Holland & Knight Announces 31 New Partners

MIAMI (January 4, 2016) – Steven Sonberg, managing partner of Holland & Knight, announced that 31 attorneys in the firm have been elected to partnership effective January 1, 2016. Twenty associates and 11 senior counsel from various offices throughout the firm have been elevated. They are:

Atlanta
Associate elevated to partnership:
Matthew Joe is a member of the firm's Real Estate Section. He manages complex commercial real estate transactions involving the acquisition, disposition, construction, development, leasing, financing and management of all classes and types of commercial real estate. He received a J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and B.A. and A.B.J. degrees from the University of Georgia.

Boston
Associates elevated to partnership:
Jenna Bigornia is a member of the firm's Business Section. She practices in the area of healthcare and life sciences, counseling clients on a variety of regulatory, compliance, and fraud and abuse matters. She received a J.D. degree cum laude from Suffolk University Law School, a masters of public health degree from Boston University and a B.S. degree cum laude from Simmons College.

Elizabeth Burkhard is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. She represents clients in the areas of intellectual property licensing, intellectual property and privacy due diligence, electronic commerce and information technology, data security and privacy, and intellectual property portfolio protection. She earned a J.D. degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law and a B.S. degree from Alfred University.

Robert Shaw is a member of the firm's Litigation Section and practices in the area of general civil litigation, focusing on complex commercial litigation and arbitration. He received a J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law and a B.A. degree magna cum laude from Bowdoin College.

Senior Counsel elevated to partnership:
Lynne Xerras is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. She advises clients across a wide range of industries on federal bankruptcy law and state law remedies in the event of insolvency, and represents corporate debtors, secured and unsecured creditors, parties to contracts and leases, and creditors' committees in Chapter 11 proceedings. She earned a J.D. degree from the New England School of Law and a B.A. degree from Boston College.

Chicago
Associates elevated to partnership:
Steven Jedlinski is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. His practice focuses on patent and trademark litigation before various federal district and appellate courts across the country. He is well versed in all facets of litigation through trial and is also a registered patent attorney with experience before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. He received a J.D. degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a B.S. degree in biomedical engineering from Northwestern University.

Chelsea McCarthy is a member of the firm's Litigation Section and handles general commercial litigation. She represents both shareholders and closely held businesses in shareholder disputes, lenders in commercial foreclosures and breach of guaranty actions, and businesses and trustees in ESOP-related issues. She earned a J.D. degree from St. Louis University School of Law and a B.S. degree , with high honors, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Dallas
Associate elevated to partnership:
Stephen Ratliff is a member of the firm's Business Section. He advises clients in the commercial finance industry, including banks, hedge funds and financial institutions, business capital companies and private funds. He earned a J.D. degree from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and a B.A. degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Senior Counsel elevated to partnership:
Joseph Steinberg is a member of the firm's Business Section. He represents financial institutions and business entities in connection with domestic and international finance transactions, including real estate finance, acquisition financing, asset-based lending, mezzanine credit facilities, equity financing and securitizations. He received a J.D. degree from Tulane University Law School and a B.A. degree from Williams College.

Denver
Senior Counsel elevated to partnership:
Leah Capritta is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. She currently focuses her practice on representing multinational oil and gas organizations in litigation and regulatory matters, including before the California Public Utilities Commission and other state regulatory boards. She earned a J.D. degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law and a B.A. degree from the University of Colorado Denver.

Fort Lauderdale
Associates elevated to partnership:
John Chapman is a member of the firm's Litigation Section and primarily handles complex commercial litigation disputes with a focus on contract litigation, business torts, fraudulent misrepresentation and inducement, and trade secret and non-compete litigation. He received a J.D. degree summa cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center and a B.A. degree from the University of Miami.

Katherine Joffe is a member of the firm's Litigation Section and focuses her practice on commercial litigation and appeals throughout Florida. Her practice is concentrated on disputes involving contracts, real estate, torts and trade secrets. Ms. Joffe earned a J.D. degree magna cum laude from Nova Southeastern University Shepard Broad Law Center and a B.A. degree from Oglethorpe University.

Ying Geneve DuBois is a member of the firm's Real Estate Section. In addition to general real estate transactions and representing developers and hotel companies in negotiating hotel management-related agreements, she also represents Chinese investors in their investments in the United States. Ms. DuBois speaks Mandarin and Cantonese fluently and plays an essential role in bridging the culture gap between Chinese investors and U.S. businesses. She received a J.D. degree cum laude from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and a B.B.A. degree summa cum laude from Texas Christian University.

Senior Counsel elevated to partnership:
Bryan Jung is a member of the firm's Business Section. He has more than 25 years of experience providing structuring and advisory services to both borrowers and lenders in financing transactions, including structured finance/securitization transactions and asset-based lending (ABL) transactions. He received a J.D. degree from the University of Chicago Law School and an undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Jacksonville
Associates elevated to partnership:
Robert Riva is a member of the firm's Real Estate Section and represents clients in the areas of real estate financing and restructuring, development, leasing, acquisitions and dispositions. He also handles complex finance transactions , including loans guaranteed by the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, asset sales, joint ventures and corporate governance. He earned a J.D. degree from Florida Coastal School of Law and a B.S. degree from Pennsylvania State University.

Joshua Roberts is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. He has experience in state and federal courts with complex commercial litigation matters, including jury and non-jury trials. Mr. Roberts frequently represents clients with matters arising in the real estate, transportation, logistics, banking and construction industries. He received a J.D. degree cum laude from University of Florida Levin College of Law and a B.A. degree from the University of Florida.

