Attorney Intel is pleased to announce The Top 25 Industrials and Chemicals Attorneys of 2025. The industrials and chemicals sectors demand legal advisors who not only understand the law but can navigate the scientific, regulatory, and geopolitical forces that shape these industries. The attorneys recognized here bring that rare combination of technical fluency and legal precision.
Their work is embedded in what moves markets: advising on cross-border M&A, defending complex toxic tort claims, securing global patent rights for new compounds and technologies, and helping clients comply with evolving regulatory regimes. Many hold degrees in science or engineering; others have served in government or led major litigation involving industrial exposure and environmental harm. What sets them apart is their ability to translate complexity into strategy, guiding clients through the disputes, deals, and decisions that define how industrial innovation takes hold.
Among this year’s awardees is Robb Patryk, Managing Partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, who brings more than three decades of trial experience to complex toxic tort and product liability litigation, including major cases involving chemicals, petroleum products, and water contamination. Herb Estreicher, Partner at Keller and Heckman, is recognized for his cross-disciplinary environmental regulatory practice, advising global chemical and consumer product manufacturers on international compliance frameworks like REACH and POPs, as well as on crisis management for embattled substances. Paige Pavone, Partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, represents clients in high-stakes class actions and product liability cases involving industrial exposures to PFAS, pesticides, and other chemicals, combining litigation expertise with a strong command of the underlying science.
This year’s awardees were selected through careful consideration of their legal track record, industry expertise, and impact on clients in the industrials and chemicals sectors. Please join us in celebrating The Top 25 Industrials and Chemicals Attorneys of 2025.
1. Robert Underwood
Partner, Hogan Lovells
Robert Underwood is a Partner at Hogan Lovells. With 27 years of experience, Underwood draws on his in-depth expertise in establishing U.S. and international intellectual property (IP) rights and identifying and evaluating third-party IP risks to help his clients achieve their business objectives. Underwood also leads Hogan Lovells’ IP team in the Americas.
Underwood’s clients range from startups to mature multinationals, nonprofits, and universities, as well as venture capital and private equity investors. Underwood focuses his practice on the life sciences and chemical industries. His experience with pre-litigation planning and contentious litigation matters, including patent interferences and oppositions, allows him to support clients in strategic counseling, patent portfolio development and management, and patent prosecution. He also guides clients through transactions and agreements that involve IP rights, including joint development agreements, sponsored research agreements, licenses, and corporate transactions.
Before joining Hogan Lovells, Underwood was a partner at McDermott Will & Emery. Earlier in his career, he worked with Hamilton, Brook, Smith & Reynolds, P.C. as a principal. Underwood earned his bachelor's degree in biology and his doctoral degree in immunology. His experience as a visiting scientist at the Basel Institute for Immunology in Switzerland and as a research associate at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston allows him to successfully counsel clients from both a technical and business perspective.
2. Chaim Theil
Partner, Sidley Austin
Chaim Theil is a Partner at Sidley Austin, having first joined the firm in 2021. Theil’s practice encompasses advising sponsors and strategic clients on their domestic and cross-border M&A, carve-outs, joint ventures, equity financings, and general corporate transactions. He is highly sought after in complex restructurings and special situations, particularly in the industrials sector, where his work has included representing Wafra Inc. in a joint venture with Trinity Industries and advising on the $2.725 billion acquisition of McDermott International’s Lummus business. Theil’s experience spans a broad cross-section of industries, including healthcare, energy, media, industrials, retail, and technology.
Previously, Theil served as counsel at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and, before that, a corporate attorney at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. Earlier in his career, he worked with AZ Yashir as the president and owner. Theil earned a JD from the New York University School of Law, an MBA in business administration and management from Columbia Business School, and a bachelor’s degree in finance from Yeshiva University.
3. John Kirkwood
Partner, Faegre Drinker
John Kirkwood is a Partner at Faegre Drinker, where he works with developers, lenders, investment banks, and government entities to arrange debt and equity financing in the industrial biotechnology sector. His work includes advising on projects involving biofuels, renewable chemicals, and other low-carbon, cleantech, and bio-based products. Over the course of his career, he has supported the development and financing of alternative energy and renewable chemical facilities, helping raise over $5 billion for ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, green diesel, green jet, hydroelectric, solar, and waste-to-energy ventures.
