Katie Duckworth joins Varnum LLP

Katie Duckworth has joined Varnum LLP as Counsel on its Energy, Environmental and Natural Resources team, and is based in the Grand Rapids office.

Duckworth has served as a trial attorney for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), in-house counsel to a leading publicly traded independent power producer and in private practice.

She will advise Varnum’s clients—including renewable energy and energy storage developers, investors and others—on navigating complex regulatory regimes involved in transformational energy projects and their  operations.

Duckworth earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law and her undergraduate degree from Michigan State University.  

Wassink named to Grand Rapids 200 list

Mark Wassink, managing partner of Warner Norcross + Judd LLP, has been named to the Grand Rapids 200 list for a third year in a row. Published by Crain’s Grand Rapids Business, Grand Rapids 200 is a comprehensive list of the most influential executives and thought leaders in more than 20 industries in Grand Rapids.

Wassink chairs Warner’s management committee and guides strategic direction and growth. Warner has 230 attorneys in offices in Bloomfield Hills, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Holland, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Macomb County, Midland and Muskegon.

Wassink joined Warner in 1992, became a partner in 2001 and then managing partner in 2022. He was reelected to a second two-year term as managing partner in late 2023. He previously served in many roles at Warner, including chair of the Recruiting Committee and Professional Staff Committee.

Wassink concentrates his practice on business, commercial finance and related legal areas. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, which named him as the 2023 Grand Rapids Corporate Lawyer of the Year, and Leading Lawyers.

Wassink serves on the board of The Right Place Inc. and several other community boards.

He received his law degree, magna cum laude, from Indiana University Maurer School of Law.

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