos, Scott Hammel, Courtney Hill, Lorinda Holloway, Rick Illmer, Kris Kappel, Kevin Kelley and Joseph Orlet—did an exceptional job over the past few years,” added Hanaway. “Aside from keeping a steady eye on the changing nature of the legal industry, we have dealt with a global pandemic, periods of civil unrest, and political crises that created great legal and regulatory uncertainty. They have left in place a strong record of achievement.”