Edwardsville-based HeplerBroom has recently expanded operations in its Chicago-area offices.
"The firm looks to grow strategically," HeplerBroom marketing liaison Dawn Hennig said in a Record email interview.
2016 Leading Lawyer Aleen Tiffany, now a HeplerBroom partner
| Photo courtesy of HeplerBroom
"We look for great lawyers who will expand our ability to serve our clients either in additional practice areas or geographically. Our new groups blend very well with and complement our existing practice areas. Ultimately, being able to provide the service our clients need leads to growth."
On Oct. 26, HeplerBroom announced a significantly enhanced presence in Chicago with the addition of 16 attorneys, bringing to 136 the number of attorneys in the firm working in key jurisdictions in the Midwest. The new attorneys add substantial depth to the firm’s insurance practice as well as expand its reach in professional liability and construction litigation, according to the HeplerBroom announcement.
HeplerBroom has experienced some significant growth over the past 10 to 15 years, Hennig said.
"Merging with established groups certainly allows for quicker growth," she said. "This year, if not our largest growth year, will certainly be one of them."
The most recent announced expansion allows HeplerBroom to continue to serve its clients regionally and nationally, Hennig said. "We already service many clients through Illinois and Missouri and this expansion will bring that capability to more of our practice groups," she said.
Attorneys announced in HeplerBroom's most recent expansion include "Super Lawyers" Linda Hay and Anne Oldenburg of the Chicago-based firm Hay & Oldenburg, who are expected to add industry-specific depth to HeplerBroom’s professional liability practice. Partners Hay and Oldenburg, along with Patricia Noonan, are well known for their years of experience in legal, medical, and dental malpractice, the HeplerBroom announcement said. Their reputation also extends to insurance litigation related to hospitals and nursing homes, as well as professional licensing issues.
"We take a personal interest in each of our cases," Hay was quoted in the announcement. "Clients keep coming back because we’re passionate, fair and ethical."
Also announced to be joining with Hay, Oldenburg and Noonan are associates Tammera Banasek, Anthony Joseph, Susan Wagener, and Adam Shapiro.
Partners Rick Hammond, Eric Moch, and Isaac Melton are joining HeplerBroom's first-party insurance litigation, bringing with them insurance experience that is broad and includes coverage, claims defense, bad faith, fraud and municipality litigation, the announcement said. The six-person team also includes associates James DuChateau, Gabriel Judd, and David Albaugh.
"We’re very pleased to be able to offer our insurance industry clients such specialized representation in insurance claims," HeplerBroom Partner Larry Hepler was quoted in the announcement.
HeplerBroom's Construction Law Group benefits from the addition of recently named 2016 "Leading Lawyer" Aleen Tiffany, a principal and owner of Aleen R. Tiffany, P.C. in suburban Crystal Lake, according to the announcement. Tiffany has joined HeplerBroom as a partner, along with associates Holly Whitlock and Jamie Rein. Tiffany pioneered emphasis on risk transfer in construction litigation and other innovations in insurance defense, the announcement said. The team enhances the firm’s ability to handle complex civil litigation matters in all aspects of commercial construction, including injuries, defects, contracts, risk transfer and mechanics lien claims.
"We now have a full complement of lawyers and staff capable of handling any complex construction law or litigation matter," HeplerBroom partner Jeff Hebrank was quoted as saying in the announcement. "Aleen and her team are a valuable addition."
Each of the groups brings distinct talents to HeplerBroom and enhances the firm's strong capabilities in civil litigation defense, HeplerBroom partner Troy A. Bozarth was quoted as saying in the press release. Bozarth added that Hammond, Tiffany, and Oldenburg are all past presidents of the Illinois Association of Defense Trial Counsel, joining five other past presidents from HeplerBroom.