A force among Midwestern firms, Husch Blackwell is rooted in Missouri and boasts a network of outposts spanning beyond to the jurisdictions of Wisconsin, Nebraska, Illinois, Arizona, California, and a host of other states. The firm’s clients note its “diverse attorneys with expertise in a broad range of topics,” and go on to rave that “all aspects of litigation are done well by Husch Blackwell.”
Marnie Jensen of the firm’s Omaha office recently obtained victory on behalf of two Lancaster County election commissioners in a case before the Nebraska Supreme Court which displayed the potential to critically derail the state’s electoral proceedings. The matter, arising from newly stoked inquiries into the constitutionality of the state’s Honest Election Law of 1913, sought to address whether Nebraska election commissioners – who are by statute selected by means of gubernatorial appointment – constitute county officers, and if such appointment stands in violation of the Nebraska constitution. Jensen was successful in achieving an affirmation by the Nebraska Supreme Court of an earlier district court ruling which found that such election commissioners are not to be understood legally as county officers, circumventing what could have been an unprecedentedly disruptive interpolation into a state’s democratic process.
Based in Kansas City, Beau Jackson is newly recognized by Benchmark for his achievements in the sphere of intellectual property. Jackson currently serves alongside St. Louis’ Rudy Telscher as lead counsel to gym equipment manufacturer TuffStuff Fitness as the company faces nine patent infringement claims which threaten its very existence in tandem with complaints to the International Trade Commission which seek to bar TuffStuff from importing production inputs from overseas. As of this year, Benchmark also recognizes Oakland, CA’s Jennifer Lee, a toxic torts specialist, and St. Louis’ Jeff Jensen, whose practice finds its focus on white-collar criminal matters. Catherine Hanaway, who also deals in white-collar matters from Husch Blackwell’s St. Louis outfit, continues to be recognized for her experience in the field, additionally serving in the critical role of firm chair. The firm’s St. Louis-based practitioners also include class action and product liability specialist Joseph Orlet, who currently serves as lead counsel to International Paint in a liability matter arising from allegations that extreme heat-resistant coatings for steel beams provided by the company to a Texas natural gas export facility were defective.
In Kansas City, Jeffrey Simon is active in the role of lead counsel to the Kansas City Board of Police Commissioners defending a member of the KCPD against topical claims of civil rights violations in connection with the officer’s fatal shooting of a suspect who was being apprehended.
