Gray Plant Mooty Hires 10 New Attorneys
MINNEAPOLIS (Oct. 9, 2018) — Gray Plant Mooty is pleased to announce the hiring of 10 new attorneys—one special counsel and nine associates—in its Minneapolis, St. Cloud, and Washington, D.C. offices. They are as follows.
Eli Bensignor joins the firm’s Franchise and Distribution Practice Group as an associate. Bensignor dedicates his practice to franchise, distribution, and licensing matters. He counsels emerging and seasoned franchisors across the U.S. on day-to-day matters, including analyzing and drafting agreements and commercial contracts, filing registrations, and advising on regulatory compliance. Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, Bensignor practiced at a boutique franchise firm and clerked for the Court of Common Pleas in Philadelphia.
Alyssa Brandvold joins the firm’s Corporate and Business Practice Group as an associate. Brandvold practices in the area of general corporate and business law, mergers and acquisitions, securities, and commercial transactions. While in law school, Brandvold served as a judicial intern in the Wisconsin Supreme Court. She also provided legal services to indigent clients through the Frank J. Remington Center clinical programs. Prior to joining the firm as an associate, Brandvold worked as a summer associate at Gray Plant Mooty.
Eric Brown joins the firm’s Litigation Practice Groups as an associate. Brown has experience representing and advising clients in a variety of litigation matters. He devotes part of his practice to appellate litigation, drawing from his experience as a judicial clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals and as an extern for the U.S. Court of Appeals. Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, Brown served as an Assistant Attorney General litigating for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
Chelsey Buck joins the firm’s Corporate and Business Practice Group as an associate. Before joining Gray Plant Mooty, Chelsey served as a law clerk at other Minneapolis-based firms and as a legal extern at the IRS Office of Chief Counsel. Buck is also an alumna of Gray Plant Mooty’s summer associate program. Prior to practicing law, Buck obtained her Certified Public Accountant license and worked as a senior tax associate at a public accounting firm.
Kirsten Donaldson joins the firm’s Intellectual Property, Technology, and Privacy Practice Group as special counsel. Donaldson provides strategic advice to clients on trademark and copyright development, registration, and licensing agreements. She also advises on enforcement measures, including trademark opposition and cancellation proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and on copyright and trademark litigation before the U.S. District Courts. Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, Donaldson spent 10 years in Washington, D.C., where she worked for an international law firm. She frequently writes and speaks on intellectual property and media laws throughout the country.
Dion Farganis joins the firm’s Litigation Practice Group as an associate. Farganis advises clients in a variety of matters, including general and complex commercial litigation. Before entering law school, he was a tenured political science professor, specializing in the study of American law and courts. While in law school, he was an editor of the Minnesota Law Review and worked for the university’s Office of the General Counsel. Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, Farganis served as a judicial law clerk, and he is an alumnus of Gray Plant Mooty’s summer associate program.
Amy Fiecke joins the firm’s Commercial Financial Services Practice Group as an associate. Fiecke is a recent graduate from the University of Saint Thomas School of Law. She participated in Gray Plant Mooty’s summer associate program, served as a school-year law clerk on the Commercial Financial Services Practice Group at Gray Plant Mooty, and clerked for the Carver County Attorney’s Office. Prior to law school, Fiecke served as a Senior Compliance Specialist for a national finance company.
Hannah Holloran Fotsch joins the firm’s Franchise and Distribution Practice Group as an associate. Fotsch is a recent graduate of Mitchell Hamline School of Law. She participated in the 2017 Gray Plant Mooty summer associate program and served as a school-year law clerk to Gray Plant Mooty’s Health Law and Non-Profit Organizations Practice Group. Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, Fotsch clerked at a Minneapolis labor and employment firm.
Jon Hodge joins the firm’s Corporate and Business Practice Group as an associate. Hodge represents individuals and businesses on a variety of corporate and business law issues. Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, Hodge handled complex consumer class actions at one of the nation’s leading data-privacy firms. He also practiced complex commercial litigation at an AmLaw 100 firm. Before practicing law, Hodge served as a consultant for a leading tech incubator and worked in the accounting department of a multibillion-dollar company.
Thomas Pacheco joins the firm’s Franchise and Distribution Practice Group as an associate. Pacheco is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law. Pacheco served on the Maryland Law Review and also chaired the Moot Court Board’s Fall Competition. Prior to joining Gray Plant Mooty, Pacheco clerked on the Maryland Court of Appeals.
About Gray Plant Mooty
Gray Plant Mooty is recognized as one of the leading corporate law firms in Minnesota and one of the top franchise firms in the world. Gray Plant Mooty is a 180-lawyer, full-service firm with offices in Minneapolis and St. Cloud, Minn.; Washington, D.C.; and Fargo, N.D. The firm’s attorneys and staff provide exceptional client service and value, and comprehensive legal services on a regional, national, and global basis. Gray Plant Mooty’s roots date back to 1866. Learn more at www.gpmlaw.com.