Wildman Harrold Names Practice Group Chair and New Partners
Chicago, January 26, 2006 - Wildman, Harrold, Allen & Dixon LLP has elected eight new partners and named John S. Letchinger as chair of its Intellectual Property department.
John S. Letchinger was recognized in 2005 by the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin as one of '40 Illinois Attorneys Under 40 to Watch.' He has been primary counsel for cases in areas ranging from patent, trade secret and trademark to contract and license disputes. He is a member of the trial bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh and Federal Circuit Courts and also is admitted to the Supreme Court of Illinois. He received his J.D. cum laude from the University of Illinois and a B.S. from Northwestern University. Letchinger joined Wildman Harrold in 1991 and has been a partner since 1999.
In addition to having promoted Letchinger, Wildman Harrold has elected eight new partners: Jonathan Bohlen, Michael Castellino, Mark Kromkowski, Marcia Owens, and Philip Strzalka in the Corporate department; Jeffrey Kosc in the Intellectual Property department; and Denise Lazar and Melissa Skilken in the Litigation department.
Jonathan A. Bohlen concentrates in general corporate, private equity, and mergers and acquisitions. He received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago.
Michael J. Castellino represents municipalities and businesses in land use, economic development, zoning, licensing, and administrative adjudication matters. He received both his J.D. and a B.A. in Government from the University of Notre Dame.
Jeffrey Kosc concentrates in intellectual property, including patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. He received his J.D. from DePaul University and a B.A. in Administrative Science from Colby College.
Mark A. Kromkowski practices in the area of corporate and investment fund formation law with an emphasis on counseling U.S.-based private equity/buyout/mezzanine/venture capital firms. He received both his J.D. and a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame.
Denise A. Lazar concentrates in commercial litigation. She has extensive experience in trials, arbitrations and mediations. Lazar co-authored "Negligent Settlement: The Retreat of the 'Case Within the Case' Doctrine and the 'But for' Rule" published by the IADC Defense Counsel Journal, and has been an instructor for training programs on depositions and trials. She received her J.D. from Cornell Law School and a B.A. in Philosophy and Political Science from Wheaton College.
Marcia K. Owens concentrates in real estate acquisition, disposition, financing and commercial leasing; shopping center development and office leasing. She received both her J.D. and a B.B.A. in Economics from the University of Iowa.
Melissa S. Skilken concentrates in commercial litigation and products liability. She has represented companies in a variety of contract and tort matters, including consumer class actions, warranty litigation, and products and premises liability suits. She received her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and an A.B. from Kenyon College. She serves on the Junior Board of Directors of the Shriver National Center on Poverty Law.
Phillip R. Strzalka concentrates his practice in employee benefits. He advises clients in executive compensation programs, stock based compensation, and qualified and non-qualified retirement plans. He has written and spoken extensively on benefits issues. He received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law and a B.S. in Finance from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
About Wildman Harrold
Wildman Harrold is the 14th largest law firm in Chicago with a primary focus on three areas of commercial law: Litigation, Corporate and Intellectual Property. Founded in 1967, the firm has over 200 lawyers serving Fortune 1000 companies and business professionals.