Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan Opens New Office in Nashville

November 5, 2009

MILWAUKEE, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP, one of the nation's largest minority-owned law firms, announced today that it continues to expand its nationwide footprint with the opening of an office in Nashville.

Nashville attorneys Natasha L. Blackshear and Dennis Nunez join Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan as the firm opens its 13th office.

With more than 12 years of high finance, business and legal experience, Ms. Blackshear concentrates her practice on public and corporate finance. Her expertise includes handling transactions, due diligence, corporate formation, business planning and tax matters, as well as assisting issuers and underwriters involved in government and private activity bond transactions.

"I am pleased to join forces with such a respected minority-owned law firm," said Ms. Blackshear. "Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan brings the considerable resources of a nationwide law firm to bear on public and corporate finance matters in Nashville, Memphis and across the state of Tennessee."

Ms. Blackshear's prior experience includes working as a venture capitalist at Council Ventures, LP for five years and as a senior associate in PricewaterhouseCoopers' Corporate Valuation Consulting division.

Ms. Blackshear earned her law degree from Harvard Law School, her M.B.A. from Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, and her B.S. from Cornell University. She serves on several non-profit boards and civic organizations, including the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth, to which she was appointed by Governor Phil Bredesen.

Ms. Blackshear is related by marriage to prominent Nashville attorney Julian W. Blackshear, the third African-American graduate of the University of Tennessee College of Law, and Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton, the first African American woman elected to the Nashville bench.

Dennis Nunez is a registered patent attorney with four years experience in intellectual property law. His practice includes patent and trademark prosecution, IP infringement opinions, technology licensing agreements, intellectual property litigation, and settlement negotiations involving patents, trademarks, trade secrets and copyrights.

Mr. Nunez has worked as an intellectual property attorney for Nashville law firms and as an electrical engineer designing software for military radar systems.

Mr. Nunez earned his law degree, with honors, from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, with a certificate of specialization in intellectual property law, and his B.S. in electrical engineering from the University of Alabama. He serves as a Commissioner on both the Tennessee Civil Service Commission and Metro Human Relations Commission, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"We are delighted to welcome these talented and experienced attorneys into Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan as we continue to expand our reach as a truly nationwide law firm," said Jerry Gonzalez, Managing Partner of the firm.

About Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan

Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP (www.gshllp.com) is a nationwide law firm with 90 attorneys in offices located in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Des Moines, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Nashville, New York, Phoenix and Washington D.C. The firm represents midsized to Fortune 100 companies, governmental entities, and individuals in the areas of litigation, employment, environmental, corporate and transactional, public finance, energy and regulatory, immigration, and estate and asset protection planning. As one of the nation's largest certified minority-owned law firms, Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan practices law with a commitment to diversity and to the communities it serves.

SOURCE Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP