Varnum partner Matt Bower honored with Hensel Award from State Bar 'ACES' section

Ann Arbor-based Varnum partner Matt Bower is the recipient of the 2020 Hensel Award, presented by the SBM?Arts, Communication, Entertainment and Sports Section (ACES).

The award is given to a member of the State Bar of Michigan who has made a significant contribution to the arts community in Michigan. Named for the late John Hensel, an artist and attorney who was a co-founder of the ACES section of the SBA, the award has been given annually since the early 1980s.

Section council member Lawrence Jordan said the Hensel Committee voted unanimously to confer the award to Bower.

Bower is an Ann Arbor-based business attorney whose practice focuses on clients in the startup community. He serves as outside general counsel to a wide range of emerging and middle market companies and works with investors and venture capital organizations.

Bower was active for many years with Creative Many Michigan and its predecessor, ArtServe Michigan. He served on the board and as a volunteer in the Lawyers for the Creative Economy program. He also served on the board for Michigan Youth Arts.

Bower has an undergraduate degree in theatre from the University of Michigan. Following graduation, he moved to New York and dabbled in the theatre profession. His experience included acting with a local company while working in the office of a Broadway producer, where he reviewed scripts and provided office support. After taking a job at a law firm, he found the work intellectually rewarding and decided to pursue a career in law.

Bower’s particular industry concentrations include software, SaaS, information technology, IoT, data analytics and other technology-based companies, as well as manufacturing, automotive, advanced materials, pharma, medical devices, publishing, digital advertising and media, retail, and food and beverage.

Bower earned his law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York, where he was Editor in Chief of the intellectual property law journal.

He practiced law in New York before joining Varnum in 2013; and now serves as lead attorney in the firm’s Ann Arbor office.