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In the first quarter of 2024, ten associate attorneys joined Michael Best in several practice groups including corporate, labor & employment, litigation, and Venture Best.

Kamau Faines joined as an Associate in the Venture Best practice group. Located in the Milwaukee office, Faines assists early-stage, emerging, and established companies, as well as investors, with a variety of corporate and transactional issues. While pursuing his J.D., Faines gained legal experience as a Summer Associate with Michael Best, and prior to attending law school, he spent several years as an intellectual property assistant for a Chicago-based intellectual property law firm. In these roles, Faines supported attorneys in a wide range of matters, conducted research, prepared and filed documents, produced client reports, and managed client correspondence. He earned his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and his B.A. in Sociology from Davidson College.

Paul Matenaer joined in the Litigation practice group as an Associate in the Madison office. Matenaer assists businesses of all types with a broad range of civil disputes, up to and including courtroom litigation. His experience extends to commercial litigation, insurance defense, municipal and school law, intellectual property litigation, labor and employment disputes, and construction litigation. A skilled writer, Matenaer has been published in different law journals, including the Chicago-Kent Journal of Intellectual Property and Thomson Reuters. He earned both his J.D., magna cum laude, and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and also a Master of Theological Studies at Ave Maria University and Juris Canonici Licentiatus from Saint Paul University.

Kayla McCann joined Michael Best as an Associate in the Labor & Employment Relations group. She is located in the firm’s Milwaukee office. McCann specializes in advocating for employers before state courts, federal courts, and administrative agencies. She has experience in litigating labor and employment disputes, including disputes arising under Title VII, the FMLA, the FLSA, and the ADA, as well as state law equivalents. She also advises clients on compliance with employment laws, develops employment policies and procedures, and conducts compliance training for supervisors and employees. McCann received her J.D., cum laude, from Marquette University Law School and her B.A. in International Studies and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Jonathan Peña joined as an Associate in the Litigation practice group in Austin. Peña joins with experience in both trial and district courts. He represents clients on a variety of litigation matters in both state and federal court. His practice focuses heavily on workplace health & safety, ERISA benefits disputes, general commercial liability, and general commercial disputes. He also has extensive experience assisting businesses in arbitration from inception of suit to final evidentiary hearing. Peña earned his J.D. from South Texas College of Law Houston and his B.B.A in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin.

Corissa Pennow joined as a Labor & Employment Relations Associate in the Milwaukee office. Pennow’s practice focuses on federal litigation, particularly in the wage and hour space, as well as representing employers in proceedings against the NLRB. Her experience includes defending against nationwide class and collective actions, responding to unfair labor practice charges, and advising employers facing union representation petitions. She has successfully advocated on behalf of employers against discrimination, retaliation, and harassment claims in both state and federal administrative bodies and courts. Pennow also works proactively with employers to ensure they are compliant with various state and federal employment laws, including handbook reviews and classification audits. She earned her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and her B.B.A., with honors, in Marketing and Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Francis Pray joined Michael Best as an Associate in the Corporate practice group and is located in the Raleigh office. He assists in a broad range of for-profit and not-for-profit entities with business and transactional matters across the entire range of the business life cycle. Pray’s practice focuses on middle-market mergers, acquisitions, reorganizations, entity formation, governance matters, outside general counsel services, and securities regulations and offerings. His client portfolio encompasses various industries, including healthcare, automotive, manufacturing, logistics, technology, construction, financial services, professional services, real estate, faith-based, and nonprofit sectors. Pray received his J.D., with honors, at the University of North Carolina School of Law and his B.A. in Public Policy and Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jesse Roberts joined as an Associate in the Chicago office. Roberts focuses his practice on a diverse range of tax matters. He assists both nonprofit and for-profit clients with a variety of tax compliance, tax planning, and tax controversy issues. He also counsels businesses on new tax legislation. Earlier in his career, Roberts served as in-house counsel to a committee within the U.S. House of Representatives. In this role, he advised members of Congress and their staffs on their legal and ethical requirements, drafted numerous pieces of legislation, and led congressional oversight efforts over U.S. federal agencies. Roberts received his J.D. from Chicago-Kent College of Law and his B.A. in Philosophy from Calvin University.

Ashley Smith joined Michael Best as an Associate in the Corporate practice group. She is located in the Milwaukee office. Smith assists clients with a variety of business and transactional matters. Her practice focuses on various aspects of corporate law, including mergers and acquisitions, contract drafting and negotiations, complex corporate restructurings, venture and entrepreneurial matters, and corporate governance. A promising young leader, Smith served as President of Marquette’s Black Law Student Association and Midwest Black Law Student Association’s Regional Secretary. Smith earned her J.D. from Marquette University Law School and her B.S. in Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh.

James Spaulding joined in the Transactional practice as an Associate in the Chicago office. He assists clients with a variety of business and transactional matters, with a focus in the banking and financial services sector. Spaulding has experience in reviewing, revising, and tracking terms of various physical and derivative trading agreements including ISDA Master Agreements, Prime Brokerage Agreements and Term Lockups, Total Return Swap Master Confirmations, and repurchase agreements. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law and his B.A. in History from Emory University.

Davis Sullivan joined as an Associate in the Litigation practice group, with a focus on bankruptcy and insolvency matters. He is located in the Milwaukee office. Sullivan represents individuals and businesses in restructurings, receiverships, bankruptcy proceedings, and a range of other civil litigation matters. He also has experience representing individual and small business debtors in both bankruptcies and out-of-court workouts. Sullivan earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin Law School and his B.A. in Economics from Ohio University.