Sage case handling and consistent results are a common thread cited in the announcement of each individual elevated to senior counsel at WSHB. Fourteen individuals were elevated to senior counsel by WSHB, a national trial firm with offices in 19 states.
“Each of the individuals have demonstrably strong legal prowess and case handling abilities,” said WSHB Firmwide Managing Partner Stewart Reid. “They each enjoy records of success in cases resolved and have strong working relationships with our clients.” Added WSHB Co-Founder Stephen Henning, “Collectively, this class of attorneys represents the rising stars in the legal field throughout the nation.”
The 2022 senior counsel class consists of the following attorneys:
Jenna Melton Fowler (Atlanta) – Jenna focuses her practice on complex tort and casualty, commercial and business litigation, product liability, transportation, and toxic tort litigation. An experienced litigator, she seamlessly handles claims from initial response to appeal. Jenna has been recognized as a 2022 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for her work in mass torts/class actions, personal injury litigation, and product liability litigation.
Michael Stenger (Connecticut) – Michael successfully defends a myriad of complex civil litigation matters, including those in employment, labor, products liability, motor vehicle, and professional malpractice. He earned his law degree from the University of Villanova School of Law, where he was a staff writer on the Villanova Law Review. His case note, The First Circuit Strikes Out in Jones v. City of Boston: A Pitch for Practical Significance in Disparate Impact Cases, earned him the Scribes Award for best article for the 2014-2015 year, and qualified him as a finalist in the 2015 Louis Jackson Memorial Student Writing Competition.
Michael Roos (Dallas) – Michael focuses his practice on the defense of wrongful death, catastrophic loss and other personal injury-related claims. He actively defends national and regional trucking companies, property owners and other commercial enterprises against a variety of claims in courts across Texas. Michael is experienced in all phases of civil litigation and is particularly adept at working with bio- and mechanical engineering, medical billing and medical treatment experts.
Erin Peters (New Jersey) – Admitted to practice law in New Jersey and New York, Erin’s practice focuses on complex tort and casualty, employment claims and litigation, insurance coverage, medical malpractice and healthcare and law, product liability, and professional liability. Erin has successfully defended clients in a host of wide-ranging matters. Notably, she defended the matter of Dunkley v. Coraluzzo Petroleum Transporters, 441 N.J. Super. 325 (App. Div. 2015), an employment case that resulted in published opinions affirming summary judgment in her client’s favor. As a result of her work on the Dunkley matter, Erin was invited to be a panelist for the Employment Law Roundtable program which is held for attorneys as part of their continuing education.
Courtney Scharpf (New York) – Licensed to practice in New York and New Jersey, Courtney specializes in complex construction, labor law, and catastrophic injury litigation. Courtney received her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Sacred Heart University. Following her undergraduate degree, she attended Quinnipiac University School of Law where she was an early graduate.
Tudor Jones (Petaluma) – Tudor handles a wide range of matters, including those involving construction and professional liability, land use, business litigation, mass transit, and catastrophic injury and wrongful death. In addition to his litigation practice, he also provides counsel to cannabis startups. Prior to practicing law, he worked as a financial services strategy consultant servicing C-level executives from Fortune 500 companies. Tudor is a Bay Area native who has spent countless weekends as a youngster in Sebastopol playing youth soccer and may be regularly seen driving on the back roads of west Sonoma County.
Christopher Heo (Phoenix) – Chris’s practice focuses on employment, transportation, products liability, and catastrophic injury matters. He is a graduate of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, where he participated in the Juvenile Family Justice Clinic and served as president of the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. While in law school, Chris also clerked with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office. He is an active member of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association and has served as an Executive Board Member.
Justin Samuels (Phoenix) – Justin handles catastrophic injury, commercial and business litigation, and complex civil litigation. He is a graduate of Arizona State University, school, where he served as a board member of the Sports and Entertainment Law Student Association, a representative of the John P. Morris Black Law Student Association, a student mentor for the Hispanic National Bar Association, a member of the Intellectual Property Student Association, and a member of the Volunteer Legal Assistance for the Artists Association. During law school, Justin also served as a legal intern for the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Nike, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to law school, Justin attended the University of Arizona, where he was a letter winner on the Arizona football team.
Ian Baldwin (Portland) – Ian’s wide ranging practice includes construction, catastrophic injury, employment, product liability, and commercial and business disputes. He earned his law degree from George Mason University School of Law, and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Oregon. While attending George Mason, Ian was an active member of the Moot Court Board, placing 1st among his class in George Mason’s first-year moot court competition. As a member of George Mason’s Journal of Law & Economic Policy, Ian’s journal article on juvenile criminal defense policy was selected for publication. Ian currently serves as the articles editor for the Oregon Association of Defense Counsel’s Construction Practice Group. Prior to pursuing his law career, Ian completed a year of public service with AmeriCorps, where he worked as a tutor and career counselor for underprivileged youth at a Seattle-area high school.
Courtney Jakofsky (Riverside) – Courtney’s practice focuses on construction defect, business litigation, and catastrophic injury. She is a cum laude graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law. While attending law school, Courtney was an articles editor of the San Diego Journal of Climate and Energy Law. She was also a board member for the Advocates for Children and Education and co-chaired the SMART Program which helped first time offending juveniles get back on the right track.
Courtney’s previous experience includes serving as a judicial extern for the Honorable Judge Angel Bermudez at the Riverside Superior Court and the Honorable Judge Mark D. Houle at the United States Bankruptcy Court
Sarah Spaulding (San Diego) – Sarah handles all aspects of complex civil litigation from pre-litigation evaluation through trial. She enjoys experience in a wide variety of practice areas, including business disputes, catastrophic injury litigation, employment matters, and transportation. Sarah is a graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, where she had the honor of working for the Honorable William V. Gallo of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. Sarah received her undergraduate degree from the University of San Diego.
Ashley Blackburn (Seattle) – Ashley’s practice emphasizes civil defense litigation in the areas of commercial litigation, construction defect, catastrophic injury, and professional liability. Ashley developed her strong litigation skills as a prosecutor for the King County Prosecutor’s Office and the City of Kirkland, during which she prosecuted 25 jury trials to verdict. She is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law, where she participated in Moot Court competitions and the University of Washington Law Mediation Clinic. Prior to attending law school, Ashley spent just over a decade promoting pharmaceutical and biomedical products for several Fortune 500 companies.
Melissa Barcena (Thousand Oaks) – Melissa’s primary focus at the firm is complex commercial and civil litigation. She has successfully represented clients across industries and claims including construction, real estate, business, product liability, bodily injury, class actions, and catastrophic injury. She is an experienced litigator that has handled state and federal cases, mediations, arbitrations, and trial with consistently favorable results. Melissa graduated from Pepperdine University’s School of Law, where she was on the Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship, and the Law. She also possesses a Master’s Degree in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University.
Ashton McKinnon (Thousand Oaks) – Ashton’s wide ranging experience includes catastrophic injury defense, construction defect, real estate, professional liability, contract disputes, transportation, and medical malpractice. She handles all aspects of civil litigation, from inception through trial. Originally from St. Simons Island, Georgia, Ashton received her undergraduate degree in Journalism from the University of Georgia, cum laude. She went on to earn her law degree from Pepperdine University School of Law and a Certificate in Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute, where she was a writer and associate editor for the Journal of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary.