Contact:
Jennifer R. Rupkey
Direct Dial: 414.225.8262
E-Mail: jrrupkey@michaelbest.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Madison, WI (January 17, 2006) – Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has named David A. Crass, 39, as its Managing Partner of the Madison office. The Madison office of Michael Best is its second largest of six and has 60 attorneys and 9 paralegals. Crass, an environmental and agribusiness attorney, joined the firm in 1991 upon receiving his law degree, cum laude, from University of Wisconsin Law School. Mr. Crass holds several firm-related leadership positions including recent past chair of the Land and Resources Practice Group (2003-2005), coordinator of the firm’s Agribusiness, Food & Fiber Special Practice Group and chair of Lex Mundi’s Agribusiness Practice Group.
About David A. Crass
David A. Crass focuses his practice primarily in the areas of environmental/regulatory law, land use and agricultural law. Although Mr. Crass has experience in most all areas of environmental law, he has focused his practice primarily in the areas of soil and groundwater clean-ups, including solvent-, petroleum-, pesticide-impacted sites and land use issues. In that context, Mr. Crass has represented clients in a number of multi-party remediation sites including state and federal-lead Superfund sites, manufactured gas plant waste sites, impacted sediment cleanups, emergency spill response and removal actions. Mr. Crass has litigation experience in administrative contested case hearings, civil toxic tort defense, contribution actions, government enforcement defense, professional engineering malpractice and environmental insurance coverage litigation. On the transactional side, Mr. Crass has assisted both buyers and sellers in assessing environmental issues in real estate and corporate transactions, Brownfield redevelopments and has also counseled lenders on various environmental issues. Mr. Crass has secured and negotiated federal, state and local approvals for a number of projects, including industrial facilities, renewable energy plants and livestock operations. He is coordinator of the firm’s Agribusiness, Food & Fiber Special Practice Group and is a periodic guest lecturer at regulatory and environmental law workshops sponsored by the University of Wisconsin Law School, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, College of Engineering, the Federation of Environmental Technologists, the Wisconsin Department of Commerce; the Wisconsin Chapter of the Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers and numerous trade associations.
About Michael Best
Founded in 1848, Michael Best has earned its reputation as a leading Midwestern law firm. The firm has more than 250 attorneys in six office locations, including Milwaukee, Madison, Waukesha and Manitowoc, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois and Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania. The firm provides a full range of legal services to clients on a local, regional, national and global basis. The firm’s main areas of practice are corporate; intellectual property and intellectual property litigation; health care; labor & employment; land & resources (environmental and real estate); litigation; tax; and wealth planning.
Michael Best is the exclusive Wisconsin member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms. Visit www.lexmundi.com for more information. The firm is also a member of the China Alliance. The China Alliance is a unique arrangement established by four leading independent law firms in response to the increasing importance of China to the global marketplace and to North American businesses. Visit www.china-alliance.com for more information.