Beyond his work in industrial biotech, Kirkwood represents clients in a wide range of public finance matters. He regularly advises municipalities, higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations, real estate development firms, and alternative energy developers on the issuance of tax-exempt and taxable obligations. His counsel extends to tax and securities considerations, where he works with both public and private sector clients to navigate complex regulatory requirements and structure effective financing solutions.
Kirkwood joined Faegre Drinker in 2015. He holds a JD from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in finance and business from Indiana University Bloomington.
4. Robb Patryk
Partner, Hughes Hubbard & Reed
Robb Patryk is a Partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed, where he serves as the firm’s Managing Partner and sits on its Executive Committee. A trial lawyer with 36 years of experience, Patryk focuses on complex litigation across product liability, toxic torts, labor and employment, class actions, commercial disputes, and media law.
Patryk has led the defense of mass tort cases involving prescription drugs, medical devices, pesticides, asbestos, tobacco, dietary supplements, chemicals, motor vehicles, and petroleum products. His representative matters include defending Merck in Vioxx and Vytorin litigation, an oil refiner in MTBE litigation, and Ferro Corp. in water contamination cases involving 1,4-Dioxane. He has also tried multiple jury cases for Lorillard Tobacco Company and served as co-chair of the firm’s Product Liability & Toxic Tort Group from 1999 to 2023. In employment law, he co-chairs the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice and has defended claims under Title VII, the ADEA, Title IX, whistleblower laws, wage and hour statutes, and state anti-discrimination laws, as well as advising on internal investigations and employment policies.
Patryk also handles consumer fraud and securities class actions and has represented global banks and pharmaceutical companies in breach of contract and fraud-related matters. In the media and entertainment space, he has advised musicians and independent labels. He provides pro bono counsel to the Make the Grade Foundation, a nonprofit supporting at-risk youth. Patryk earned his JD from the New York University School of Law and his bachelor’s degree in history from Yale University.
5. Jeffrey Wolfson
Partner, Haynes Boone
Jeffrey Wolfson is a Partner at Haynes Boone, where he chairs the firm’s Patent Prosecution Practice Group. A registered patent lawyer with a background in chemical engineering, Wolfson counsels clients on intellectual property strategy, risk management, and patent prosecution. He works with companies across a wide range of industries, including pharmaceuticals, petroleum automation, industrial equipment, food processing, and consumer goods. His practice includes securing U.S. and foreign patents, preparing legal opinions on infringement and product clearance, and advising on IP issues in mergers, acquisitions, and financing transactions.
Wolfson frequently works with clients outside the courtroom to mitigate the risk of IP litigation. He focuses on developing high-quality patents aligned with recent court rulings, negotiating licenses and agreements with an eye toward long-term business goals, and advising on product development to avoid downstream disputes. He has also spoken widely to IP organizations and trade associations on topics including the America Invents Act, inter partes review proceedings, and the U.S. Biosimilars regulatory framework.
Wolfson volunteers regularly for Brown University, for which he has served as a college class officer for the last 13 years, and on the board of directors of the Normandy Hills Homeowner's Association. Wolfson holds a JD from George Washington University Law School and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Brown University.
Jeffrey Wolfson's Insight
“It’s been an honor to work with the Chemical Team and many other stellar practitioners at Haynes Boone to counsel our clients regarding their legal issues, from protection of innovation to compliance in the face of rapidly changing technical requirements. My main focus as a trusted advisor to our chemical, materials, and other clients is to minimize the risk of litigation--or be well-positioned if that becomes necessary--by helping to obtain strong patent protection, conducting diligence to avoid landmines, and by negotiating sufficiently detailed agreements to minimize the disputable issues.”
6. Herbert Estreicher
Partner, Keller & Heckman
Herb Estreicher is a Partner at Keller & Heckman. He has a broad practice in international environmental regulatory law and brings an interdisciplinary approach, combining law and science. He represents leading manufacturers of chemicals, pesticides, insect repellents, food additives, and consumer products before Federal and State regulatory agencies.
