Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck is pleased to announce 16 promotions effective Jan. 1, 2021. Jena Acos (Santa Barbara), Hannah Caplan (Denver), Emily Ellis (Las Vegas), Emily Felder (Washington, D.C.), Andrew Freyer (Denver), Shane Griffin (Denver), Justin Hahn (Denver), Chris Humes (Las Vegas), Jason Larkin (Denver), Travis Norton (Washington, D.C.), Julia Rhine (Denver), Joshua Weiss (Denver) and Lindsey Williams (Las Vegas) will become shareholders. Mimi Burke and Ari Zimmerman will become senior policy advisors in Washington, D.C., and Radha Mohan in Washington, D.C., will become senior policy advisor and counsel.
With 13 offices across the western U.S., plus Washington, D.C., and Atlantic City, Brownstein is where business, law and politics converge. Founded in 1968, Brownstein provides its clients a value that no other western law firm can match—an integrated approach that combines sensible business solutions with a Capitol Hill perspective. The firm’s 275 lawyers and policy professionals have built a reputation for providing multidisciplinary legal counsel that drives results and connects business leaders to the information they need to make decisions.
Shareholders
Jena Acos is a member of the firm’s Energy & Natural Resources Department, where her practice thrives at the intersection of water and public agency law. Her clients include one of California’s largest water districts responsible for managing one of the state’s critically overdrafted groundwater basins. Acos advises clients on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and the development of groundwater management plans. She also serves as a contract city attorney for the City of Carpinteria, where she works closely with city staff to draft, review and enforce contracts and ordinances as well as navigate critical jurisdictional issues.
Practicing in the firm’s Litigation Department, Hannah Caplan helps businesses navigate the complex field of labor and employment law and works proactively to mitigate the risk of future claims. In her transactional practice, she navigates employee transitions with confidentiality, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements as well as separation and release agreements, often under time constraints and with sensitivity to other business needs. She also assists with due diligence support in corporate acquisition and merger transactions, including immigration compliance and other material issues.
A member of the firm’s Litigation Department, Emily Ellis is known for her sense of humanity in the midst of high-stakes complex commercial litigation. With client advocacy at the forefront, she focuses her practice on business, construction defect and real estate disputes. She also has experience in intellectual property litigation, including trademark and copyright matters. Ellis represents a wide range of clients from governmental entities to large corporations and publicly traded companies.
A member of Brownstein’s Government Relations Department, Emily Felder has tackled some of the nation’s most challenging health care issues from inside the executive branch and on Capitol Hill. She leads the firm’s federal health care practice and provides clients across the industry with strategic guidance, technical expertise and regulatory counsel. She develops and executes legislative and regulatory solutions on behalf of health care systems, physician and provider groups, hospitals and nonprofit organizations, and works directly with policymakers to carry proposed solutions across the finish line.
Practicing in the firm’s Intellectual Property Department, Andrew Freyer understands that bridging communication gaps between engineers and management is essential to making informed business decisions. He applies an insider’s knowledge of large and small technology companies’ operations and objectives and his expertise in electrical engineering and software development to his work on patent preparation, prosecution and portfolio development. By providing data-informed counsel and unique industry insight, his work ensures clients realize the full value of their intellectual property rights.
Shane Griffin practices in the firm’s Real Estate Department. He represents clients in the acquisition, development, financing, leasing and disposition of various commercial properties, including office buildings, shopping centers and hotels. Griffin also has experience in performing due diligence in all phases of real estate transactions such as title and survey.
Justin Hahn is a member of the firm’s Corporate & Business Department. With a focus on M&A transactions in the middle markets and lower middle markets, he is known for his ability to effectively and efficiently get deals done for his clients. Working primarily in the consumer products, health care and energy services industries, he represents private equity sponsors and their portfolio companies, private companies and public companies in connection with complex business transactions.
A member of the firm’s Litigation Department who focuses on ERISA governance, Chris Humes uses his employee benefits expertise to navigate issues with trusts, regulatory compliance, litigation and dispute resolution. He helps ensure multiemployer trust funds’ employee benefit plans comply with federal guidance from Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Labor (DOL).
Jason Larkin is a member of the firm’s Corporate & Business Department. His practice focuses on secured and unsecured corporate finance transactions, including complex private equity-backed and strategic acquisition financings, project financings, asset-based financings and other borrower- and lender-side commercial financings. Larkin also has significant experience with cross-border transactions, specifically in Latin America, doing capital market and project finance transactions.
A member of the firm’s Government Relations Department, Travis Norton draws on his deep background in financial services law and policy to develop high-impact advocacy and communication strategies to achieve clients’ goals. Having served as general counsel to the House Judiciary and Financial Services committees and as staff director to Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) Senate Banking Subcommittee, Norton’s technical mastery of process and policy drives success for companies with objectives that require a sophisticated approach informed by real-world experience.
As a member of the firm’s Energy & Natural Resources Department, Julia Rhine helps her clients traverse Colorado’s complex oil and gas landscape with political savvy and collaborative problem solving. She focuses her practice on cases involving state and local government regulatory frameworks, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other matters subject to review under state and federal administrative procedure statutes. She frequently handles enforcement proceedings and rulemakings before the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.
Joshua Weiss, a member of the firm’s Litigation Department, has built a unique practice pairing litigation with high-level government relations work along with a broad appellate practice. He represents a broad range of clients in federal and state courts across the country, administrative and regulatory enforcement proceedings and informal dispute resolution processes. Weiss also advises on business strategy, regulatory compliance, licensing, internal investigations and corporate governance in heavily regulated industries, including cannabis and hemp, banking, finance, gaming and construction.
Lindsey Williams practices in the firm’s Intellectual Property Department. A proactive strategist, she advises clients in acquiring, protecting and enforcing intellectual property assets including trademarks, domain names, copyrights and rights of publicity. She focuses on large-scale trademark portfolio management for clients in the gaming, hospitality and entertainment industries. Williams also has developed a niche practice advising clients on online and social media advertising compliance strategies, including the development of promotional contests and sweepstakes.
Senior Policy Advisors
Mimi Burke, a member of the firm’s Government Relations Department, works with global Fortune 100 companies to advise on market access, emerging initiatives and international government issues. She has over 25 years of experience working with a range of ambassadors, influential stakeholders and the Washington, D.C., international community and leverages over two decades of experience working in the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Washington, D.C.
Ari Zimmerman is a member of the firm’s Government Relations Department. He offers key insight into legislative strategies pertaining to national defense, foreign affairs, homeland security and the military. Zimmerman joined Brownstein after eight years in the House of Representatives, where he served as a professional staff member on the House Armed Services Committee, part of a small group of senior staff tasked with carrying out Chair Mac Thornberry’s (R-TX) agenda, including securing annual bipartisan support for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Senior Policy Advisor and Counsel
A member of the firm’s Government Relations Department, Radha Mohan designs legislative and regulatory strategies in areas related to tax, worker training and education, and labor issues for a diverse set of clients that includes public and private corporations, trade associations, coalitions, health insurers and nonprofits. She focuses on representing clients’ interests before the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Congress and has experience working with matters involving the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee.