Business law firm Husch Blackwell LLP has promoted 18 attorneys to partner, three of whom are based in the Milwaukee office.
Missouri-based Husch announced the 2018 partner class from Milwaukee is: Frank DiCastri, David Eckhardt and Steven Laabs. All three are on the Financial Services & Capital Markets team. The changes take effect Jan. 1.
DiCastri specializes in creditors’ rights, bankruptcy and commercial litigation. He represents debtors, financial institutions, creditors’ committees, trustees, and secured and unsecured creditors in reorganizations, liquidations, workouts and Chapter 128 receiverships. DiCastri was previously a shareholder and team leader at Milwaukee’s Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., which was acquired by Husch in July 2016. Earlier in his career, he was a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP, where he worked for 16 years. DiCastri holds a J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School and a bachelor’s with distinction in behavioral science and law from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Eckhardt focuses on employee benefits, executive compensation and taxation. He implements and operates tax-qualified retirement plans, ERIS compliance and employment taxes. Eckhardt began at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek in 2013 and then transitioned to Husch Blackwell in the merger. Previously, Eckhardt worked for four years as a senior consultant in the national tax department at Ernst & Young. He holds a Master of Laws with honors in taxation and a J.D., cum laude, from The John Marshall Law School, and a bachelor’s in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Laabs represents companies and business owners in mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, private placements, business succession planning and other transactions. He also assists entrepreneurs and early-stage companies with entity formation, governance and equity and debt financing. Laabs began at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek in 2015, and previously worked for six years as an attorney at Davis & Kuelthau S.C. Laabs holds a J.D., cum laude, from Marquette University Law School and a bachelor’s, cum laude, in finance from Marquette.
“Our new partners reflect our firm’s commitment to recruiting and advancing exceptional talent,” said Maurice Watson, chairman of Husch Blackwell. “They have subject-matter and industry sector expertise, along with extraordinary commitment to client service, that our clients expect from us. We are proud of their accomplishments and welcome them to the partnership.”
