Boston;
Chicago;
Fort Lauderdale,
Florida;
Jacksonville,
Florida;
Los Angeles;
Minneapolis;
Rockford,
Illinois – The national, full-service law firm of Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is proud to announce the election of the following attorneys to partnership:
Based in Hinshaw’s
Los Angeles office,
Angeli C. Aragon focuses her litigation practice in the areas of commercial litigation, labor and employment law, and lawyers’ professional liability. Ms. Aragon defends class actions and managing complex litigation, and has handled several appeals. She has held leadership positions with the Philippine American Bar Association of Los Angeles and the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and is active in several other legal organizations. Ms. Aragon earned her J.D. (1990) and B.A. (1982) from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). She is fluent in Tagalog.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Jacksonville office,
Glenn S. Banner focuses his litigation practice in consumer litigation, tort defense litigation and professional liability matters. Mr. Banner represents clients in cases involving consumer financial services, professional liability, nursing home litigation, premises liability, negligence, contractual matters, and real estate errors and omissions. In the area of consumer financial services litigation, he represents banks, debt collection agencies, financial and lending institutions, and mortgage servicers. Mr. Banner litigates lawsuits involving claims brought under various state and federal consumer laws, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act, Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, Truth in Lending Act, Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Florida Consumer Collection Practices Act, and Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. He earned his J.D. (2002) from Florida Coastal School of Law and his B.S. (1999) from Florida State University.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Chicago office,
V. Brette Bensinger focuses her practice in the area of labor and employment law, representing management in both the private and public sectors. She has litigated class action discrimination claims, counseled clients on internal investigations and has particular experience in wage and hour disputes in the context of private litigation, as well as with the U.S. Department of Labor and Illinois Department of Labor. Ms. Bensinger recently represented the first and only elected official to be found in compliance and dismissed from a longstanding political discrimination lawsuit which is still active against other elected officials. Her experience also includes defending clients in premises liability and regulatory matters. Ms. Bensinger is an active participant in the Illinois Constitutional Rights Foundation Lawyers in a Classroom Program and serves on the Advocacy Committee of the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago Founders’ Board. Ms. Bensinger earned her J.D. (2005) from the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College of Law and her B.A. (2000) from Northwestern University.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Minneapolis office,
Michael T. Berger focuses his practice in complex business litigation, intellectual property matters and products liability defense. A former scientist and engineer, he is admitted to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Mr. Berger also counsels clients on pre-litigation strategies and settlement options. Mr. Berger earned his J.D. (2005) from William Mitchell College of Law, where he graduated
cum laude. He received an M.S. (1994) in environmental science from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay and holds a B.S. (1991) from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Boston office,
Samuel C. Bodurtha focuses his practice in the area of professional liability, with particular emphasis on the representation of attorneys. He also represents insurance companies in coverage matters, and lenders, servicers and their agents and vendors in all aspects of claims arising out of contested foreclosures. Mr. Bodurtha handles legal matters in state and federal courts in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He earned his J.D. (2004) from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he graduated
cum laude, and his B.A. (1999) from Bowdoin College, where he graduated
cum laude.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Minneapolis office,
Duana J. Grage focuses her practice on commercial insurance coverage disputes and the defense of professionals. She represents insurers in complex commercial coverage matters in jurisdictions across the United States and provides coverage advice and counseling on commercial general liability, professional liability and financial institution bond policies. Ms. Grage earned her J.D. (1997) from Hamline University School of Law, where she graduated with honors, and her B.A. (1994) from Macalester College, where she graduated
magna cum laude.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Rockford office,
Sherry L. Harlan represents small and midsized business in their financing, general corporate and real estate matters. Ms. Harlan focuses her counsel on matters involving annexation, contracts, leasing and zoning. She also has experience handling legal matters related to real estate acquisition and development. Ms. Harlan earned her J.D. (1987) from the University of Wisconsin School of Law and her B.A. (1983) from Illinois Wesleyan University.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Rockford office,
Carol A. Lockwood focuses her practice in the areas of transactions and real estate matters. Ms. Lockwood assists developers in acquiring property and with the related annexation and zoning requirements for residential and commercial projects. She has also handled real estate acquisitions for a HUD-sponsored project. Ms. Lockwood earned her J.D. (2001) from the University of Illinois College of Law, where she graduated
cum laude. She also holds a Ph.D. (1991) and an M.A. (1987) from the University of Sussex, England and received her B.A. from Northwestern University in 1985.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Chicago office,
Conrad C. Nowak represents clients across many states in high-profile, sensitive litigation as well as in transactional matters. Mr. Nowak has handled matters in a variety of areas, including alarm and security services, catastrophic occurrences, commercial litigation, commercial transactions, general liability, labor and employment, and products liability. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Polish American Association. Mr. Nowak earned his J.D. (2002) from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.A. (1998) from DePaul University, where he graduated with honors. He is fluent in Polish and Serbo-Croatian.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Fort Lauderdale office,
Martin D. Stern represents clients in lawsuits involving automobile and trucking matters, breaches of contract, construction issues, contribution, employer liability claims, general liability, hospitality topics, indemnity, personal injury, premises liability, products liability, subrogation, and wrongful death claims. He also provides representation in complex arbitrations involving preferred-provider disputes associated with reimbursement rates. Mr. Stern earned his J.D. (1994) from Widener University School of Law, and his B.B.A. (1991) from Florida Atlantic University, where he graduated with honors. He also earned an A.A.S. (1988) from the Community College of the Air Force, and served as a Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force for six years, during which time he received numerous honors related to his service.
Based in Hinshaw’s
Los Angeles office,
Ray Tamaddon focuses his practice in business and commercial litigation and transactions, insurance coverage disputes and bad faith claims, and labor and employment matters. In his insurance law practice, he has served as lead counsel in large-exposure complex insurance coverage cases throughout the West Coast and Hawaii and briefed and argued issues of first impression. As part of Mr. Tamaddon’s employment practice, he has handled litigation and internal investigations, counseled on various employment issues, and assisted employers with risk-management efforts. Mr. Tamaddon earned his J.D. (1989) from Boston University School of Law and his A.B. (1986) from Bowdoin College.
Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is a full-service national law firm providing coordinated legal services across the United States, as well as regionally and locally. Hinshaw lawyers represent businesses, governmental entities and individuals in complex litigation, regulatory and transactional matters. Founded in 1934, the firm has approximately 500 attorneys in 24 offices located in
Arizona,
California,
Florida,
Illinois,
Indiana,
Massachusetts,
Minnesota,
Missouri,
New York,
Oregon,
Rhode Island and
Wisconsin.