Stinson Elects 10 New Partners in 2021

01.12.2021

Stinson LLP announced today the election of 10 new partners, across five offices, effective January 1, 2021.

“The promotion of these new partners strengthens key practice groups and divisions firmwide, and reflects our commitment to professional excellence, attorney development and exceptional client service,” said Mark Hinderks, Stinson's managing partner.

The new partners by office are:

Denver

Ryan Sugden is a trial lawyer who represents landowners, developers and lenders in commercial real estate matters, construction disputes, and insurance coverage claims. He also frequently represents health and workers' compensation insurers in ERISA and premium dispute litigation. Sugden was selected to the 2020 Best Lawyers© "Ones to Watch" list for achieving outstanding professional excellence in his practice. He also publishes frequently on eminent domain, land use issues and business torts. Sugden earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from the Washington University School of Law.

Kansas City

Ashley Dillon represents companies across industries in employment and complex business disputes, including employment discrimination, wrongful termination and retaliation claims, wage and hour claims, state law contract and tort claims, and litigation concerning issues for oil and gas companies. She provides practical business and legal solutions in employment law compliance and regularly counsels and trains employers on a wide variety of matters including employment agreements, disability issues, wage and hour compliance, and preventing discrimination. Ashley also has experience conducting sensitive workplace investigations for employers. She earned her J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law.

Greg Johnson has experience regarding contracts and compliance matters for payment systems and financial technology programs. Johnson also represents clients on transactions involving financing, acquisitions and general corporate matters. He earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law.

Anna Krstulic counsels municipal and private sector clients on land use planning and zoning, municipal law, economic development and public incentives. With a background as an assistant attorney for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas, Anna currently serves as city attorney for the City of Mission Hills, Kansas and the City of Tonganoxie, Kansas, and serves as zoning counsel for the City of Fairway, Kansas. She continues to represent the Unified Government in economic development transactions involving major local projects financed with public incentives. Krstulic's municipal experience benefits private sector clients seeking land development approvals, and she is well versed in traditional real estate practice, including purchase and sale agreements, leases, licenses, easements, and declarations of covenants and restrictions. She earned her J.D. from the Washburn University School of Law.

Colin Turner is a registered patent attorney who focuses his practice in intellectual property litigation, trademark prosecution and enforcement, and patent preparation and prosecution. He has considerable experience representing clients in complex intellectual property disputes in federal courts and in trial proceedings before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Additionally, Turner works with clients to protect their brands through cease and desist letter campaigns and the preparation and submission of takedown notices to social media platforms and online retailers. His background in chemical engineering informs his ability to advise inventors and stakeholders across technological areas. Turner earned his J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

Minneapolis

Ben Eastburn assists clients nationwide in litigation, arbitration and transactional matters, including construction and design defects, guaranteed energy savings, government contracting, energy and transportation matters, and lien, bond and equitable price adjustment claims. Before joining Stinson, Eastburn served as vice president and general counsel for a specialty construction and as project manager for a shipyard, where he planned and supervised the maintenance and repairs for two U.S. Navy guided missile destroyers. He earned his J.D. from Regent University School of Law.

Iain Johnson represents builders, lenders, administrative agents, REITs, retailers and developers in commercial real estate transactions of all sizes. He focuses his practice on financing for affordable housing projects and construction loans. Additionally, Johnson frequently acts as local counsel, advising on a wide variety of real estate matters. He earned his J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law.

Justin Seitz advises business owners, management and in-house counsel on all aspects of business operations, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, succession and estate planning, and shareholder relationships. His experience working in his family's business allows him to better assist multi-generational families and owners of privately held businesses to develop personalized estate plans and offer broader succession and exit planning strategies. Seitz earned his J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Omaha

Drew Sova advises investors, financial institutions, community development entities and qualified business on complex financial transactions. He has experience in both financial and real estate transactions designed to enable the transfer of federal and state tax credits. With a background as in-house counsel for a regional title company and as an auditor for a large, international accounting firm, Sova is able to effectively advise clients of all sizes on a diverse array of legal challenges. He earned his J.D. from the University of Nebraska College of Law. 

St. Louis

Jonathan Pollmann prepares and prosecutes domestic and foreign patent applications for technologies related to medical devices, automation software, infrastructure repair solutions, refrigeration devices, fiber optics and packaging products. He also works with clients to identify third-party intellectual property rights and assess industry trends in order to avoid patent infringement. Pollmann earned his J.D. from the St. Louis University School of Law.