Jenner & Block elevated nine lawyers to the partnership and seven lawyers to special counsel, promoting 16 individuals overall in the firm's Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC offices.
"We are proud to elevate this talented group of new partners and special counsel," said Co-Managing Partners Katya Jestin and Randy Mehrberg. "Each has shown outstanding dedication to both our clients and the firm's core values of excellence, collaboration, and pro bono service. With their diverse specialties, perspectives, and backgrounds, they are well-equipped to address the evolving legal and strategic needs of our clients. We look forward to their continued success and contributions as part of our partnership and our firm."
Effective January 1, 2025, the new partners include:
Chicago
Alexis Bates – Alexis litigates various issues under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), in federal trial and appellate courts. She represents benefit plans, plan sponsors, plan service providers, and fiduciaries in various kinds of ERISA litigation, including cases involving class actions for benefits claims, breach of fiduciary duty litigation, excessive fee cases in both the 401(k) plan and 403(b) plan contexts, and claims for vested retiree benefits.
Huiyi Chen – Huiyi is a trial lawyer focusing on policyholder-side insurance coverage litigation, antitrust class action, and other sophisticated commercial disputes. She has been a key member of several trial teams, including a three-week jury trial representing a policyholder seeking over $100 million in cyber insurance coverage against its insurer, and has experience in all aspects of trial advocacy, including pre-litigation investigation, motion practice, fact and expert discovery, case management and strategy, trial preparation, and witness examination.
Lindsey A. Lusk – Lindsey helps clients navigate complex civil litigation, including Fortune 500 companies and companies in the aerospace and defense industries. Lindsey has a broad range of litigation experience in federal and state courts, as well as in domestic and international arbitrations. She has played a key role in litigating multi-million-dollar disputes, taking cases to trial, and securing settlements. As a former journalist, Lindsey brings a seasoned approach to fact investigation and helping clients assess potential and ongoing litigation.
Los Angeles
Lauren M. Greene – Lauren offers diverse litigation experience to her clients, many of them household names in the entertainment industry. As a classically trained musician, she also has unique instincts that she leverages to connect with content owners in protecting their intellectual property. Major studios and individuals turn to Lauren when they face disputes at the heart of their creative and business endeavors.
Carolyn Small – Carolyn draws from her experience as a former Assistant US Attorney in the Major Frauds Section of the Criminal Division in the Central District of California to counsel clients as they navigate complex issues. Carolyn works to help companies in their most sensitive matters, including government investigations, criminal prosecutions, and civil enforcement proceedings. She also conducts internal investigations and has experience representing publicly traded companies in high stakes matters.
New York
Billy Goldstein – Billy helps clients in a wide array of industries and circumstances navigate complex business disputes. He has substantial experience litigating M&A disputes, fraud claims, and other business torts on behalf of global life science and manufacturing companies, financial services firms, asset management and real estate investment companies, and others. International clients rely on Billy's counsel to protect their US business interests in high-stakes cross-border disputes.
Washington, DC
Nathaniel E. Castellano – When facing the most challenging and significant issues of government contracts law, even experienced procurement lawyers turn to Nathan for his insights, guidance, and perspective. He is a widely recognized thought leader in the government contracts community and a seasoned advocate with experience navigating a broad range of high-profile procurement matters.
Sam Ungar – Sam guides clients through high-pressure threats and prepares them for high-stakes government oversight inquiries in the United States and other international jurisdictions. With his unique background as a litigator and crisis manager, and his deep experience with Congressional Investigations, Sam leans on his strategic vision to help clients make their cases legally and reputationally. Sam built the foundation of his practice as a litigator, representing clients in trial court and on appeals. He has prepared clients to testify before Congress and similar government bodies around the world, including in Europe, Asia, and Oceania. Sam is an active member of both the State of California and District of Columbia bars.