Estreicher provides advice on product liability risk control and assists clients with crisis management for embattled products, including chlorinated pesticides, wood preservatives, dioxins, and persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic (PBT) chemicals. He helps clients secure and maintain chemical approvals and pesticide registrations in Canada and Europe, advises clients on responding to the CEPA challenge program, and provides advice on European chemical directives and initiatives, such as the European Union (EU) Marketing and Use Directive, the EU Biocidal Products Directive, and the EU Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals (REACH) regulation.
Estreicher also represents clients in the negotiation and development of various international environmental instruments governing persistent organic pollutants (POPs), has been actively involved in the Great Lakes Binational Toxics Strategy, and has participated in the Canadian Strategic Options Process (SOP). He is actively engaged in the areas of TSCA Reform and the California Green Chemistry Initiative. His extensive background in organic chemistry, risk assessment, and bioengineering is valued highly by clients in the chemical, nanotechnology, and biotechnology industries.
Estreicher got his start in 1975 as a senior research chemist at Shell Development Company. From there, he went on to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, before eventually rising to of counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, his most recent position prior to joining Keller & Heckman. He graduated from the New York University School of Law with a JD, from Harvard University with a PhD in chemistry, and from Brandeis University with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.
Herbert Estreicher's Insight
“The current Administration provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to put regulation of the U.S. chemical industry on a sound and secure footing to ensure the industry's preeminence on the world stage. U.S. companies would be well served by taking advantage of this opportunity.”
7. Peter Lando
Partner, Lando & Anastasi
Peter Lando is a Founding Partner at Lando & Anastasi. He began his career as a chemical engineer for a large international chemical manufacturing company before earning MBA and JD degrees. This background allows him to bring together the disciplines of technology, business, and law in his legal practice. He supports clients in all areas of intellectual property, including patent prosecution; patentability and freedom-to-operate opinions; complex IP portfolio strategy; diligence investigations for acquisitions and divestitures of IP portfolios; and licensing and related business transactions.
Lando has many years of experience in the chemical process industries, water and wastewater treatment technologies, medical devices, polymers, small particles, specialty metals and ceramics, and “clean” and “green” technologies. He recognizes that technologies frequently converge to create new products and services that enhance efficiencies. As he works with clients in these industries, he focuses not only on understanding the underlying technology behind innovations but also on understanding the context behind clients’ business goals and the markets they serve or aim to reach.
He believes it is vital to understand how innovations might be used to advance clients’ businesses and, ideally, to improve local communities and make the world a better place.
8. Lian Yang
Partner, Alston & Bird
Lian Yang is a Partner at Alston & Bird, where she is a member of the firm’s International Trade & Regulatory Group. She began her legal career at Alston & Bird in 2008 and now focuses her practice on trade remedies and customs matters. Yang also advises on export controls, financial sanctions, trade policy, and matters before the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS).
She counsels domestic and international clients on both compliance issues and government enforcement actions, providing strategic advice tailored to the demands of cross-border business. Her clients span a range of industries, including steel, aluminum, chemicals, industrial goods, and green energy, with matters involving antidumping and countervailing duty proceedings, Section 232 actions, and customs enforcement related to tariff classification and import compliance. Fluent in cross-cultural communication, Yang is valued by international companies for her ability to navigate complex regulatory systems and offer cost-effective, pragmatic solutions.
Yang holds a JD from William & Mary Law School, a master’s degree in linguistics from Beijing Language and Culture University, and a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Yunnan University.
9. Kadie Jelenchick
Partner, Foley & Lardner
Kadie Jelenchick is a Partner at Foley & Lardner, where she co-chairs the firm’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice. Since joining the firm in 2005, she has advised clients across the consumer products, industrial manufacturing, sports, and hospitality sectors on intellectual property litigation, portfolio strategy, and asset protection. Jelenchick supports clients from product development through enforcement and defense, helping manage IP disputes and commercial risks with lean, efficient strategies.
Jelenchick is known for her practical approach to complex legal matters, often working to minimize cost and disruption while aligning legal actions with business goals. Clients rely on her responsiveness and ability to navigate multifaceted IP issues that involve core business assets. In addition to her client work, Jelenchick served for nearly a decade as vice chair of Foley’s National Pro Bono Committee and remains active in providing legal services through LegalAction of Wisconsin’s Volunteer Lawyer and Eviction Defense Projects.
