Ogletree Deakins Re-elects Kim Ebert as Firm's Managing Shareholder

INDIANAPOLIS – February 1, 2012 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms, is pleased to announce that Kim Ebert, in the firm’s Indianapolis office, has been re-elected as Managing Shareholder of the firm. Ebert was re-elected to the position during the Annual Meeting of Shareholders in Atlanta, Georgia. As the Managing Shareholder, Ebert will continue to serve as chair of the executive management team and will be responsible for the strategic growth of the firm.

Ebert’s leadership and pursuit of his vision for the firm have been evident throughout his tenure. In 2011, Ogletree Deakins continued to experience remarkable growth by adding 137 attorneys to the firm’s national platform and also advanced several initiatives in response to client demand. In September, Ebert welcomed Michelle Wimes as the Director of Professional Development and Inclusion to lead the recruitment, orientation, retention, and advancement of a diverse group of attorneys across the firm’s 40 offices, as well as to provide diversity and compliance consulting to the firm’s clients. In the same month, Ebert tapped Carson Burnham to lead the firm’s International Practice Group in assisting clients dealing with the peculiarities of employment issues in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, as well as the unique aspects of working with foreign counsel. Most recently, Ebert advanced the firm’s knowledge management capabilities by welcoming Patrick DiDomenico as the Director of Knowledge Management. The new role leverages the firm’s intellectual capital and knowledge-sharing culture to deliver increased efficiencies to clients by partnering with Ogletree Deakins’ attorneys in creating processes, procedures, and tools designed to further enhance the effectiveness of the client-attorney relationship. In 2010, Ebert’s first year leading the firm, Ogletree Deakins opened five new offices – all in the western United States.  

“I am thrilled and humbled to be re-elected as the managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins,” said Ebert. “Our firm will continue to focus on providing premier client service and retaining top talent that effectively and efficiently handles the labor and employment law needs of our clients.”

Ebert has been with Ogletree Deakins for more than a decade and has held a number of key leadership and managerial roles. Joining Ogletree Deakins in 2000 as a founding partner and managing shareholder of the firm’s Indianapolis office, he doubled the size of the office during his five-year tenure. In 2001, the firm’s shareholders elected him to a seat on the firm’s compensation committee, thereby increasing his managerial role. Ebert was elected to the firm’s Board of Directors in 2006 and continues his role as chair of the Board.

Outside of his leadership experience, Ebert has defended employers in virtually all areas of labor and employment law for more than 35 years. He regularly represents employers in investigations and administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Labor, and other federal and state agencies. As a litigator, Ebert has served as lead counsel in defending employers both at the trial and appellate levels in class, collective, and other multi-plaintiff actions (as well as individual lawsuits). He has significant experience handling litigation resulting from corporate reorganizations and acquisitions. Ebert also has extensive experience in developing union avoidance strategies and in coordinating the response of management to union organizing drives. He is seasoned as a chief spokesperson in collective bargaining and has defended employers in over 150 arbitrations.

Throughout his career, Ebert has been lauded for his accomplishments. Best Lawyers has named Ebert a “Lawyer of the Year” for the past two years. He has been named in The Best Lawyers in America since 1995 and is also a Fellow in The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Ebert consistently earns a top-tier rating in Chambers USA America’s Leading Business Lawyers. In 2007, Ebert was selected for the Distinguished Barrister award by The Indiana Lawyer.

Ebert embodies the firm’s devotion to community outreach and helping those in need. He initiated the firm’s fund raising events for the victims of natural disasters including the Haitian earthquake and the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, among others.

 

About Ogletree Deakins

Ogletree Deakins is the nation’s third-largest labor and employment law firm, representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. The firm has more than 600 lawyers located in 40 offices from Miami to Los Angeles. In addition to handling labor and employment law matters, the firm has thriving practices focused on business immigration, employee benefits, and workplace safety and health law. Ogletree Deakins represents a diverse range of clients, including more than half of the Fortune 50 corporations in the United States. For more information, please contact Ryan King, public relations manager, at (404) 870-1742.