SmithAmundsen Promotes Seven Attorneys to Partner

On March 14 SmithAmundsen promoted seven attorneys to partner, including Luke Behnke, Amber Bishop, John Hayes, Matthew Kees, Elizabeth Lum, Paul Mackowski and Jack Sanker.

Luke Behnke, Partner, Tort Litigation, Milwaukee, WI

Luke’s clients trust him to efficiently and capably handle various legal matters involving personal injury, property damage, product liability, premises liability, professional liability, negligence, eviction, subrogation, warranty and contract claims. He works with clients from a number of different industries, including aerospace, automotive, banking and finance, beverage services, construction, health care, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing, and transportation and logistics.

Amber Bishop, Partner, Banking & Financial Institutions, Crystal Lake, IL

Amber serves as corporate counsel for businesses of all sizes in mergers, acquisitions, stock sales, and other asset transfers. She is dedicated to supporting clients through the transfer process so that the transaction can be as smooth and seamless as possible. Amber assists in all aspects of a transaction, including negotiating and preparing transfer documents, due diligence analysis and review, disclosure schedule review and preparation, closing and post-closing matters. She also provides assistance with the formation of corporations and LLCs, registered agent services, corporate compliance, and general corporate matters.

John Hayes, Partner, Labor & Employment, Chicago, IL

An experienced and skilled trial attorney, John defends both private businesses and governmental agencies against claims of employment discrimination, wage and hour issues,  and civil rights violations. John also counsels business owners on liability issues well before they reach a court room.

Matthew Kees, Partner, Tort Litigation, Milwaukee, WI

Matt defends clients facing breach of contract, breach of warranty, malpractice, negligence, and discrimination claims. He assists clients in various industries, including construction, manufacturing, real estate, and health care.

Elizabeth Lum, Partner, Real Estate, St. Louis, MO

Beth assists clients with transactions for both residential and commercial real estate, including sales, purchases, financing and leases. She counsels clients on a broad range of business transactions, including negotiation of purchase and sale agreements, drafting of subdivision declarations, entity formation, drafting asset and stock purchase agreements and ancillary documents such as non-compete agreements, employment agreements, and personal guarantee financing documents. Beth works with builders and construction companies to update contracts to keep them current with applicable regulations, and to customize the contracts to address issues which are unique to each builder. She also represents homeowners and condominium associations related to the enforcement of restrictions, amending restrictions, and governance issues such as holding meetings and elections.

Paul Mackowski, Partner, Tort Litigation, Indianapolis, IN

Paul defends clients in various industries including retail, transportation, manufacturing and insurance. He assists with toxic tort, catastrophic personal injury and construction matters. He also handles insurance matters including, bad faith, breach of contract, premises liability, environmental claims, and environmental cost recovery.

Jack Sanker, Partner, Construction, Chicago, IL

Jack partners with clients to resolve breach of contract issues, risk mitigation, indemnity disputes, and insurance liability matters. He focuses his practice on tort and insurance litigation, property loss and personal injury. Jack has handled several hundred workers’ compensation cases through resolution via trial, favorable settlements, and on appeal.