Reinhart Names Five New Shareholders

MILWAUKEE – Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. (Reinhart) is pleased to announce that Christopher Hruska (Corporate Law), Blake Knickelbein (Corporate Law), Katherine Kratcha (Employee Benefits), Christopher Schuele (Labor and Employment) and Heidi Thole (Intellectual Property) have been named firm shareholders.

“We are fortunate to have such a dedicated and talented group of attorneys joining the ranks of Reinhart shareholders,” said Reinhart CEO Albert Orr. “When faced with complex legal, regulatory and business issues, each possess the knowledge and experience necessary to help our clients achieve the best possible results.”

Hruska is a member of the firm’s Corporate Law Practice, where he advises clients on mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, entity formation, security offerings and general corporate governance. Hruska also helps clients navigate supply chain issues, software licensing, commercial contracting and distribution. He works with a wide range of businesses, including technology-based startups, where he leverages his strong analytical and problem-solving abilities to lead projects through successful completion, helping clients pursue their ultimate goals.

Knickelbein is a member of the firm’s Corporate Law Practice, counseling a broad range of clients on various corporate matters, including mergers and acquisitions, commercial transactions, commercial contracting, corporate governance, entity formation and equity issuances. Knickelbein also has extensive experience helping closely held businesses throughout their succession planning process and regularly advises clients on business succession alternatives, including transfers to the next generation or to key employees, or a sale to a third party. His ability to proactively identify and solve legal issues, based on a deep understanding of each client’s unique situation, helps ensure they are best positioned for success.

Kratcha focuses her practice on health and welfare plans as a member of the firm’s Employee Benefits Practice, helping them make practical decisions while navigating complex regulations. She has extensive experience with the federal laws that apply to these plans, including the Affordable Care Act, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, COBRA, HIPAA and other laws that affect employee benefit plans (the Internal Revenue Code, Medicare, FMLA, ADA, etc.). Kratcha’s clients include large corporate self-funded benefit plans, Taft-Hartley multiemployer plans, government benefit plan sponsors, small companies and nonprofits. Her experience with qualified retirement plans includes advising on employee stock ownership plans, other defined contribution plans such as 401(k) plans, and pension plans.

Schuele helps clients in a broad range of industries resolve issues that arise between employers, employees and other business stakeholders. As a member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice, he is an experienced litigator representing clients in a wide variety of business disputes, including breach of fiduciary duty claims, shareholder disputes and wage and hour actions (both individual and class actions). Schuele counsels clients on traditional labor relations matters, restrictive covenant agreements and compliance with nondiscrimination and affirmative action requirements for employers doing business with the federal government. He thrives on helping clients with the daily challenges they face, adopting their priorities as his own and working as a trusted adviser to grow their businesses.

As a member of the firm’s Intellectual Property Practice, Thole partners with clients to provide counsel on branding and trademark issues such as analyzing risk around selecting, registering and using marks, negotiating solutions with competitors and litigating when necessary to protect her clients’ interests. She advises across a variety of industries and geographies, from startups to global businesses in finance, banking, food and beverage production, machines/mechanical parts and more. Thole is dedicated to understanding her clients’ business goals and formulating a customized, holistic approach for their success. She is also a member of Reinhart’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Team and can counsel clients on the technical and regulatory requirements, challenges and opportunities.