She previously interned for the Honorable Sim Lake of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and the Honorable Arthur J. Gajarsa of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Jelenchick has also served as an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School, teaching courses in IP litigation and compliance. She holds a JD from the University of Houston Law Center and a bachelor’s degree in biomedical engineering from the University of Rochester.
10. Roshni Cariello
Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell
Roshni Cariello is a Partner at Davis Polk & Wardwell, where she advises corporate and financial institution clients on capital markets transactions, including initial public offerings, equity and debt offerings, convertible financings, private placements, and liability management. She also counsels clients on public company reporting, securities compliance, and corporate governance. Cariello first joined the firm in 2011 as an associate and currently practices in the Capital Markets Group within the Corporate Department.
Cariello’s work spans a range of industries including technology, consumer products, retail, renewables, and industrials. With notable experience in the industrials sector, she has advised on capital markets transactions for companies such as Air Products and Chemicals, Aptiv, and CSW Industrials, including multi-billion-dollar debt and equity offerings and corporate reorganizations. Her broader transactional experience includes IPOs, spinoffs, SPACs, and both investment-grade and high-yield debt offerings. In addition to transactional matters, she counsels clients on securities compliance, corporate governance, and public company reporting.
Previously, Cariello was a business analyst at Strategic Decisions Group. Cariello earned a JD from Columbia Law School and a bachelor’s degree in government and history from Dartmouth College.
11. Michael Brodowski
Partner, Goodwin Procter
Michael Brodowski is a Partner at Goodwin Procter, where he advises companies, investors, and research institutions on patent and intellectual property matters. With more than 30 years of experience, he focuses on the strategic development and implementation of complex patent portfolios and market exclusivity strategies for life sciences companies in the U.S. and abroad. He has secured patent protection for various FDA-approved products and regularly advises on patent life cycle management, including patent term extensions and regulatory exclusivities.
Brodowski counsels clients across a wide range of technologies, including small molecules and pharmaceuticals, drug delivery systems, specialty chemicals, polymers, nanotechnology, diagnostics, and medical devices. He has deep experience with U.S. and international patent portfolios, including post-grant proceedings such as reexamination, reissue, and foreign oppositions. He also provides guidance on freedom-to-operate, patentability, licensing, Bayh-Dole compliance, and IP due diligence in connection with investments, public offerings, and M&A transactions.
Before joining Goodwin Procter, Brodowski held partner roles at Burns & Levinson LLP, K&L Gates, and Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP. Earlier in his career, he worked as a project chemist a The Gillette Company and is a named inventor on several U.S. and foreign patents. He holds a JD from Suffolk University Law School, a PhD in organic chemistry from the University at Buffalo, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Rochester.
12. Jay Campbell
Partner, White & Case
Jay Campbell is a Partner at White & Case. He first joined the company in 2003 as an associate. Campbell is an international trade lawyer with an active practice representing foreign producers, foreign governments, and U.S. importers in antidumping (AD) and countervailing duty (CVD) proceedings before the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission, and in related trade litigation before the U.S. Court of International Trade, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement bi-national panels, and World Trade Organization dispute settlement panels.
Campbell also designs and helps implement AD/CVD compliance programs and advises clients concerning customs matters, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection investigations under the Enforce and Protect Act (EAPA) and related litigation. He has extensive experience in a wide variety of industries, including agriculture, ball bearings, energy, processed food, lumber, pulp and paper, seafood, steel products, and industrial chemicals.
Prior to joining White & Case LLP, Campbell worked as an attorney in the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition. Before that, Campbell served as a law clerk to the Honorable Donald C. Pogue, Judge, U.S. Court of International Trade. Campbell earned a JD in law from the Duke University School of Law, a master’s degree in economics from Duke University, and a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, San Diego.
13. Nathaniel Lucek
Partner, Hodgson Russ
Nathaniel Lucek is a Partner at Hodgson Russ, where he leads the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice. He advises clients on patent prosecution, portfolio strategy, due diligence for M&A transactions, and intellectual property opinion work. His technical experience spans semiconductor capital equipment, solar cell design, biomedical devices, industrial chemicals, superconductors, nanomaterials, and image processing algorithms. Lucek supports clients ranging from startups to Fortune 500 corporations and universities.
