Taft, named as the fastest growing law firm by revenue in the 2023 AmLaw 100, continues to expand with the addition of six new attorneys in its Minneapolis office:

• Chris Carlisle, corporate partner
• Jennifer Debrow, intellectual property partner
• Ashley Bennett Ewald, intellectual property partner
• Chelsey Buck, corporate associate
• Hannah Lutz, intellectual property associate
• Luke Greiner, corporate associate

The attorneys focus on a broad array of legal services, including corporate, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, commercial finance, technology licensing, trademarks, global brand management, copyrights, and intellectual property litigation.

These six attorneys will further increase Taft’s bench strength and overall presence in Minneapolis as the Modern Law Firm. Taft has maintained its strategic approach to recruiting exceptional legal talent who embody key traits that are crucial to providing the very best legal services to clients.

“The addition of this talented team is a continuation of our effort to strategically build a firm of highly skilled lawyers dedicated to providing the very best legal services. This validates that Taft is the market leader where great lawyers want to practice,” said Taft Minneapolis partner-in-charge Justin Weinberg.

Carlisle is a leading corporate merger and acquisition and emerging company/venture finance attorney in Minnesota and has been recognized as such globally by Chambers and Partners. He provides a broad range of services to both established and emerging companies in a variety of industries and is known for driving growth and helping companies achieve their goals.

Debrow manages global trademark portfolios for a number of well-known brands and regularly advises clients on intellectual property in business transactions, including licensing and mergers and acquisitions. She is recognized by Chambers and Partners and the World Trademark Review for her extensive intellectual property experience.

Bennett Ewald is an experienced intellectual property litigator and trademark and copyright prosecutor who has been repeatedly recognized by the World Trademark Review as a leader in her field. She is routinely sought after for her expertise in advising clients on brand enforcement issues and global brand management. She also has deep experience with social media and domain name enforcement. 

Buck focuses her practice on mergers and acquisitions, general corporate law, and startup and emerging growth companies. She advises clients on a wide range of legal matters, including entity formation, corporate governance, debt and equity financing, contract negotiation, and merger and acquisition transactions.

Lutz counsels clients on trademark portfolio management, including conducting trademark clearance and prosecution in the U.S. and internationally. She also handles intellectual property aspects of mergers and acquisitions, domain name disputes, and copyright matters.

Greiner provides legal advice to both established and startup organizations. His expertise covers the full range of legal issues that businesses encounter throughout their life cycle, such as entity formation, governance, and contract negotiation.

Taft’s six new attorneys are also joined by four paralegals and one legal assistant.

“Our goal as a team was to join a firm with expanded depth in M&A and finance services that was also focused on our core client base of founders, entrepreneurs, and investors. Taft had everything we were looking for and more,” said partner Chris Carlisle.

“Taft has the platform and resources to foster and expand our IP practice on the world stage,” said partner Jennifer Debrow.

“Joining Taft is a great opportunity for our whole team. We are excited to offer our clients the expanded depth and breadth of an 800+ lawyer firm while continuing our focus on client service,” said partner Ashley Bennett Ewald.