Barnes & Thornburg Welcomes New Attorneys and Legal Professionals

Barnes & Thornburg has added corporate, government and public finance, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, and real estate attorneys and legal professionals to its Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Delaware, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., offices. 

An associate in the Los Angeles office, Rochelle Lynn Calderon’s litigation practice includes representation of employers in a broad range of labor and employment matters, including Private Attorneys General Act  and class actions, discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and whistleblower retaliation claims. She also handles wage and hour cases, including those related to “off the clock” work, timekeeping, compensable time, overtime pay, time and payroll records, meal periods, and reimbursements. Calderon has experience in alternative dispute resolution proceedings, including mediation and arbitration. She earned her J.D. from the University of California, Irvine School of Law in 2018 and her B.S. from San Jose State University in 2015.

Lisa Foutch, an associate in the Los Angeles office, represents individuals and businesses of all sizes in entertainment, intellectual property and complex commercial litigation. In addition to her trial skills, Foutch is a strategic litigator advocating on behalf of clients to protect their valuable intellectual property, including in trade secrets, trademarks and copyright. She earned her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and her B.A. in psychology and criminology from the University of California, Irvine. 

An associate in the Washington, D.C., office, Allison Houser drafts responses to discovery requests, including interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admission and notices of deposition for various ligation matters. She also reviews plaintiff fact sheets, medical records, discovery responses and produced documents for purposes of case assessment, development, and settlement. Houser earned her J.D. from American University Washington College of Law in 2018 and her B.A. in history and political science from the University of Pittsburgh in 2007.

Of counsel in the Atlanta office, Amy Kluesner advises healthcare providers and private equity funds, provides counsel to public and private entities on, mergers and acquisitions, divestitures, joint ventures, corporate governance matters and associated healthcare regulatory requirements. She identifies and mitigates risk, navigates organizations through growth and change and collaborates closely with business leaders to resolve complex legal issues. Kluesner earned her J.D. from Notre Dame Law School, her B.S. in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University.

Lara Langeneckert, of counsel in the Indianapolis office, handles a wide range of litigation matters, including insurance recovery and commercial disputes, before all levels of state and federal courts. She is experienced in discovery matters, including taking and defending depositions, working with expert witnesses and litigating discovery disputes. Langeneckert earned her J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2012, her Master of Music from Indiana University in 2007 and her Bachelor of Music from the University of Missouri in 2004.

Michelle Leahy is director of unclaimed property and frequently performs risk assessments for companies to institute ongoing compliance and prepared written policies and procedures regarding unclaimed property and state reporting. Leahy, who works in the firm’s Delaware office, has experience serving as lead on unclaimed property submissions, which involves reviewing source data, validating calculations, analyzing holder positions, relaying modifications and discussing results with state regulators. She earned her B.S. in accounting from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 2004.

Amanda J. Lessard, BSN, RN, LNCC, a nurse paralegal in the Boston office, assists attorneys with the analysis and comprehension of complex medical issues. She is well-versed in maintaining detailed and accurate reports of extensive patient care plans, conducting and synthesizing extensive medical literature research and efficiently collaborating with team members. Lessard earned her legal nurse consultant certificate from New Hampshire Technical Institute in 2013 and her B.S. in Nursing from the University of New Hampshire in 2007.

Christine Miller, a paralegal in the Delaware office prepares closing disclosures, HUD-1 settlement statements, and deeds and performs examinations of title commitments. Additionally, she generates attorney opinion letters in advance of real estate settlements. Miller earned her paralegal certificate from the University of Delaware in 2015 and her paralegal certificate degree from University of Phoenix in 2011.

A staff attorney in the Indianapolis office, Brittany Norman has worked in litigation since being admitted to practice law. She represents clients in various industries, with a focus on healthcare litigation and tort litigation. Norman defends clients in mass tort, product liability, personal injury, wrongful death, premises liability and contract disputes. She earned her J.D. from Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in 2017 and her B.S. in biomedical sciences from Marquette University in 2012.

An associate in the Chicago office, Kyle Prillaman is involved with many aspects of litigation, including drafting pleadings, motions, discovery, and summary judgment briefs. Additionally, he takes depositions, prepares expert witnesses for trial, and performs research on related matters. Prillaman earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago John Marshall School of Law in 2017 and his B.A. in political science from the University of Illinois in 2010.

Hiro Tanaka, a business transaction advisor in the Chicago office, provides counsel on a broad range of matters including supply chain management, employment and immigration. He also represents clients in transactions such as mergers and acquisitions and joint ventures. Additionally, Tanaka is actively involved in the firm’s Japanese practice. He earned his LL.M. from Columbia Law School in 2022, his J.D. from Hitotsubashi University School of Law in 2011 and his Bachelor of Commerce and Management from Hitotsubashi University in 2005. 

Lottie Wathen is a paralegal in the Indianapolis office. She works with attorneys and clients in the areas of commercial litigation, toxic torts and product liability. Wathen was previously a paralegal with a full-service business law firm in Indianapolis. She supported attorneys with litigation needs of companies across the U.S. She also has experience working as a paralegal in civil litigation, family law and domestic relations, personal injury, insurance defense, probate and estate planning. Wathen earned her paralegal certificate from the Southeastern Paralegal Institute in 1996 and a degree in paralegal studies from Sullivan University in 1995.

An associate in the Los Angeles office, Michael Witczak counsels clients on a range of labor and employment matters, including employee classification, wage and hour compliance and arbitration agreement practices. He also assists clients in drafting employee handbooks, arbitration agreements and meal and rest break policies. Witczak earned his J.D. from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2018 and his B.A. in philosophy from Wabash College in 2014.

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.