In addition to his IP work, Lucek counsels European startups and mid-sized companies on entering the U.S. market. His cross-border practice includes corporate formation, sales agreements, joint development agreements, and IP licensing. He is also a member of the firm’s intellectual property litigation, startup, and cleantech practices. His litigation work includes advising clients in response to cease-and-desist letters, in federal district court trials, and on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Before joining Hodgson Russ, Lucek served as in-house IP counsel at Varian Semiconductor and Applied Materials. While in-house, he handled patent and trademark portfolio management, licensing, reexaminations, government contracts, and aspects of a multibillion-dollar acquisition. He also co-hosts “The Semi Interesting Podcast,” where he discusses legal issues in the global semiconductor industry. Lucek holds a JD from the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Clarkson University.
Nathaniel Lucek's Insight
“The number of IP issues that our clients face continues to increase with the rapid pace of R&D, especially for clients in the semiconductor industry. I enjoy assisting our clients in their often intricate and highly sophisticated endeavors, whether complex patent prosecution, due diligence projects for M&A, or evaluating IP litigation strategies. It’s very rewarding to be a trusted partner to tech companies and to work with new innovations every day.”
14. Genna Yarkin
Partner, Holland & Knight
Genna Yarkin is a Partner at Holland & Knight in the firm’s San Francisco office, where she focuses on environmental law, land use, and real estate. Her work includes due diligence, permitting, entitlements, and litigation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). She advises on development agreements, zoning and general plan compliance, design review, and related land use entitlements for residential, commercial, mixed-use, and industrial projects across California.
Yarkin’s experience includes guiding industrial and mixed-use developments through California’s complex permitting and CEQA review processes. She has represented project proponents and agencies in environmental litigation and advised on entitlements, zoning compliance, and permitting strategies for industrial projects across the state. Earlier in her career, she gained federal environmental litigation experience as a legal intern in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Since joining Holland & Knight in 2015, Yarkin has served as chair of the San Francisco office’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and contributes to her community through roles with Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco and the board of Greens Restaurant. She previously externed with the Honorable Elena J. Duarte, Associate Justice for the Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, in Sacramento, California. Yarkin holds a JD and a certificate in environmental law from the University of California, Davis School of Law, where she was senior articles editor of the Environmental Law and Policy Journal. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Haverford College.
15. Neil Gray
Partner, Duane Morris
Neil Gray is a Partner at Duane Morris. With over 30 years of experience, he has successfully guided a broad range of global financial institutions and other companies and individuals through complex litigations, including derivative and class actions, contract disputes, and business torts and shareholders litigation stemming from various business combinations. Gray’s clients include Fortune 100 companies, financial institutions, investment managers, private equity firms, technology companies, industrial companies, entertainment companies, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and other entities.
Gray’s practice includes advising industrial and energy clients on litigation and regulatory matters involving securities law, governance, and compliance. He has experience representing companies and individuals in federal and state actions under statutes such as the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as well as in enforcement proceedings involving the SEC and other regulators. He frequently works with investment advisers and their affiliates, including those operating in the manufacturing and heavy industry sectors, on regulatory strategy and dispute resolution.
In addition, Gray represents clients in antitrust and competition matters across a wide range of industries, including heavy-duty trucks, petroleum, and medical devices. His work spans pre-transaction risk analysis, enforcement defense, and private litigation, often in connection with business combinations or restructuring. He has also developed a niche representing indenture trustees in commercial disputes.
Before joining Duane Morris, Gray was a partner at Reed Smith LLP and, before that, a senior associate at Milbank LLP. Earlier in his career, he worked with Rogers & Wells LLP as a litigation legal assistant. Gray graduated from Albany Law School with a JD and from St. Lawrence University with a bachelor’s degree in government, history, and Canadian studies.
16. Doug Van Gessel
Partner, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton
Doug Van Gessel is a Partner at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton in the firm’s San Francisco office, where he is a member of the Real Estate, Energy, Land Use & Environmental Practice Group. He first joined the firm in 2005. Van Gessel represents clients in all aspects of commercial real estate, with a focus on the development and structuring of major projects, debt and equity financing, joint ventures, acquisitions and dispositions, and lease negotiations.
