CHICAGO ― Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP today announced the election of new partners
Mark T. Berhow (
Minneapolis),
Damian M. Fletcher (
Ft. Lauderdale),
John Mark Hongs (
St. Louis),
Schuyler B. Kraus (
New York),
Allison D. Rhodes (
Portland), and
Lora L. Zimmer (
Appleton,
Wisconsin). These elections will take effect July 1, 2009. All were formerly associates with the firm.
“Our newly elected partners represent a broad spectrum of our firm’s expertise from business litigation to legal professional responsibility, risk management, and healthcare disputes,” said Hinshaw & Culbertson’s Chairman of twenty years,
Donald L. Mrozek. “They have upheld the high standards of our firm through their diligent work on behalf of our clients, earning the respect of their partners over the length of their careers at Hinshaw. We congratulate them on their achievements to date and welcome them with great confidence to their new roles,” he said.
Based in Hinshaw’s Minneapolis office,
Mark T. Berhow is a litigator who focuses his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, employment law and legal malpractice defense. He also represents title insurers and others involved in real estate disputes, and advises non-profit organizations in all areas from formation and governance through employment and other related matters. In 2009, Minnesota Law & Politics magazine named Mr. Berhow to its Rising Stars list. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Minnesota School of Law and B.A.,
summa cum laude, in Philosophy and Political Science, from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Based in Hinshaw’s Ft. Lauderdale office,
Damian M. Fletcher focuses his practice in the defense and management of risk against catastrophic loss involving claims of products liability, toxic torts, transportation, general liability and commercial matters. He provides counseling and legal services to the following industries: manufacturers, pharmacies, retailers, trucking companies, healthcare professionals and other service providers. Mr. Fletcher joined Hinshaw in September 2006. He previously worked at distinguished local law firms in South Florida. He earned his J.D. from The Florida State University College of Law, and a B.S. in Public Relations from the University of Florida.
Based in Hinshaw’s St. Louis office,
John Mark Hongs handles complex litigation in many areas, including class actions, commercial litigation, labor and employment disputes and intellectual property litigation. His transactional practice includes real estate agreements, corporation formation and related services, preliminary agreements to joint ventures and acquisitions, and intellectual property licensing agreements. Mr. Hongs joined Hinshaw in 2006, following a career in the banking industry as a licensed securities representative and investments and estate counselor. He earned his J.D. from Washington University School of Law and B.A. in Economics from Knox College. He speaks Korean and Spanish.
Based in Hinshaw’s New York office,
Schuyler B. Kraus focuses his practice in the areas of commercial litigation, legal malpractice, professional liability and products liability. Prior to joining Hinshaw in 2004, Mr. Kraus was an associate with a prominent east coast firm where he managed the New York State asbestos litigation for a fortune 50 company. Before entering private practice, Mr. Kraus served as an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York City Law Department, Office of the Corporation Counsel from 1999-2003. Currently, Mr. Kraus is representing a number of major financial institutions in actions pending in state and federal courts. Mr. Kraus earned his J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, and B.A. from University of Colorado at Boulder. He is admitted to practice in New York and Connecticut.
Allison D. Rhodes focuses her practice in legal professional responsibility with particular emphasis on legal ethical matters, attorney disciplinary defense and lawyer mobility. Based in Hinshaw’s Portland office, she also handles complex conflict of interest and multiple representation questions, as well as attorney-client privilege matters and work product doctrine matters. Prior to joining Hinshaw in 2005, she was a deputy district attorney with the Multnomah Country District Attorney’s Office, assigned to the Gang Crimes Unit. In 2008, Ms. Rhodes was named to the Rising Stars list in the area of Professional Liability: Defense, by Oregon Super Lawyers & Rising Stars magazine. She earned her J.D.,
cum laude, from Northwestern School of Law of Lewis & Clark College, and B.A. in Sociology from Lewis & Clark College. Fluent in Spanish, she is admitted to practice in Oregon and California.
Lora L. Zimmer focuses her practice in health care law and insurance services. Based in Hinshaw’s Appleton, Wisconsin, office, she is a member of the firm’s national Health Care practice, representing hospitals, physicians, clinics, chiropractors and dentists in malpractice claims, compliance complaints, contract disputes and other matters. She is experienced in negotiating managed care contracts, interpreting and negotiating employment contracts and crafting compliance policies for health care clients. Ms. Zimmer also has experience in analyzing insurance policies and in drafting and interpreting other types of contracts. She joined Hinshaw in 2005 after having served the local community as Assistant District Attorney with the Outagamie County District Attorney's Office. Ms. Zimmer earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and B.A. in English,
summa cum laude, from St. Norbert College in De Pere, Wisconsin.
Founded in 1934, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP is a national law firm with more than 460 lawyers in 24 offices spanning 12 states, including
Arizona,
California,
Florida,
Illinois,
Indiana,
Massachusetts,
Minnesota,
Missouri,
New York,
Oregon,
Rhode Island and
Wisconsin.
Hinshaw offers a full-service practice, with an emphasis in litigation, business law and corporate transactions, environmental, intellectual property, labor and employment law, professional liability defense, estate planning and taxation matters. The firm represents a range of for-profit and not-for-profit clients in industries that include alarm and security services, construction, financial services, health care, hospitality, insurance, legal, manufacturing, real estate, retail and transportation. Hinshaw clients also include government agencies, municipalities and schools.