Taft Elects 23 New Partners

Taft is pleased to announce that the following 23 attorneys have been elected to the firm's partnership:

• Salvatore Amodeo / Litigation / Detroit
• Michael Anderson-Colón / Energy / Chicago, Minneapolis
• Ina Avalon / Energy / Cleveland
• Sarah Benoit / Litigation / Columbus
• Nick Brankle / Intellectual Property / Chicago
• Chris Brown / Litigation / Minneapolis
• Adam Chandler / Litigation / Minneapolis
• Kim Clayson / Bankruptcy / Detroit
• Diana Devot / Business / Denver
• Vivek Hadley / Litigation / Indianapolis
• Jeff Izzard / Business / Detroit
• Nicollette Khuans / Litigation / Chicago
• Isaac Lodico / Tax / Denver
• Nick Mollmann / Real Estate / Indianapolis
• Andrew Murphy / Employment and Labor Relations, Litigation / Chicago
• Chris Mykytiak / Real Estate / Cleveland
• Max Schwartz / Business / Minneapolis
• Jaimin Shah / Intellectual Property / Chicago
• Rachel Smoot / Intellectual Property, Litigation / Columbus
• Chris Tassone / Tax / Cincinnati
• Derek Tucker / Business / Cincinnati
• Blake Vettel / Business / Minneapolis
• Michael Zalewski / Public Affairs Strategies / Chicago

Salvatore Amodeo is a member of Taft's Commercial Litigation group and has extensive experience representing his client's interests at the state and federal levels in all areas of business litigation, limited liability company membership and shareholder disputes, construction litigation, contract disputes, employment disputes, civil rights and constitutional claims, and business torts. He received his J.D. from Wayne State University Law School and his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.

Michael Anderson-Colón is a real estate attorney with extensive experience in renewable energy transactions involving wind, solar, and energy storage projects. He also has a broad range of experience in real estate development, real estate finance, and leasing. He holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Minnesota and received his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law.

Ina Avalon focuses her practice on energy facility permitting, electric and natural gas utility ratemaking and regulation, administrative and appellate proceedings, and energy M&A and financing transactions. In addition to her energy practice, Ina assists clients with various environmental matters, including permitting, regulatory compliance and strategy, audits and voluntary disclosures, and transactional due diligence. Ina received her J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University.

Sarah Benoit is a seasoned litigator skilled in matters spanning a multitude of industries, including litigating matters involving business and contractual disputes, real estate, employment, premises liability, transportation, skilled nursing facility and medical negligence, and wrongful death. She earned her bachelor's degree from The Ohio State University and her J.D. from the University of Toledo College of Law.

Nick Brankle counsels a diverse array of clients from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in preparing and negotiating technology and intellectual property agreements and also practices in the areas of privacy, cybersecurity, and information management. He received his bachelor's degree from Wabash College and his J.D. from the Chicago-Kent College of Law where he graduated cum laude.

Chris Brown is a member of the Litigation practice group with experience in Securities Litigation, M&A Litigation, ERISA Litigation, Bankruptcy Litigation, Antitrust, Trade Secrets and Tax Controversy. He earned his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School where he graduated magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, and his bachelor's degree from Conception Seminary College where he graduated summa cum laude.

Adam Chandler is a member of Taft's Commercial Litigation practice and practices primarily in the areas of commercial litigation and corporate dispute resolution, employment litigation and counseling, commercial real estate and landlord/tenant litigation, and banking and finance litigation. He received his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, summa cum laude, and his undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota, magna cum laude.

Kim Clayson serves a diverse client portfolio in the areas of insolvency law, creditors' rights, bankruptcy matters, bankruptcy-related litigation, business law, and health law. She also advises financially distressed companies and nonprofit organizations in bankruptcy restructuring, out-of-court wind ups and dissolutions. Kim received her J.D. from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law and her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University.

Diana Devot represents a broad range of clients, including pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, staffing companies, and many others in matters relating to mergers and acquisitions, securities, contracts, and general corporate law across a broad spectrum of industries. She graduated summa cum laude from Pepperdine University and earned her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.

Vivek Hadley is a litigator with deep and substantial experience in every aspect of litigation, from trial through appeal, in the federal and appellate arenas. He has been involved with major wins in high-stakes trial court litigation, most of which occurred at the motion to dismiss or summary judgment stages, long before the client had to face trial expenses. Vivek graduated magna cum laude from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and summa cum laude from Ball State University.

Jeff Izzard is a transactional attorney assisting clients with mergers, sales and acquisitions, equity and debt-based fundraising, and corporate reorganizations. He provides counsel for clients of all sizes from established businesses, private equity funds, and automotive suppliers to renewable energy providers, medical practice groups, and early-stage ventures. Jeff received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Nicollette Khuans represents large and small businesses in the technology, construction, insurance, banking, manufacturing, and food and beverage industries. She is skilled in representing her clients in matters relating to contract and shareholder disputes, employee whistleblowing, trade secrets, data privacy, and breaches of fiduciary duties. Nicollette earned her J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and her bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Isaac Lodico aids clients with their business needs including corporate taxation, consolidated returns, tax procedure, natural resources taxation, property taxation, fiduciary income taxation, and tax research. After receiving his J.D. from the University of California College of Law (fka Hastings) in San Francisco, Isaac earned his LL.M. from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Colorado Boulder.

Nick Mollmann represents clients in all aspects of the acquisition, financing, construction, development, leasing, management, and disposition of commercial and residential real estate. His clients include land owners, real estate developers, lenders, landlords, tenants, brokers, and property management companies. Nick earned his J.D. from Indiana University McKinney School of Law and a bachelor's degree, with distinction, from Indiana University - Kelley School of Business.

Andrew Murphy represents clients facing a wide variety of employment-related disputes - with a particular focus on class and collective actions alleging violations of state and federal wage and hour laws, as well as individual lawsuits alleging violations of restrictive covenants and misappropriation of trade secrets. He earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from Indiana University Maurer School of Law and his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Texas Permian Basin.

Chris Mykytiak advises clients on all types of complex commercial, communication infrastructure, healthcare, retail, multifamily, and single-family real estate transactions across multiple jurisdictions. He also has experience in the health care industry, with a particular focus on long-term care providers. Chris earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and his bachelor's degree, with honors, from Michigan State University.

Max Schwartz provides outside general counsel and transaction support services to entrepreneurs and C-level leaders at high-growth technology-enabled companies and is skilled in leading private equity and venture capital finance transactions and buy- and sell-side M&A transactions. He earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Dartmouth College.

Jaimin Shah is an intellectual property litigator focusing on patent, trademark, and trade secret cases in federal courts across the country. His patent litigation practice is industry-agnostic, spanning diverse technology areas such as pharmaceuticals, automobile accessories, smokeless firepits, smartphone messaging apps, digital data compression systems, and LED luminaires. Jaimin received his Master's degree in biotechnology from the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay and his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.

Rachel Smoot is an attorney in Taft's Intellectual Property and Litigation practice groups, representing clients at all stages of trademark, copyright, commercial, and general litigation matters. She also has significant experience in advising clients on legal matters relating to intellectual property enforcement, dispute resolution, and infringement issues. Rachel earned her J.D. from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and her bachelor's degrees in molecular genetics and psychology from The Ohio State University. She also holds a master's degree in biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University.

Chris Tassone serves as outside general counsel to small and medium-sized businesses, advising on corporate governance and strategic transactions. He counsels individuals and businesses on various issues, including audit support, incentives, transactional planning, tax credits, and tax litigation. Chris earned his J.D. from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law and his bachelor's degree from the University of South Carolina.

Derek Tucker focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital transactions. He counsels venture capital funds, emerging growth companies, and mature businesses and has significant experience with commercial contracts, corporate organization, governance, and general corporate matters. Derek earned his J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and his undergraduate degree from the University of Cincinnati where he graduated cum laude.

Blake Vettel focuses his practice on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, corporate finance, and general commercial and corporate law. He represents both strategic and financial buyers and sellers and works with closely-held businesses, advising them on ownership, governance, and operations matters. Blake holds an LLM in International and E.U. taxation from Uppsala University Faculty of Law. He received his bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin and his J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Michael Zalewski focuses on municipal law and local governmental compliance and assists clients in regulatory compliance at the local level. He has extensive experience in counseling small businesses to ensure compliance with procurement regulations. Michael earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law and his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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