Seven Aronberg Goldgehn Attorneys Named Rising Stars By Illinois Super Lawyers

01.29.20

Staci L. Balbirer, Amy M. Gibson, Benjamin Haskin, David A. Johnson, Jr., Lindsay P. Lollio, Timothy R. Nelson and Christopher W. Niro have been named “Rising Stars” by Illinois Super Lawyers. Super Lawyers, part of Thomson Reuters, is a research-driven, peer influenced rating service of outstanding lawyers who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.

To be eligible for inclusion in Rising Stars, a candidate must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. No more than 2.5 percent of the lawyers in Illinois are named to Rising Stars.

About Aronberg Goldgehn’s Rising Stars

Staci L. Balbirer, Member, was named a Rising Star in Family Law. She concentrates her practice in the area of divorce and family law with a special focus on assisting families with special needs children. She has lectured on and authored about family law matters, including most recently before the Northwest Suburban Bar Association on the topic of "How to Calculate Support for Adult Children with Special Needs." She has authored "Why the Date We File a Petition for Dissolution of Marriage Just Became Important," and co-authored “The Difficulty in Understanding and Applying Section 5/513(a)(1) of the Illinois Marriage and Dissolution of Marriage Act,” both of which were published in the Illinois State Bar Journal Family Law Newsletter. Staci joined Aronberg Goldgehn as an associate in November 2014 and was elevated to Member in 2019.

Amy M. Gibson, Member, was named a Rising Star in Business Litigation. A Co-Chair of Aronberg Goldgehn's Commercial Litigation Practice Group, Amy focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, including claims involving shareholder disputes, fraud, consumer fraud, breach of contract and real estate. She also defends local and national employers in litigation and administrative proceedings involving claims by employees for discrimination, retaliation, violation of state and federal wage and hour laws, and worker misclassification. Amy’s employment practice encompasses assisting businesses with the protection of their assets and trade secrets by pursuing claims against former employees for breach of fiduciary duty, misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of non-competition agreements. Amy also counsels employers on a wide-range of employment matters, such as employment policies, compliance with state and federal employment laws, internal investigations, terminations, and classification of independent contractors/employees. Amy joined Aronberg Goldgehn as an associate in 2007 and was elevated to Member in January 2015.

Benjamin E. Haskin, Member, was named a Rising Star in Business Litigation. Ben specializes in assisting small- and medium-sized companies realize practical solutions to business disputes involving contracts, shareholders/members, employees, trademarks and other similar instances of alleged wrongdoing. He works closely with his clients to explore resolutions with the aim of avoiding or minimizing litigation costs while maximizing the client’s return. He has successfully represented his clients’ interests in a broad range of complex litigation in state and federal courts as well as private arbitrations centers in shareholder rights, contract disputes, trade secrets, restrictive covenants and other business torts. He has also litigated cases involving the Uniform Commercial Code, ERISA and the Lanham Act. Ben joined Aronberg Goldgehn in 2011 and was elevated to Member in January 2019.

David A. Johnson, Jr., Member, was named a Rising Star in Business/Corporate Law. He is a general business attorney who represents growing companies and medical practices throughout Illinois and Wisconsin in all stages of operation, including in unique and complex transactions. He advises clients from formation to financing, to growth acquisitions and, in some instances, to the final sale of the company. He also provides counsel on employment matters and represents clients in the negotiation of employment agreements, employment handbooks, compliance with collective bargaining agreements and employment termination. David often serves as clients’ outside general counsel, advising them in a manner that mitigates risk and supports growth. He also provides guidance when troubled situations arise. He is experienced in representing both individual owners and companies in disputes that arise between owners, and can help find a solution to troubled situations while protecting the enterprise and its value. David joined Aronberg Goldgehn as an associate in February 2017 and was elevated to Member in 2019.

Lindsay P. Lollio, Member, was named a Rising Star in Insurance Coverage. She represents a broad range of local and foreign individuals and entities in the United States, Asia, Canada and Europe in the areas of civil liability defense, commercial and insurance-related matters. Lindsay represents several businesses in matters arising from complex contract disputes, employment disputes and ERISA. She also regularly consults with healthcare clients and business associates regarding HIPAA compliance. As coverage counsel, Lindsay regularly analyzes and litigates complex insurance coverage matters on behalf of insurance carriers concerning a wide breadth of issues, including matters arising from professional liability, construction and personal injury litigation. Lindsay joined Aronberg Goldgehn as an associate in May 2014 and was elevated to Member in 2019.

Timothy R. Nelson, Member, was named a Rising Star in Business/Corporate Law. A Co-Chair of the Business Law & Transactions Group at Aronberg Goldgehn, Tim represents clients in a broad range of matters and transactions. He often serves as outside general counsel for middle market and privately held businesses in a variety of industries, providing counsel on a broad range of legal, business and strategic matters. He represents clients in connection with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures; business formation, start-up and governance matters; corporate structure and business planning matters; private debt and equity offerings; shareholder disputes; commercial finance transactions; as well as real estate, leasing and licensing transactions. Tim also assists clients with a range of technology and intellectual property matters, including trademark and copyright matters, Internet and software matters, as well as related concerns such as trade secret protections and related company policies. Tim joined Aronberg Goldgehn as an associate in November 2010 and was elevated to Member in January 2015.

Christopher W. Niro, Member, was named a Rising Star in Intellectual Property Law. He focuses his practice on intellectual property litigation, prosecution and other business affairs, including brand management and portfolio development. He represents individuals and entrepreneurs, as well as mid-size companies and multinational organizations. Christopher advises his clients with regards to patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets. In addition, he has extensive experience with all aspects of intellectual property litigation in both state and federal trial and appellate courts. Christopher joined Aronberg Goldgehn as a Member in April 2019.



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