His practice spans office, retail, and industrial matters, including advising on warehouse and manufacturing space leases, development of biotech and life sciences campuses, and complex financing for large-scale infrastructure. His experience includes a nearly 300,000 square foot lease of manufacturing space in Livermore, California, and multiple synthetic leases and construction deals involving corporate and lab facilities in South San Francisco and Redwood City. Van Gessel earned both his JD and bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan.
17. Carmen Toledo
Partner, King & Spalding
Carmen Toledo is a Partner at King & Spalding, based in the firm’s Atlanta office. She has been with the firm since 2005 and is a member of the Tort and Environmental Litigation team. Toledo represents chemical, agricultural, energy, pharmaceutical, and other corporate clients in complex litigation involving toxic torts, environmental disputes, product liability, and class actions. She has defended clients in individual, mass joinder, and class action cases nationwide, including matters involving property damage and personal injury claims.
Toledo’s litigation work has addressed a wide range of substances and environmental exposures, including pesticides, asbestos, silica, vinyl chloride, formaldehyde, dioxin, chlorine, TCE, and other solvents. She has particular experience briefing issues related to expert admissibility, medical monitoring, and class certification at both the trial and appellate levels. Her recent matters include representing an energy company in municipal enforcement actions in Illinois and securing the dismissal of medical monitoring claims in Oklahoma federal court. She is licensed to practice in California and Georgia.
Toledo previously served as a national director at DRI and was an associate at Sidley Austin LLP. A native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, she is fluent in Spanish and frequently writes and speaks on toxic tort litigation, diversity, and women’s leadership. She earned her JD from Yale Law School and graduated summa cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of California, Davis.
18. Robert Dickey
Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
Robert W. Dickey is a Partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. He advises U.S. and non-U.S. based companies with respect to their most important mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, and other strategic transactions. He also counsels executives, in-house counsel, and boards of directors on a wide range of critical corporate matters, including fiduciary duties, corporate governance, and securities law compliance.
Dickey has represented a large number of companies in the media and technology industries, and also has experience in the automotive and mobility, life sciences, chemical, food and beverage, and industrial sectors. His work includes advising BASF on its acquisition of Chemetall, Sandvik on multiple industrial transactions, including the spinoff of its materials technology business, and LG companies in the acquisition of Eastman Kodak’s OLED operations.
Dickey oversees the firm’s M&A Academy, a series of tailored webinars designed to provide a comprehensive M&A overview for M&A professionals and others who deal with M&A issues. He speaks frequently on trends in the M&A legal arena. Dickey graduated from the Duke University School of Law with a JD and from Duke University with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
19. Justin Culbertson
Partner, Knobbe Martens
Justin Culbertson is a Partner at Knobbe Martens in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He counsels clients across the chemical, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and biotechnology sectors, with a focus on global patent portfolio management, due diligence, and opinion work. He advises startups on developing foundational IP portfolios and navigating complex patent landscapes, and works with established companies to craft strategies for leveraging and enforcing their IP assets. He has managed international patent prosecution in over 40 jurisdictions, with technical experience in diagnostics, cosmetics, medical devices, next-generation sequencing, and molecular biology.
In addition to his legal practice, Culbertson serves as an adjunct professor at the Long Island University School of Pharmacy, teaching a course on patent law and the pharmaceutical industry. He rejoined Knobbe Martens in 2019 after working at a large general practice firm. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, Arizona, California, Missouri, New York, and before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Culbertson earned his JD from the University of Illinois College of Law, where he participated in an IP clinic and a mortgage foreclosure clinic. While in law school, he also taught organic chemistry at Parkland College. He holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of California, Davis, where his research focused on small molecule inhibitors targeting chorismate-utilizing enzymes, and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Montana. Before law school, he gained industry experience at GlaxoSmithKline, synthesizing vaccine adjuvants.
