Milwaukee-based law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP has opened a new office in Missoula, Montana.
Partner Joel Henry and senior counsel Jennifer Ewan have been hired to lead the new office, which is based out of the Montana Technology Enterprise Center, a technology-focused business incubator.
Henry is an intellectual property attorney and also specializes in business formation and contract matters. He has experience in the legal considerations for emerging technologies such as drones and data mining. He holds a J.D. from the University of Montana Law School, a Ph.D. in computer science from Virginia Tech, and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Montana State University.
Ewan previously was aiding startups with foundation, business retention and expansion at the Missoula Economic Partnership. She also has experience with investor engagement and data science. Ewan holds a J.D. from the University of Montana Law School and a bachelor’s from the University of Montana.
The pair will provide strategic advice to entrepreneurs, emerging businesses and angel and venture capital investors at the MonTEC.
“Missoula is a hotbed for the startup community in the Mountain West region, and we’re thrilled that Michael Best has joined as a business partner,” said Joe Fanguy, president of the Montana Technology Enterprise Center. “Joel and Jenn will be invaluable resources to the companies that currently occupy the MonTEC as well as our stateside network.”
Michael Best now has more than 220 attorneys at 10 offices, four of which are in Wisconsin. The company announced earlier this month it plans to move its Milwaukee office to the yet-to-be-constructed BMO Harris Financial Center in downtown Milwaukee, once it is complete.