Andrew Steif is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. He represents clients in complex real property and construction litigation, including the representation of developers and condominium owners against construction defect claims asserted pursuant to the Florida Condominium Act. Mr. Steif also represents banks and financial institutions in commercial foreclosure and Uniform Commercial Code matters. He also has expertise in defending transportation companies in lawsuits relating to high-value cargo damage claims. Mr. Steif received a J.D. degree magna cum laude from Florida State University College of Law and a B.A. degree cum laude from the University of Florida.

Los Angeles
Senior counsel elevated to partnership:
Nicholas Melzer is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. He counsels individuals and businesses in internal investigations and a wide range of white collar and related litigation matters in the areas of fraud, professional negligence, antitrust/unfair competition and false claims. He received a J.D. degree from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, and M.A. and B.A. degrees from Tufts University.

Mexico City
Senior counsel elevated to partnership:
Carlos Ochoa is a member of the firm's Business Section. He focuses his practice on energy, infrastructure, real estate, project finance and corporate services. Mr. Ochoa has more than 12 years of experience working in the energy sector and extensive experience in the areas of electricity, oil, gas, renewable energy and government procurement. He is also well versed in public bids, auction processes, contracts and regulatory matters. He earned a J.D. degree from Universidad Anáhuac and an LL.M. degree from Universidad Panamericana.

Miami
Senior counsel elevated to partnership:
Rebecca Plasencia is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. Her practice areas include appeals, complex commercial litigation, product liability, immigration law and creditors' rights. She also has experience in maritime law, construction law, administrative law and election law. She received a J.D. degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law and a B.A. degree magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame.

New York
Senior counsel elevated to partnership:
Joshua Berengarten is a member of the firm's Real Estate Section, advising clients in a wide range of complex real estate and transactional matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, development, construction, leasing and financing. He also counsels condominium and cooperative boards on all matters. He earned a J.D. degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a B.A. degree from Haverford College.

Loren Forrest is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. He represents employers in all aspects of employment litigation, labor relations management and human resources counseling. He received a J.D. degree from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. degree from Queens College, The City University of New York.

Northern Virginia
Associates elevated to partnership:
Gregory Hallmark is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. He advises clients in all aspects of government contracts law, including bid protests and disputes, government audits and investigations, and litigation, including under the False Claims Act. He earned a J.D. degree, with honors, from the University of Texas School of Law and a B.A. degree, with highest distinction, from the University of Virginia.

Megan Jeschke is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. She represents defense, healthcare and services contractors in bid protests, government audits and fraud investigations, as well as litigation matters involving false claims and procurement integrity laws. She received a J.D. degree from George Washington University Law School and a B.B.A. degree cum laude from the University of New Mexico.

Senior counsel elevated to partnership:
Claudia Hinsch is a member of the firm's Business Section. She advises employers on a wide range of employee benefit issues, including the design and administration of qualified and nonqualified retirement, health and welfare and fringe benefit plans, human resources issues such as payroll and communication of benefits or compensation, compliance matters  arising under ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code, and employment agreements and compensation plans. Ms. Hinsch also assists with incentive plans, severance agreements and golden parachute analysis. She received LL.M. and J.D. degrees from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.S. degree from Carnegie Mellon University.

Orlando
Associate elevated to partnership:
Dustin Stevens is a member of the firm's Real Estate Section. His practice includes managing complex commercial real estate transactions, including the acquisition, disposition and development of retail shopping centers and outparcels, mixed-use developments, single-family residential developments and raw land, as well as drafting and negotiating office, warehouse, retail and other commercial leases. Mr. Stevens earned a J.D. degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and a B.A. degree from Duke University.

San Francisco
Associates elevated to partnership:
Paula Kirlin is a member of the firm's Government Section and practices in the areas of land use, environment and sustainable development. She advises clients on all aspects of the local land use and entitlement process in California, including due diligence, permitting and compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, with a focus on complex urban, mixed-use and transit-oriented development projects. She received a J.D. degree cum laude from DePaul University College of Law, an M.A. degree from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and a B.M.A. degree cum laude from DePauw University.

Nathan Leavitt is a member of the firm's Business Section. He is an aviation finance attorney. He earned a J.D. degree cum laude from St. Mary's University School of Law in San Antonio, Texas, and a B.A. degree from Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash.

Tallahassee
Associate elevated to partnership:
Kevin Cox is a member of the firm's Litigation Section. He represents clients primarily in the healthcare, banking and utilities sectors in complex civil litigation matters. His experience includes litigation of constitutional challenges, antitrust claims, contract disputes, deceptive trade practices, and other business torts. Mr. Cox earned a J.D. degree from Harvard Law School cum laude and an A.B. degree magna cum laude from Harvard University.

Tampa
Senior counsel elevated to partnership:
Robert Lang is a member of the firm's Business Section. His primary area of practice involves fiduciary dispute resolution and litigation affecting contested trusts and estates. Mr. Lang is experienced in will and trust contests, as well as contested guardianship matters, and has been involved in some of the most sensitive and high-profile cases in his field. He received a J.D. degree from Stetson University College of Law and a B.A. degree from the University of Florida.

Washington, D.C.
Associate elevated to partnership:
Joel Roberson is a member of the firm's Government Section. His practice focuses on public policy development, legislative advocacy and regulatory compliance, particularly with respect to data privacy, Food and Drug Administration law and specialty materials. He earned a J.D. degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a B.A. degree from Duke University.