New Developments at HB

Our commitment to our clients, our people, and diversity, equity, and inclusion is at our core. Husch Blackwell invests in talent and infrastructure to provide clients with uncommon solutions to their most complex challenges. The firm also ensures our team members have the support they need and deserve to achieve well-being as we pursue excellence. Here are some highlights of our efforts since the Spring Newsletter.

Executive Leadership Update

Jamie Lawless Named New Chief Executive Elect – Selected from more than 1,000 applicants, Jamie Lawless will succeed Paul Eberle as chief executive in February 2024. Like Paul, Jamie is a business professional, and the firm will continue its business-driven approach under her leadership. To ensure a smooth transition and comprehensive succession planning, Jamie has been visiting the firm’s offices over the past several months while working alongside Paul and other leaders. Learn more about Jamie in The American Lawyer and Law360 Pulse.

Firm Accolades

Firm Rises to No. 81 in Am Law 100 - The American Lawyer has recognized HB among the top 100 law firms in the United States in its 2023 Am Law 100 rankings. The annual ranking is based on gross revenue and includes a variety of other measures of law firm size and profitability.

In the past few months, the firm also was recognized:

• By clients as a firm delivering the best service in BTI Consulting Report.
• In Bloomberg Law’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Framework, a listing of those law firms that meet or exceed an established threshold of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• As a Top Place to Work for Women by the Women's Foundation of Greater St. Louis.
• As a Denver Business Journal Best Places to Work honoree.
• By the Wellness Council of America (WELCOA) with a national three-year Well Workplace Platinum Award.

Additionally, our attorneys and practices were recognized by respected third parties:

• The Best Lawyers in America® listed 237 HB lawyers in its 2024 edition, including eight attorneys who have been named “Lawyer of the Year” in their respective areas and 64 attorneys who were recognized for the first time. Also, 144 HB lawyers are included in its “Ones to Watch” listing, 60 of whom were listed for the first time.
• Chambers USA recognized 73 HB attorneys in its 2023 guide, an increase of 14 ranked attorneys from 2022. In addition, 18 lawyers earned Chambers USA rankings for the first time. Chambers also ranked HB in 34 departments spanning 17 of the firm’s practice areas, with the firm’s Toxic Tort and Land Use practices earning first-time rankings.
• The Legal 500 United States 2023 recommended HB as a “Top Tier Firm” in Education for the third consecutive year and recommended the firm in 11 additional practice areas. Additionally, the firm earned “Firms to Watch,” “Leading Lawyers,” and “Rising Stars” distinctions.
• Construction Executive magazine listed HB in its fifth annual Top 50 Construction Law Firms™. Overall, the firm placed second in the rankings.

New Partners & Lateral Hires

Client Successes

Our talented teams continue to move client goals forward. Among their recent accomplishments, they:

• Represented Jupiter Power in $70 Million Financing for Texas-Based Battery Storage Projects - HB served as project counsel for Jupiter Power, a leading developer and operator of energy storage infrastructure, in its $70.4 million construction and term loan financing facility in support of two standalone battery energy storage projects in Texas. Learn more.
• Guided Advanced Ionics in Series A Investment for Green Hydrogen – HB represented Advanced Ionics, a developer of a new category of hydrogen electrolyzers useful for expanding green hydrogen production, in raising $12.5 million in funding. Learn more.
• Represented Swift Current Energy in $779 Million Solar Project Financing - HB represented Swift Current Energy in closing project financing for the Double Black Diamond Solar project, expected to be the second-largest single-phase solar project in the U.S. and the largest solar project in MISO once it comes online. Learn more.
• Represented Black & Veatch in Expansion of Construction Solutions - HB represented Black & Veatch in its recently closed acquisition of Bird Electric. The transaction combines key industry engineering, construction, and procurement talent and business-enabling resources. Learn more.
• Assisted Swift Current in Closing Financing of 266 MW Solar Project in Southeast Texas – HB’s renewable energy team assisted Swift Current in the closing of debt financing and a tax equity commitment for a 266 MW solar project located in Southeast Texas. Learn more.
• Earned an Appellate Victory in Key Franchise Law Case - HB secured a victory before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit on behalf of Industrial Combustion, LLC (IC) and its affiliated company Cleaver-Brooks, Inc., in litigation brought under the Minnesota Franchise Act by a former distributor of IC-manufactured burners used in institutional boiler systems. Learn more.
• Authored an Amicus Brief That Aided in a Fourth Circuit Win for the Auto Finance Industry - In Davidson v. United Auto Credit Corporation, the Fourth Circuit has affirmed the decision of the Eastern District of Virginia dismissing a putative class action that attempted to bring such a transaction within the MLA. HB attorneys filed an amicus curiae brief on behalf of several national industry trade associations in the Fourth Circuit. Learn more.
• Negotiated a Collaboration Agreement for MYSTERY RANCH With Dior - HB represented backpack and bag manufacturer MYSTERY RANCH in negotiating a unique collaboration agreement with French fashion house Dior for backpacks, saddle bags, belt bags, and other goods. Learn more.
• Guided Healium in a Know-How License Agreement With Mayo Clinic - HB represented Healium, a virtual and augmented reality biofeedback company, in negotiating a know-how agreement with Mayo Clinic. Learn more.
• Advised Churchill Stateside Group's Renewable Energy Fund in a Groundbreaking Tax Equity Investment for Battery Energy Storage – HB’s renewable energy tax credit team advised a renewable energy fund led by Churchill Stateside Group in the closing of the first-of-its-kind tax equity investment for two standalone utility-scale battery storage projects utilizing the investment tax credit. Learn more.

HB Footprint

Our team continues its aggressive countrywide growth plan, opening and expanding brick-and-mortar offices, and hiring talent to work in the firm’s virtual office, The Link.

• The Link continues to build on its early success. July marked its third anniversary – and Office Managing Partner J.Y. Miller joined Law.com’s Alaina Lancaster on the Legal Speak podcast to discuss its evolution. At 600 members (including 200 lawyers), The Link is the firm’s largest office, with representation in 38 states and 80 cities. Chief Executive Paul Eberle emphasized The Link’s value in attracting and retaining talent in an interview with Reuters. Read more about how The Link is “bucking Big Law” in this Bloomberg article.
• The firm opened a Minneapolis office in May, where Rob Kukuljan serves as office managing partner.
• Employees began working at the firm’s new St. Louis office, located in the newly constructed Commerce Bank Tower in downtown Clayton, Missouri, in March. Speaking of St. Louis, Missouri Lawyers Media named Office Managing Partner Bob Tomaso to its inaugural Top Managing Partners in Missouri list.
• The Kansas City office is staying put. The firm has entered into an agreement that will keep the office at the Plaza Colonnade building through 2037. It will occupy three floors of the building, totaling approximately 95,000 square feet.
• The Omaha office, however, is on the move. The firm plans to relocate it to 14606 Branch Street, a two-building, 200,000-square-foot campus owned by Goldenrod Companies, in November 2023.

Technology Advancements

The firm uses artificial intelligence (AI) to increase efficiency and cost savings so we can provide clients with the most innovative and sophisticated services.

Most recently, HB renewed its strategic partnership with Thomson Reuters, which will see HB become one of the earliest Am Law 100 firms to implement Westlaw Precision and Practical Law Dynamic Tool Set. The global content and technology company will begin incorporating generative AI capabilities across its suite of products later this year.

READ THE FALL 2023 NEWSLETTER >