Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP, a full-service national law firm, is opening a Chicago office as well as expanding the firm’s Cleveland office with seven litigation partners from Benesch. Four partners join the firm in its new Chicago office, while three partners join the Cleveland office. Joining in Chicago are Justin Barker, Dawn Beery, Scott McMillin, and Matt Nirider. Ryan Babiuch, Jerome Cook, and Michael Snyder arrive at Nelson Mullins in Cleveland.

“The addition of these high caliber attorneys continues our strategic growth plan,” said Nelson Mullins’ Managing Partner Jim Lehman. “This group will continue to expand our geographic reach in strategic markets and add depth and breadth to our litigation practice to further enhance our service to our clients. Mike Snyder will also lead our efforts to continue to expand our presence in the Midwest.”

The team focuses on litigation matters, including commercial litigation, product liability, securities, and trade secret and bankruptcy matters. They have a strong industry presence in energy, aerospace, automobile, marine, and life sciences.

“We are very excited to join a firm with such a strong national platform that lets us provide best-in-class service to our clients,” said Mike Snyder. “We look forward to contributing to the firm’s successful and sustainable growth in both Chicago and Cleveland.”

Joining the firm to launch the new Chicago office:

• Justin Barker, partner, is a veteran trial lawyer with a broad practice that includes complex commercial litigation, product liability, and toxic tort. He has extensive experience handling disputes that arise from private equity transactions. Justin also handles employment law issues and internal investigation, trade secret matters, bankruptcy litigation, and litigation finance.
• Dawn Beery, partner, has significant trial experience, including as a first-chair trial lawyer, in a variety of matters, including commercial litigation, product liability, securities matters, and employment related disputes. She also has worked on matters involving technology, consumer products, marine products, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices.
• Scott McMillin, partner, will serve as the office managing partner in Chicago. He offers a national commercial litigation practice serving clients in the chemicals, manufacturing, and pharmaceutical industries, among others. Scott has extensive experience handling commercial and product liability issues, toxic and mass tort litigation, as well as contested restructuring issues. Scott also works with private equity clients on disputes that arise from private equity transactions.
• Matt Nirider, partner, has served as the general counsel of a national commercial facilities services company with more than 3,000 employees. He focuses his practice on business-related disputes and problem solving, including commercial litigation, product liability, bankruptcy and restructuring, and regulatory and compliance matters. Matt also has extensive experience advising private equity clients on litigation issues at all stages of the investment life cycle.

Joining the firm in Cleveland:

• Ryan Babiuch, partner, will serve as the co-managing partner of the Cleveland office with Dustin Rawlin. Ryan has a national products liability, commercial and energy practice, with specialties in the power sports, automotive, and public utility industries. He has significant experience as an in-house head of litigation counsel and expertise in managing complex dockets, counseling companies to proactively reduce litigation risk, and assisting private equity companies. He handles a variety of complex commercial litigation, data privacy, employment, and product liability cases. He has additional experience with Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) matters as well as energy cases, most particularly gas and oil.
• Jerome Cook, partner, has spent more than 30 years working as a commercial litigator primarily in the energy, real estate, suretyship, and construction industries. His experience includes infrastructure protection, interstate gas and oil transmission and storage, right-of-way acquisition and preservation and all matters confronting public utilities. His background includes local, state, and federal government regulatory issues.
• Michael Snyder, partner, is a trial lawyer with a national practice handling energy, product liability, and complex commercial litigation matters. His product liability cases include automotive, trucking, and off-road vehicles, natural gas and electric incidents, and pharmaceutical and medical device litigation. He has nearly 30 years’ experience providing legal services of all types to public utilities nationally.

Established in 1897, Nelson Mullins is an AmLaw 100 firm of more than 1,000 attorneys, policy advisors and professionals, and with the addition of this Chicago office will have 33 offices in 17 states and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.nelsonmullins.com.