Humke to lead Ice Miller as managing partner

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Ice Miller LLP partner Steven Humke has been elected to succeed Phillip Bayt as managing partner of the AmLaw 200 firm based in Indianapolis.

Beginning Jan. 1, Humke will begin a four-year term leading a new management team including deputy managing partners Judy Okenfuss, Richard Barnhart and John Burke. Drew Miroff, a partner in the firm’s litigation group, has been elected by the partnership as chair of the strategic planning committee, replacing Humke in that role.

“Ice Miller has a proven track record of working with innovative clients throughout the life cycles of their businesses,” Humke said in a statement. “While the technology and specific legal needs of innovators have changed over the years, the fundamental focus on building and growing a successful business has not. Through this new management team, our attorneys will continue to be able to pair their strong technical knowledge with sound business fundamentals to help our clients achieve their goals.”

A senior corporate lawyer with experience negotiating, managing and completing complex business and financing transactions, Humke has advised the owners of numerous Indianapolis-based firms, notably Australian Gold, Baker Hill, Compendium, Crossmann Communities, ExactTarget and hhgregg, among others.  He also is an active lawyer for private equity funds such as Cardinal Equity Partners, Lineage Capital and Monument Advisors.

Deputy managing partners represent varied practice sections in the firm. Okenfuss has been a litigator with the firm since 1991 and currently chairs the product liability, mass tort and class action group. Barnhart chairs the firm’s banking practice. Burke has worked in commercial litigation in Chicago since graduating from law school in 1990, first with DLA Piper before joining Ice Miller in 2005.

“This transition process, planned for some time, is intended to create an environment where our leadership can assess opportunities and respond to changes in the marketplace from different perspectives,” said Bayt. “Like other businesses, we are continually evaluating opportunities to manage our operations in ways that allow us to better serve our clients.”

Along with Bayt, Ice Miller partners Brenda Horn, Robert Gauss and James Davidson will complete their four-year term of service on Ice Miller’s management committee at the end of the year. The chief managing partner is elected by the partners of the firm. The deputy managing partners are nominated by the chief managing partner and ratified by the partners of the firm.

American Lawyer in 2014 ranked Ice Miller as the 162nd largest firm in the United States with $162 million in gross revenues. Among locally based firms, Indianapolis Business Journal ranks Ice Miller as the third largest, after Barnes & Thornburg LLP and Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.

The firm has locations in Indianapolis, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Ohio, DuPage County, Ill., and Washington, D.C.
 

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