In the second quarter of 2024, six associate attorneys and one staff attorney joined Michael Best in several practice groups including labor & employment, litigation, and transactional.
Austin Backus joined as an Associate in the Litigation practice group, out of the Charlotte office. Backus is a skilled civil litigation attorney who focuses his practice on complex commercial disputes, real estate litigation, and insurance litigation in both state and federal court. He brings experience in both trials and arbitrations. Backus received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law and his B.A. in Political Science & Government and Public Relations from the University of Alabama.
Joshua Blumenfeld joined in the Transactional practice group as an Associate in the Chicago office. With a strong background in corporate law and real estate transactions, Blumenfeld brings a wealth of expertise driving legal strategy and ensuring compliance across various business activities. He has extensive experience preparing and negotiating a wide range of contracts, including real estate purchase and sale agreements, commercial leases, joint venture agreements, and construction agreements. Blumenfeld received his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Malin Ehrsam joined Michael Best as an attorney in the Labor & Employment group. She is located in the firm’s Milwaukee office. Ehrsam brings experience from diverse legal environments, particularly in education and public service. Ehrsam has represented employers in unemployment insurance hearings, investigated employee complaints of discrimination and harassment, drafted position statements for Equal Rights Division (ERD), and conducted legal research on various employment-related issues. Since 2021, Ehrsam has contributed to the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic, assisting clients in preparing documents, interviewing clients, and providing brief legal advice. Ehrsam received her J.D., cum laude, from Marquette University Law School, M.A. in Education from Alverno College and her B.A. in Education from Haverford College.
Jenny Kumosz joined as an associate in the Corporate group in the Milwaukee office. She has experience in state and federal regulatory matters, and transactional M&A and contracting. Kumosz advises clients on all aspects of the health care industry from professional licensing, scope of practice, employment and independent contractor agreements, to transactions of all sizes, including HSR filings and clearance through the antitrust merger review process. Working with a variety of health care clients, including hospitals, health systems, physician practices, and entrepreneurial health care companies, she counsels clients to ensure compliance with the Stark Law/Anti-Kickback Statute and other complex regulations that govern the healthcare industry. Kumosz is also experienced in proactive fraud and abuse self-disclosures to the Office of Inspector General and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, responding to civil investigative demands and developing effective operational policies and procedures. She leverages her experience with government investigations to offer practical and proactive guidance to achieve her client’s business objectives. Kumosz earned her J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and her B.A. in Medicine, Health & Society; Corporate Strategy from Vanderbilt University.
Bradley MacDonald has joined Michael Best’s Labor & Employment group as an associate in the Chicago office, specializing in complex issues related to employee benefits, retirement plans and ERISA matters, and health and welfare plans. MacDonald brings valuable experience as an advisor to private equity firms on employee benefit and ERISA issues in M&A transactions. His expertise includes providing legal markups to purchase and credit agreements, leading management calls for the benefits team, and drafting various documents such as disclosure schedules and due diligence request lists. MacDonald earned his J.D. from the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law, summa cum laude, B.S.Ed. and B.A. from Loyola University of Chicago, respectively summa cum laude.
Annie Schoenfeldt joined Michael Best as an Associate in the Litigation practice group and located in the Milwaukee office. She represents corporate clients in complex commercial litigation disputes, arbitration proceedings, and regulatory proceedings. She also counsels corporations and individuals in connection with internal investigations. Schoenfeldt has experience contributing to cases including Section 1983 claims, tax policy analysis, breach of contract disputes, and ERISA litigation. Her passion for advocacy led her to serve as a PILI Fellow at Chicago Volunteer Legal Services, where she represented clients in divorce proceedings and custody cases. She received her J.D. at the University of Chicago and her B.S. in Economics with Math emphasis and Art History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Xin Shao Joined as an Associate in the Intellectual Property practice group in Washington, D.C. He specializes in patent law with a focus in artificial intelligence (AI) and other complex technologies. As a registered patent attorney, Shao has successfully handled a significant number of AI patent prosecution matters for prominent companies in the AI development space. His knowledge in AI and machine learning is complemented by a robust academic background in mathematics and statistics. Shao earned his J.D. at the University of Wisconsin Law School and his M.S in Mathematics from New York University’s Tandon School of Engineering.