Anand Viswanathan – Clients turn to Anand for advice and counsel as they navigate the rapidly evolving energy regulatory landscape. With 10 years of experience at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), including roles as Legal Advisor to the Chairman, Appellate Counsel in the Office of General Counsel, and Attorney-Advisor in the Office of Enforcement, Anand represents clients in court and before FERC and other government agencies on their most pressing and complex regulatory issues. Anand also serves as Co-Chair of the firm's Post-Chevron Task Force.
Effective January 1, 2025, the new special counsel include:
Chicago
Sharon Moraes – Sharon advises clients on a range of transactional matters, including complex mergers and acquisitions and secured financings across various industries. She guides clients through every step of a deal, minimizing risks and capitalizing on opportunities at each phase, from initial strategy and structural decisions through and following closing. Working closely with client teams—often involving large, cross-functional groups—she creates tailored solutions to achieve their goals in unique transactions. Sharon serves as a member of Jenner & Block's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
Abraham M. Salander – Abe represents a diverse range of clients, including landlords, tenants, buyers, sellers, investors, developers, Fortune 500 companies, REITs, private equity firms, family offices, and financial institutions. He handles a range of complex real estate matters across all asset classes, including office, industrial, retail, transportation, and fiber infrastructure. Abe has extensive experience advising clients in connection with real estate acquisitions and dispositions, leasing, joint ventures, development, construction, financing, workouts, mergers and acquisitions, and multi-asset portfolio sales. A former litigator, Abe has experience advising clients in connection with real estate disputes involving commercial leases, acquisitions and dispositions, rights of first refusal, partnerships, development projects, construction, financing, judicial foreclosures, UCC foreclosures, evictions, specific performance, property management, special servicers, eminent domain, and allegations of failure to maintain.
Los Angeles
Alice Kim – Alice helps clients navigate complex commercial disputes and consumer class actions. She has frequently secured early dismissals and favorable settlements on behalf of personal care, technology product, and auto manufacturers. Alice also advises clients of all sizes on a wide array of complicated disputes involving state consumer protection laws, unfair business practices, false advertising, copyright and trademark infringement, and trade secrets. She serves on the Associates Advisory Board of the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles and on the firm's Pro Bono Committee and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.
New York
Tessa Roberts – Tessa represents corporations and individuals in connection with government and internal investigations and advises clients on developing effective, risk-based compliance programs. Tessa plays a key role in managing fast-paced investigations, including cross-border matters, from start to finish. She has worked with a variety of clients, including major financial institutions, government contractors, tech companies, universities, and nonprofits on their most challenging and sensitive investigations. In her monitorship work, Tessa applies her knowledge to help government agencies ensure that companies that have engaged in misconduct have fully addressed the causes and have taken the right steps to prevent the misconduct from recurring.
San Francisco
Paige Zielinski – Paige is a former California prosecutor who leverages her significant courtroom and first-chair trial experience to help clients navigate internal and external threats to their business. Paige represents clients facing criminal and civil litigation and governmental investigations, including those conducted by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, state Attorneys General, and District Attorneys. She sits on the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Bar Association's Criminal and Governmental Investigations Section and is a member of the Women's White Collar Defense Association.
Washington, DC
Juliana Brint – Juliana represents electric utilities, independent power producers, financial institutions, and other energy industry clients in regulatory proceedings, investigations and enforcement actions, and related litigation. She assists clients involved in proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), state public utility commissions, and other administrative agencies, as well as related appellate and trial court cases. Juliana has significant experience working with clients that are the subjects of investigations by FERC's Office of Enforcement, addressing issues related to the scope of FERC's authority under the Federal Power Act, helping companies navigate complex regulatory requirements and organized wholesale electricity market rules, and advising clients on the regulatory implications of commercial transactions.
Allison M. Tjemsland – Allison is a member of the Native American Law and Communications, Internet, and Technology practices. Through her work with the Communications, Internet, and Technology Practice, Allison advocates for clients in FCC and state commission proceedings and advises on regulatory strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and compliance. A descendant of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, Allison has represented tribes before state and federal trial and appellate courts, and before the US Supreme Court, on issues including sovereign immunity, land-into-trust, federal preemption, and reservation status.