Gosia J. Bochenek is an attorney with Accord Law, PLLC. She focuses her practice on business and contract matters, and commercial transactions. Ms. Bochenek counsels business owners with respect to legal issues facing the business, including the formation and structuring of business entities, preparation of key operational contracts, risk management, corporate compliance, financial transactions, and mergers and acquisitions. She assists clients with developing operating, shareholder's and buy-sell agreements to achieve business planning purposes and asset protection, and advises on business succession techniques including direct gifts, use of trusts, stock redemptions, cross-purchases and recapitalizations. Ms. Bochenek works collaboratively with trust and estate attorneys in the firm to fully meet client needs and develop a comprehensive succession plan, which balances financial and tax implications with client’s family and business objectives. She handles a wide range of contract matters. Ms. Bochenek's breadth of experience includes negotiating and drafting service agreements, vendor agreements, teaming and strategic alliance agreements, consulting agreements, financing arrangements and other commercial contracts. She frequently works with clients to protect critical business information and relationships from misappropriation by third parties and former employees. Ms. Bochenek provides counsel regarding limitation of liability, indemnification, privacy law compliance, trade secret and information security policies, copyright and trademark protection, and brand building strategies. In addition to her business practice, she also assists with the preparation and negotiation of commercial leases and transfers of real estate into trusts and operating business entities. Ms. Bochenek worked extensively in the intellectual property area on trademark and copyright registrations, licensing arrangements, and offered pro bono legal assistance to artists and art organizations. She earned her J.D. degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law and her LL.M. degree from the University of Wroclaw, Poland. Ms. Bochenek serves on the board of National Association of Women Business Owners and is active in the business community. She is presently admitted to practice in Virginia, Connecticut and District of Columbia.
James F. Freeman III is an attorney with Swanson Bernard, LLC where he practices in the areas of construction, land use, church, commercial litigation, business, contract, employment, probate litigation, appellate practice, transportation and corporate law. He is admitted to practice in Kansas and Missouri, and before the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Court of Claims, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth and Tenth circuits, and the U.S. District Court for the districts of Kansas and Missouri. Mr. Freeman is a member of the Kansas City Metropolitan, Kansas and American bar associations, as well as The Missouri Bar. He earned his B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Missouri at Kansas City. Served as the Mayor pro of the 5th largest city in his state and served on the board of directors for his state's municipal league.
Michael J. Gorby is a founder and partner with Gorby Peters Law. He is a nationally recognized leader in complex corporate disputes, professional negligence cases, and liability issues that arise for property owners and managers, such as hotel chains, restaurants, shopping centers, apartment complexes, office buildings and other public venues. Since 1998, Mr. Gorby has served as the program chair for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia (an affiliate of the University of Georgia), on the topic of premises liability. He is also the author of a popular legal treatise,
Premises Liability in Georgia, which is published by Thomson Reuters/West, and which is now in its third edition. Mr. Gorby serves as an instructor/lecturer for Georgia Tech Procurement Assistance Center (GTPAC) in the area of procuring government contracts, and is also a registered mediator. He earned his B.A. degree from Georgia State University and his J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law.
Savannah J. Hoover , Esq., MBA, is an attorney and business advisor in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She has worked with entrepreneurs, cannabis professionals, tech startups, sports teams, and creatives to protect their businesses through effective business formation, intellectual property development, collaborative contracting, strategic expansion, and thoughtful partnerships. Ms. Hoover graduated from the University of New Mexico with her Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees and holds an interdisciplinary studies degree in outdoor adventure leadership and journalism. She is a member of the American Bar Association; Cannabis Law Section of the State Bar of New Mexico; Business Law Section of the State Bar of New Mexico; and Intellectual Property Section of the State Bar of New Mexico. During graduate school, Ms. Hoover explored the intersection of technology, business, law, and the creative economy and how to reduce barriers to those spaces for women and BIPOC communities. She holds her license to practice law in the states of New Mexico and Texas.
Usman Mohammad is counsel at the New York City office of Kostelanetz LLP. His practice includes New York City and state government procurement matters, civil and criminal tax controversies including tax whistleblower matters, and commercial litigation. Mr. Mohammad has litigated cases in a variety of forums, including New York State Court, federal district courts, U.S. Tax Court and AAA and private party arbitrations. He has extensive experience with government procurement award protests, Article 78 proceedings involving procurement matters, foreign asset reporting issues, IRS responsible person and trust fund recovery penalty matters, IRS whistleblower matters, and IRS collection cases. Mr. Mohammad earned his B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1995, and graduated cum laude and Order of the Coif (top 10 percent) from the University of Michigan Law School in 1998. He was the associate editor of the
Michigan
Law Review from 1996 to 1997, and an executive editor from 1997 to 1998. Mr. Mohammad joined Kostelanetz LLP in 2000.
Jennifer S. Precise is associate general counsel with EBSCO Industries, Inc. at the company's international headquarters in Birmingham, Alabama. Ms. Precise's practice centers around information technology contracts and includes reviewing, drafting, and negotiating complex legal agreements for AI, SaaS, and other technology-related products and services necessary for the company's operation. Before joining EBSCO Industries, Inc., Ms. Precise was a member of the legal and contact management group at Regions Bank. Earlier in her legal tenure, she engaged in civil litigation practice in both Alabama and Mississippi, primarily in the area of insurance defense and achieved partner status in two law firms. Ms. Precise has lectured for legal professionals on a variety of topics including legal ethics, evidence, expert testimony, internet legal research, and drafting and negotiating business contracts. She earned her B.A. degree, cum laude, from Birmingham-Southern College and her J.D. degree from the University of Alabama School of Law. Ms. Precise is currently a member in good standing of the Alabama State Bar.
Michael R. Smith is a partner with Harshman Ponist Smith & Rayl, LLC and his practice areas include business law, criminal defense, civil litigation, and estate planning and probate. He has been an Indiana attorney for more than 25 years, sometimes explains that he is in his third career. Mr. Smith's first career was as a chemical engineer with Eli Lilly and Company after graduating from Vanderbilt University. From 1978 through 1993 (with two years out to get a master's degree in chemical engineering from Purdue University), he worked in manufacturing and process development areas and as a department head of biochemical engineering. Mr. Smith completed law school while he was working full time in those positions. His second career began when he finished law school in 1993 and joined Lilly's Law Division as in-house counsel, where his responsibilities included environmental law, securities, and commercial transactions. While working as an attorney with Lilly's commercial transactions group, Mr. Smith worked on a variety of strategic sourcing initiatives, joint ventures, and other transactions. He also developed a system for writing and maintaining contract templates for use by the company's procurement professionals in areas as diverse as laboratory research, construction, advertising, and market research.Mr. Smith began his third career in 2008 as a business lawyer in private practice, when he left Lilly and opened a solo practice in Fishers, Indiana, known as Michael Smith Law Office, LLC, focusing on business and commercial transactions, limited liability companies (or LLCs), corporations and corporate law, nonprofit organizations, and estate planning. In 2009, the name of the firm changed to Smith Rayl Law Office, LLC, when he was joined by Attorney Susan Rayl, who opened an office in Indianapolis practicing criminal defense. Mr. Smith brings this extensive business law experience to Harshman Ponist, where he concentrates on providing personal service and practical advice to businesses, especially small businesses, their owners, and nonprofit organizations.
Milton O. Thompson is an attorney and of counsel with the law firm of Bleeke Dillon Crandall. He is most recognized for sports and entertainment law, but he also focuses in business law and consulting for entrepreneurs and non-profits, small business financing, and MBE and WBE certification. Mr. Thompson graduated from Wittenberg University with a B.A. degree and from Indiana University Maurer School of Law - Bloomington. He served as the president and CEO of Grand Slam, a sports, entertainment, and recreation management consulting firm. Mr. Thompson was also co-founder of Play Ball Indiana which is now called Indy RBI (Program of Major League Baseball), a former certified Contract Advisor with the NFL and NBA Players Association, and a board member of the Indianapolis Indians Baseball Club. He hosted the weekly radio show "Playing for Keeps" which is now a television show where he interviews the nation's top sports celebrities. ell-known for his work in community development, sports and recreation-planning, and in building community collaborations through effective partnerships, Mr. Thompson served as president and interim director of Big Brothers while merging with Big Sisters to create Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Indiana. He also played a key role in negotiating the merger between the Legacy Fund and the Indianapolis Foundation in 1997 to develop the Central Indiana Community Foundation of which he was the inaugural chair. That organization now has accumulated assets of more than one billion dollars. Now, Mr. Thompson serves as the Indianapolis Foundation's appointment to the Impact Board of Directors as well as the Women's Fund Advisory Board. He has served on the Indianapolis Bond Bank and then on to the Capital Improvement Board. Mr. Thompson served as a board member of Visit Indy and it's Tourism of Tomorrow Board of Directors. He is currently the chairman of board for the Indianapolis English Foundation and has also been named as Chairman for the Crown Hill Board of Managers. Furthermore, Mr. Thompson is currently chairman of the board for the Indiana State Gaming Commission. In addition, he serves on the faculty for the National Business Institute. Mr. Thompson's commitment to the community is attested by his many civic involvements including serving as chair of the Indianapolis Foundation and as the chairman of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law Board of Visitors as well as President of its Alumni Association. In addition, he was the former General Counsel and Vice President of Corporate Development for the Pan American Games. Thompson also held the position of Vice President of Indiana Sports Corporation where he led the effort for an Olympic training center. A former First Team All-American baseball player at his college alma mater, he has been a member of the college's Wittenberg Board of Trustees and is now an emeritus director. A former Marion County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Mr. Thompsons' honors include the 2004 Business & Philanthropy Award from the National Center for Black Philanthropy in Washington, D.C. and was included on the Indiana Super Lawyers list in the
Indianapolis Monthly Magazine. In 1997, he received his law school's distinguished service award. Mr. Thompson was inducted in 2007 to the most prestigious honor the law school offers as a member of the Academy of Law Alumni Fellows. He was also given the Phi Kappa Psi National Service Award for his unparalleled leadership to our nation. Most recently, Mr. Thompson was awarded the prestigious Whistler Award and a national service award for his outstanding civic achievements for the city of Indianapolis in 2020.
Faculty Course Information