Justin Culbertson's Insight
“As a chemist-turned-patent lawyer, I’ve devoted my career to helping industrial and chemical innovators turn hard-won laboratory breakthroughs into global IP assets. I take great pleasure in guiding clients, from small start-ups to multinational manufacturers, to build and strengthen their portfolios. My practice involves protecting these innovations around the world through prosecution, licensing, and enforcement. This work has shown me that the strongest legal strategies are often those grounded equally in sound science and commercial pragmatism. In addition to my legal practice, I serve as an adjunct professor at Long Island University School of Pharmacy, where I teach ‘Patent Law and the Pharmaceutical Industry.’”
20. Sarah Decker
Partner, K&L Gates
Sarah Decker is a Partner at K&L Gates, where she serves as a commercial litigator and strategic advisor with a focus on the manufacturing industry. Her practice spans commercial and consumer products, metals manufacturing and fabrication, aerospace, and specialty chemicals. Decker represents public and private companies in complex litigation involving contract disputes, business torts, supply chain issues, product liability, personal injury, oil and gas, and intellectual property. She works closely with clients to develop practical, cost-effective solutions and aligns dispute resolution with broader business objectives, maintaining an active trial and arbitration practice in both domestic and international forums.
Decker has significant experience in defamation litigation. She secured a voluntary dismissal for a media client in a defamation case brought by a public figure in Mississippi federal court. She was also part of the trial team that obtained a $40.4 million jury verdict in a defamation suit on behalf of a hedge fund manager in New Jersey.
In addition to her litigation work, Decker conducts internal investigations, including domestic and international whistleblower matters, and advises clients on cooperation with state and federal agencies. She has counseled clients across manufacturing, chemicals, and financial services in cases involving financial reporting, compliance, data breaches, bribery, and fraud. Prior to joining K&L Gates, Decker served as an assistant district attorney in Jefferson County, New York. She earned her JD from the Thomas R. Kline School of Law at Duquesne University and holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Pittsburgh–Johnstown.
21. Paige Pavone
Partner, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe
Paige Pavone is a Partner in Orrick's New York office, where she represents clients in complex litigation, with a focus on class actions and products liability trials. She advises large corporations, public entities, and individuals in high-stakes matters in federal and state courts across the country. Pavone manages and litigates class actions, multidistrict litigation, and trial-ready cases, with a significant portion of her work involving claims of exposure to or economic harm from chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, PFAS, and other industrial substances.
Pavone effectively argues motions, takes depositions, manages discovery, drafts briefs, and negotiates settlements. Pavone has participated in successful jury trials and has delivered constructive presentations to government actors. Dedicated to her active pro bono practice, Pavone has led a class of detained individuals seeking to remedy constitutional rights violations and has assisted individuals in their efforts to navigate immigration laws. Pavone was honored as an Excellent Pro Bono Attorney for her work on mandamus petitions with the International Refugee Assistance Project.
Previously, Pavone served as a law clerk for the Honorable Dora L. Irizarry, Chief United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York. Prior to clerking, Pavone worked as an associate at a global law firm, engaged in complex commercial litigation, arbitrations, and investigations. Pavone earned her JD from Columbia Law School and her bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.
Paige Pavone's Insight
“With each case, I strive to blend my legal expertise in mass torts and class actions with my understanding of the science behind my clients’ products, crafting solutions that combat misinformation about the dynamic industries I serve."
22. Jane Rueger
Partner, Perkins Coie
Jane Rueger is a Partner at Perkins Coie, where she practices in the firm’s Energy, Environment & Natural Resources Group. She advises clients on a wide range of transactional, litigation, and regulatory matters in the electric and natural gas industries. Rueger’s transactional work includes the negotiation of power purchase agreements—both conventional and renewable—mergers and acquisitions, project financings, interconnection agreements, gas pipeline precedent agreements, asset management agreements, and LNG offtake agreements. She also counsels clients on regional transmission organization (RTO) and independent system operator (ISO) market rules across the United States, helping to develop strategies for successful market participation.
Rueger represents clients in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) litigation, including matters related to electric and gas pipeline rates and market structures, as well as in non-public investigations concerning alleged violations of FERC’s market manipulation rules, the Federal Power Act (FPA), Natural Gas Act (NGA), and Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA). Her clients span electric and gas utilities, financial institutions, large industrial power consumers, offtakers of renewable power, pipeline developers, energy marketers, and other utility service providers. She is also active in internal industry leadership, serving as president of the Energy Bar Association (EBA) and contributing regularly as a published commentator on legal issues, including topics such as electric battery storage.
