Vedder Price is pleased to announce that five attorneys have been named as Shareholders in the firm.

Jacqueline M. Helmrick, elevated from Associate and a member of the Finance & Secured Lending group in the firm’s Chicago office, focuses her practice on finance transactions, real estate matters and general corporate transactions. She represents banks, financial institutions and real estate clients in a wide variety of transactions, including acquisition, leveraged, asset-based, cash flow and real estate financings. In addition, Ms. Helmrick has been named a “Rising Star” by Illinois Super Lawyers from 2012 to 2017. She has also been selected as an Emerging Lawyer, an affiliate of Leading Lawyers, from 2014 to 2017. Ms. Helmrick earned her J.D. and M.B.A. from Loyola University Chicago and her B.A. from the University of Wisconsin Madison.

Brian W. Ledebuhr, elevated from Associate and a member of the Litigation practice area in the firm’s Chicago office, has experience handling every phase of litigation, from emergency injunctions through trial and appeal, in a variety of complex commercial litigation matters. Such matters include securities litigation, officer and director investigations, shareholder derivative actions, class action defense, patent infringement, restrictive-covenant violations, ownership disputes, bankruptcy and other business tort matters in both federal and state court. Additionally, Mr. Ledebuhr is a member of the firm’s Privacy, CyberSecurity & Media practice group. In that regard, he regularly advises private- and public-sector clients on various privacy and data security matters. Such matters include assisting clients in preparing for and responding to data security breaches, as well as advising clients on eDiscovery issues. Mr. Ledebuhr earned his J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law and his B.A. magna cum laude with highest honors and distinction from the University of Illinois.

Sadina Montani, elevated from Associate and a member of the Labor & Employment practice area in the firm’s Washington, DC office, represents employers in state and federal courts, and before various administrative agencies, defending claims of race, sex, disability and age discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, and wage payment claims. Ms. Montani has first-chair and second-chair trial experience and has successfully argued summary judgment and other substantive and procedural motions in state and federal court. She counsels and conducts training programs for her clients on all types of employment-related issues, including harassment and discrimination issues, termination issues, ADA compliance and discrimination issues, FMLA and FLSA compliance, USERRA compliance and various federal and state employment laws. Additionally, Ms. Montani serves as pro bono counsel for a number of nonprofit organizations, which focus on education, the environment and various social services. She earned her J.D. and M.A. cum laude from The George Washington University and her B.M. from Western Michigan University.

Shelby E. Parnes, elevated from Associate and a member of the Finance & Transactions practice group in the firm’s Chicago office, advises clients on a variety of transactional and general corporate matters, including mergers, acquisitions, sales, equity offerings, investment activities, private placements, joint ventures, minority investments and other general corporate matters. She also counsels corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships on formation and governance issues and securities rules and regulations, including preparation and review of SEC filings. In 2017, Ms. Parnes was selected for inclusion as a "Rising Star" by Illinois Super Lawyers. She was also recommended as a Next Generation Lawyer by the Legal 500 United States in the M&A/Corporate and Commercial—M&A: Middle-Market (Sub-$500M) category. Ms. Parnes earned her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School and her B.A. from McGill University, with distinction.

Jacob C. Tiedt, elevated from Associate and a member of the Investment Services group in the firm’s Chicago office, represents mutual funds, closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds; private funds; investment advisers; and other financial institutions on a broad range of regulatory, governance and compliance matters. He regularly counsels clients on matters relating to SEC registration, disclosure and compliance; shareholder solicitation; NYSE, Nasdaq and FINRA regulation; corporate governance; and board administration. Mr. Tiedt regularly counsels independent fund directors on their unique duties and responsibilities and his experience also includes providing guidance to operating companies and financial institutions on complex investment company status questions. He earned his J.D. cum laude from the University of Michigan Law School and his B.A. with high honors from Michigan State University.

“We are pleased to recognize the outstanding service that these individuals have provided as Associates in their respective practice groups and look forward to their contributions as Shareholders,” said Douglas M. Hambleton, Vedder Price Operating Shareholder. “Their commitment to personalized client service and their distinct experiences have led to great professional success. We congratulate Jacqueline, Brian, Sadina, Shelby and Jacob on this achievement.”