Dykema Elects 10 New Members

Dykema, a leading national law firm, announced today that its Executive Board elected 10 new members to the firm effective January 1, 2026. Dykema’s new members, their resident office, and practice descriptions are listed below.

Evan Atkinson – Corporate Finance; Austin

Atkinson represents buyers, sellers, and private equity-backed sponsors across the healthcare industry, including dental service organizations, medical service organizations, dentists, urologists, dermatologists, medical aesthetic providers, and virtually every other type of medical professional, in strategic transactions and negotiations such as acquisitions, mergers, recapitalizations, and divestitures.

He earned a J.D., cum laude, from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and a B.S. from American Military University. Following law school, Atkinson gained valuable experience serving as a Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Ronald B. King in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas. Before law school, he served in the United States Army.

Samantha Hughes – Product Liability and Class Action Litigation; Los Angeles

Hughes has seen cases through trial, successfully resolved numerous matters through dispositive law and motion work, and obtained many favorable resolutions through negotiated settlements. She has extensive litigation experience, including serving as general counsel on a client’s in-house legal team. Throughout her career, Hughes has defended product manufacturers, business entities, and insurers against product liability claims resulting from severe personal injury or death, as well as toxic torts and chemical exposure. She also represents companies and individuals in general liability and premises liability matters. In addition to her products liability and general litigation work, Hughes has successfully represented manufacturers of automobiles, as well as dealers, finance companies, and related entities in consumer warranty actions.

She earned a J.D. from Loyola Law School and a B.A., cum laude, from the University of California, Davis.

Tara Kern – Commercial Litigation; Dallas

In her practice, Kern focuses on complex product liability cases, catastrophic personal injury, and business disputes. She routinely works with automotive and equipment manufacturers. Kern is also adept at handling tort actions, premises liability, commercial liability, and construction liability matters, and also has experience defending complex, multi-party tort actions against professional sports teams and electric utility providers throughout Texas. Furthermore, she has extensive experience handling first- and third-party insurance defense, particularly in cases involving violations of the Deceptive Trade Practices Act and the Texas Insurance Code, Chapters 541 and 542. Kern also has experience defending corporations in appellate matters pending before various Courts of Appeals in Texas and the Texas Supreme Court.

She earned a J.D. from Texas Tech University and a B.B.A. from Baylor University.

Samuel Kilberg – Real Estate; Bloomfield Hills

Kilberg’s diverse practice encompasses various aspects of the real estate industry, including land use and zoning, landlord-tenant, eminent domain, purchase/sale, and financing. He routinely guides developers, utilities, and small businesses through the zoning entitlement process. Kilberg has significant experience in securing state and local permits; navigating land‑use approvals; and advising on project financing for renewable, storage, and transmission assets. His unique combination of real estate knowledge allows him to assist clients at every stage of the development process, including site selection, acquisition, entitlements, and financing.

He earned a J.D., magna cum laude, and a B.A. from Michigan State University. Kilberg sits on the Council for the State Bar of Michigan Real Property Section and serves as Chair of the Membership Committee and editor of the section’s monthly E-Newsletter.

Ryan Landry – Commercial Litigation; San Antonio

In his practice, Landry litigates in state and Federal courts throughout Texas, focusing primarily on contract disputes, business torts, and first-party insurance matters. He represents clients in all stages of litigation, up to and including trial, final arbitration hearings, and negotiated settlements. His complex litigation experience encompasses class action litigation, breach of contract matters of all sizes, business disputes, and bad faith insurance claims. Landry represents a wide variety of companies and individuals, and enjoys learning about the details of each client’s specific background and needs to best achieve their goals.

He earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and a B.A., summa cum laude, from The University of Dallas.

Robin Lehninger – Corporate Finance; Milwaukee

Lehninger represents clients in a broad range of corporate transactional and governance matters, including guiding clients through mergers and acquisitions, establishing strategic partnerships, securing financing in the private and public markets, and consummating technology-related transactions. As a member of the firm’s capital markets team, she advises clients on capital raise transactions from early-stage funding to public offerings. Her practice also involves representation of clients across the healthcare industry on strategic transactions, helping them seize business opportunities while avoiding disruptive compliance missteps.

Lehninger earned a J.D., magna cum laude, and an M.P.P. from the University of Minnesota, as well as a B.A., summa cum laude, from Valparaiso University.

Karen Poppel – Intellectual Property; Washington, D.C.

Poppel is a skilled litigator. In her practice, Poppel focuses on intellectual property litigation involving patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret disputes, as well as commercial litigation. Her clients come from many industries, including the chemical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, software, and automotive sectors. Poppel has experience handling intellectual property matters in federal courts, as well as before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

She earned a J.D. from the George Washington University School of Law, an M.S. in Chemistry from Emory University, and a B.S. in Chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Lauren Quigley – Corporate Finance; Chicago

Quigley has deep experience representing financial institutions on a variety of commercial and consumer services and products, including commercial and consumer deposit products, payment products and services, credit, debit, and prepaid card products and programs, online banking, and electronic delivery channels. She works with banks, credit unions, fintech companies, and other financial institutions. Quigley drafts and structures account, transaction services, and loan documentation, agreements, and disclosures, focusing on compliance with applicable regulations. She also has experience reviewing and drafting policies and procedures related to deposit account and payment processing, customer due diligence, and ongoing oversight requirements. Quigley’s regulatory practice includes advising financial institutions on data privacy and security matters, including breach response, regulator and customer/vendor notice, contractual terms, and other issues related to privacy laws and regulations. She has also assisted bank clients through mergers and acquisitions, from initial due diligence through conversion and Legal Day 1.

She earned a J.D. from Notre Dame Law School and a B.A. from Northwestern University.

Victoria Remus – Taxation and Estates; Bloomfield Hills

In her practice, Remus offers comprehensive services encompassing estate and gift planning, probate and complex trust administration, forming tax-exempt entities, and crafting customized business succession solutions for individuals and families. Integral to her estate planning practice, Remus handles a high volume of tax returns year-round, including multifaceted estate, gift, trust, and tax-exempt organization returns. Her extensive knowledge across all areas of tax law enables clients to achieve optimal outcomes, even on the most difficult tax situations and returns. For her high-net-worth clients, Remus has experience in minimizing present and future tax liabilities through estate and gift planning.

She earned a J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law and a B.A., cum laude, from Saint Mary’s College. In law school, Remus served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Ronald L. Buch in the United States Tax Court located in Washington, D.C.

Nicholas von der Lancken – Product Liability and Class Action Litigation; Los Angeles

In his practice, von der Lancken regularly represents clients in product liability, personal injury, and general business litigation matters. He works with domestic and international clients across a broad range of industries, including automotive, manufacturing, technology, consumer products, and professional services. He has in-depth experience with high-exposure defense litigation, representing businesses in matters involving commercial litigation, catastrophic personal injury, and wrongful death. Throughout his career, he has handled complex product liability matters nationwide, from inception through trial and appeal, argued before the Court of Appeal, and served as regional counsel in the automotive and recreational vehicle industries.

He earned a J.D. from Washington University School of Law and a B.S., cum laude, from Gonzaga University.