Rueger began her legal career in 2003 as an associate at Dewey Ballantine LLP before becoming a partner at White & Case LLP, her most recent role prior to joining Perkins Coie. She holds both a JD and an MBA from Indiana University Bloomington and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Wellesley College.
23. Stephen Wurzburg
Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
Steve Wurzburg is a Partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, where he advises both emerging growth and established companies on corporate and transactional matters. He represents clients across the high-tech, consumer products, cannabis, telecommunications, chemical, and solar energy sectors, including companies offering Software as a Service (SaaS) and mobile applications. Wurzburg regularly counsels clients on entity formation, financings, M&A transactions, intellectual property strategy, product and service licensing, executive compensation, and shareholder relations. He serves as outside counsel to startups and partners with in-house legal teams at larger companies.
His representative matters include advising Vobile Group Limited from formation through its IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and a subsequent convertible bond offering; counseling DispatchTrack, LLC on licensing and corporate matters through its $144 million private equity deal with Spectrum; and guiding Taulia Inc. through seven rounds of financing that raised over $200 million. Wurzburg has advised SunPower from its early stages through its IPO and represented Supertex in its $400 million sale to Microchip. He has also conducted workshops for Silicon Valley entrepreneurs focused on investor readiness and capital raising strategies.
Wurzburg began his legal career in 1980 as a partner at Rosenblum, Parish & Isaacs, PC. He earned both his JD and a master’s degree in engineering economic systems from Stanford University.
24. Christopher Drewry
Partner, Latham & Watkins
Christopher Drewry is a Partner at Latham & Watkins and serves as Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Shareholder Activism & Takeover Defense Practice. Based in the Chicago office, he has 18 years of experience advising multinational corporations across industries on high-stakes M&A transactions, shareholder activism defense, and board-level governance matters. His practice includes transformational mergers, cross-border transactions, complex business separations, and conflict-of-interest special committee engagements. Drewry also represents financial advisors in M&A deals and advises corporate boards and senior management on governance and takeover defense strategies.
Drewry’s representative matters include Cerner’s $28 billion sale to Oracle, SLB’s pending $8 billion acquisition of ChampionX, Webhelp’s $4.8 billion combination with Concentrix, and TechnipFMC’s multibillion-dollar spin-offs and business divestitures. He has led shareholder activism defenses for companies such as Kohl’s, New Relic, Berry Global, Cars.com, and Allison Transmission, and has advised on multiple proxy contests, unsolicited offers, and shareholder rights plans. He has also represented special committees in conflict transactions, including the take-private sale of CNA Surety Corporation and the acquisition of LINC Logistics by Universal Truckload Services.
Drewry is a member of Latham’s Finance Committee and its Women Enriching Business Committee. He regularly writes and speaks on M&A and shareholder activism topics. He earned his JD from Notre Dame Law School and holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University.
25. Edward Puerta
Partner, Nixon Peabody
Ed Puerta is a Partner at Nixon Peabody, where he represents developers, purchasers, sellers, landlords, tenants, and investors in commercial, retail, industrial, and mixed-use property transactions across the country. He advises on acquisitions, dispositions, financing, leasing, and permitting for a wide range of clients, including health systems, real estate investors, developers, and not-for-profits. His work spans both straightforward deals and highly structured transactions, with additional focus on tax strategies, compliance matters, and distressed asset workouts.
Puerta has a significant practice in affordable housing, having closed over $1 billion in projects aimed at creating and preserving housing in urban and suburban communities nationwide. He counsels clients on siting, capitalizing, and operating affordable housing developments and serves as outside counsel to the Long Island Housing Partnership. He also handles commercial and healthcare leasing, bringing expertise in navigating regulatory complexities unique to medical real estate. His representative matters include advising on the sale of 600+ units of regulated low-income and senior housing, overseeing leasing for a midtown Manhattan office tower, and supporting the creation of one of Long Island’s first community land trusts.
Puerta first joined Nixon Peabody in 2008. Earlier in his career, he was an associate editor at The Long Islander. He earned his JD from the Touro University Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from SUNY Geneseo.
