Barnes & Thornburg Welcomes New Attorneys and Legal Professionals

Barnes & Thornburg has added corporate, healthcare, immigration, intellectual property, labor and employment, and litigation attorneys and legal professionals to its Atlanta, Chicago, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., offices. 

An associate in the South Bend office, Ambreen Ahmad works closely with clients on defending product liability and toxic tort claims. She also has experience advising debtors and creditors in insolvency proceedings and immigration clients in asylum cases. Prior to joining Barnes & Thornburg, Ahmad was an attorney with a Chicago law firm and practiced in the area of insolvency and restructuring. Ahmad earned her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 2021 and her B.A. in humanistic studies and communication studies from Saint Mary's College in 2013.

Michael Apacible, a paralegal in the Los Angeles office, works closely with partners and associates within the litigation team to assist on cases from discovery to the trial phase. Whether it is data analysis, document drafting, or overall case preparation, he has worked on singular cases to mass tort filings involving thousands of plaintiffs. Apacible earned his paralegal certificate from Fairleigh Dickinson University and his B.S. in criminal justice from Rutgers University in 2006.

Of counsel in the New York office, Michael Arana’s practice is focused on drafting, reviewing and negotiating contracts crucial to his clients’ businesses, including, consulting agreements, engagement letters, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, vendor agreements, data purchase agreements, software licenses and other operations agreements. Arana earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1997, his M.A. in American history in 1994 and his B.A. in American studies in 1992 from Stanford University.

Jenna Brahan, a paralegal in the Philadelphia office, assists attorneys in the litigation practice, analyzing and developing factual case narratives through various methods. She aids in drafting and preparing pleadings, coordinates filing and service as required by local rules, and provides record and cite checking to briefings prior to electronic filing. Brahan has experience managing a large caseload of mass tort, multi-district litigation and civil litigation matters focusing on defense of major pharmaceutical and medical device companies. She earned a paralegal studies degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2017 and her B.A. in liberal arts and applied social sciences from Rider University in 2015.

Michael Daniells is an associate in the Indianapolis office and advises clients in the areas of intellectual property, privacy compliance, and data security. He has earned a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) certification and a Certified Information Privacy Manager (CIPM) certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP). Daniells earned his J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2019 and his B.S. from Indiana University in 2015.

An immigration specialist in the Atlanta office, Maritza Heard works with the immigration attorneys on various aspects of the preparation and filing of non-immigrant and immigrant visa petitions including, H-1B, L-1, I-140, I-145, O-1, and PERM, among others. Additionally, she provides operational support through data management. She earned her B.S. in communication studies from Mercer University in 2014.

Victoria Hill, an immigration coordinator in the Atlanta office, helps corporate immigration professionals provide excellent client service. Prior to joining the firm, she worked as a business immigration paralegal at multiple top global firms where she was responsible for H-1B, TN, O, PERM, I-140, I-485, I-130, and PERM processes for Fortune 500 clients. Hill also gained significant experience with requests for evidence and PERM audits and responses. She earned her B.A. in American studies and political science from the University of Notre Dame in 2017.

An associate in the Chicago office, Samuel Leist’s practice focuses on helping clients resolve disputes in a variety of industries before trial or arbitration becomes necessary. Leist guides his clients through each stage of the dispute, from discovery to motion practice to conclusion. He earned his J.D. from the University of Notre Dame Law School in 2018 and his B.A. in political science from DePauw University in 2014.

As a paralegal in the Fort Wayne office, Heather Mink handles litigation and employment matters in the areas of workers’ compensation, long- and short-term disability, discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, FMLA, ADEA, ADA, and ERISA law. Her litigation experience includes drafting complaints, summonses, subpoenas, jury demands, and appearances, along with preliminary and final expert, witness, and exhibit lists. Mink earned her B.S. in legal studies and public policy from Indiana University-Fort Wayne in 2019 and her B.S. in brain and behavioral sciences from Purdue University in 2016.

Brian Nguyen, an associate in the Los Angeles office, represents institutional and individual clients in a wide-range of litigation matters, including commercial, intellectual property, and real estate construction defect litigation. Prior to joining the firm, he worked for a Los Angeles-based firm, where he routinely appeared for hearings in state and federal court on behalf of his clients. Nguyen earned his J.D. from the University of California Los Angeles School of Law in 2020 and his B.A. in political science and international affairs from the University of California, Riverside in 2016.

A paralegal in the Chicago office, Jeff Nicholas assists the Intellectual Property team and clients throughout the trademark prosecution process. He prepares and files U.S. Patent and Trademark Office applications, extensions, statement of uses, trademark registration declarations and renewals, Madrid filings, and other filings as needed. Nicholas earned his certificate in paralegal studies from Loyola University Chicago and his B.S. in psychology and his B.A. in communication from Eastern Michigan University.

Thomas Petersen, an associate in the Washington, D.C., office, advises and represents various healthcare entities, including hospitals and physician groups, in response to government actions, investigations, and claims brought under federal and state law. He advises clients facing alleged violations of healthcare fraud statutes and other types of fraud crimes that affect healthcare providers. Petersen earned his J.D. from Washington & Lee University School of Law in 2020 and his B.S. in political science from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in 2017.

Josh White is an associate in the Fort Wayne office who represents clients in the areas of corporate law and estate planning. He works with individuals and families to help them with decisions related to estate and Medicaid planning, wills, revocable and irrevocable living trusts, living wills, powers of attorney and the probate administration process. White earned his J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2020 and his B.S. in entrepreneurial business management and marketing from Huntington University in 2017.

An associate in the Atlanta office, Anna Whitacre concentrates her practice on intellectual property. She engages in high-stakes motion practice for patent, trademark, and copyright infringement cases, including summary judgment motions, motions to dismiss, motions to transfer, motions to stay, and Daubert motions. Whitacre earned her J.D. from University of Georgia School of Law and her B.S. in biochemistry from Georgia Institute of Technology.

Lakisha Woods, a staff attorney in the Fort Wayne office, focuses her practice on advising clients on labor and employment matters involving wage and hour, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) compliance, affirmative action, sexual harassment, disability and leave issues, and workers’ compensation matters. Woods also coordinates and leads workplace trainings on topics such as federal and civil rights laws and diversity in the workplace. She earned her J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2010 and her B.A. in English and Spanish from Tennessee State University in 2006.

Matthew Ziegman, a federal relations policy advisor in the Washington, D.C., office, is an experienced government affairs professional, advising Barnes & Thornburg clients on matters of federal politics, policy, and procedure. Having previously worked at a Capitol Hill lobbying group and a D.C. trade association, Ziegman has experience providing clients with legislative advice and strategy spanning several issue areas, including data privacy, small business, education, and technology. He earned his B.S. in economics and political science from Miami University in 2018.

With more than 800 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Philadelphia, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.