Shook Announces Class of 17 New Partners

Shook has promoted 17 attorneys to the firm’s class of 2022 new partners. They include 10 women and seven men representing seven practice areas across 10 cities. From achievements in intellectual property law, multimillion dollar lawsuits, product liability bellwether trials, appellate wins and innovative solutions to privacy and data security litigation, these new partners have proven their leadership and dedication to providing the best representation for Shook’s clients. 

The following attorneys are new partners at Shook, effective March 1, 2022.

Brandon Arber represents national and international companies in high-stakes litigation including complex environmental litigation, product liability, class action, toxic tort, aviation and employment litigation. 

Cecilia Bidwell develops and prepares scientific and medical experts for deposition and trial in product liability lawsuits, addressing expert evidentiary issues and advising trial counsel on the defense strategy and presentation of scientific issues in jury trials. 

Samantha “Sam” Burnett defends automotive manufacturers and other clients in product liability, consumer and warranty litigation in both state and federal courts.  

Kerensa Cassis has a nationwide practice defending clients sued for premises and product liability. She defends individual and multi-party personal injury, wrongful death and property damage claims for industrial and consumer goods sellers and manufacturers. 

Darlene Cho devotes her litigation practice to defending clients in class action lawsuits filed in state and federal courts nationwide and is also an experienced appellate attorney, having drafted numerous winning appellate briefs on behalf of her clients. 

Rachel Forman’s practice primarily focuses on the defense of complex product liability cases, including medical device and smoking and health-related lawsuits, for major manufacturers. 

Ashley Hayes’ practice centers on defense in product liability actions and complex litigation throughout Florida’s state and federal courts, with an emphasis on smoking-and-health cases. 

Erin Hines’ business litigation practice includes class action and complex litigation and helping clients with privacy and data security matters including the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). 

Wesley Horner’s practice involves patent preparation and prosecution, intellectual property counseling and licensing, and he advises public and venture-financed companies and startups in a wide variety of IP matters. 

Ryan Killian practices product liability law with an emphasis in pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. He has represented clients embroiled in multimillion-dollar business disputes and participated in the successful defense of a nationwide class action. 

Elizabeth “Liz” Lucas is an intellectual property attorney who drafts utility patent applications and oversees application prosecution, including response management and interviews with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). 

W. Clark Richardson defends corporations in product liability and general liability litigation in a variety of claims including defending leading insurance companies against bad faith, extra-contractual, coverage and related claims. 

Mark Schafer is an intellectual property attorney whose practice focuses on complex patent litigation involving a variety of technologies. He was a key part of a major patent litigation win for a Shook client. 

Jennifer Spencer defends pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers engaged in product liability litigation, managing complex litigation pending in jurisdictions across the country as well as multidistrict litigation.

Chris Strobel focuses on prosecuting patents in the mechanical, electrical and computer arts and counsels clients on obtaining intellectual property protection for their inventions in these areas. 

Angela Truesdale is an intellectual property attorney with a practice focusing on counseling and handling every aspect of patent prosecution. 

Jeremiah “Jeremy” Wikler is a data and discovery strategies litigator who advises clients on best practices for preservation, collection, processing, review and production as part of the discovery process.