Phoenix—Dentons, the world's largest law firm, today named four partners, two counsel and three associates to its Phoenix office as members of its Litigation and White Collar practices. Karl Tilleman, Paul Charlton, Erin Bradham and Quintin Cushner join Dentons as partners. Doug Janicik and Jason Sanders join the Litigation practice as a counsel. Three associates also join the Firm.

Tilleman and Bradham, who join Dentons Litigation practice, focus their work on high-stakes litigation for corporations, insurance carriers and financial institutions, with an emphasis on aviation, healthcare, antitrust, RICO, intellectual property, and class actions. Charlton and Cushner, who join the White Collar and Investigations practice, represent Fortune 500 companies and executives in high-profile litigation, internal investigations and white-collar criminal defense.

“We are very pleased to welcome these extremely accomplished litigators and strategists to our leading disputes and investigations practices,” said US CEO Mike McNamara. “Over the past 18 months we have added the litigation bench strength of more than 40 litigators nationally, from the East Coast to Hawai`i, which only further deepens the trust we enjoy in representing clients in some of the most high-profile and front page cases and investigations in the US.”

Tilleman is a veteran first-chair trial lawyer with nearly three decades of experience who handles high-stakes litigation for many of the nation’s largest corporations, insurance carriers and financial institutions. Among his high profile representations are his current work on behalf MD Helicopters, Inc., and the successful defense of the Harlem Globetrotters, major universities, Cancer Treatment Centers of America and the country’s largest insurance companies. Prior to entering private practice, he clerked at the Supreme Court of the United States for Justice Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice Warren Burger. In addition to his legal career, Tilleman is an Olympic athlete who played on the Canadian National Basketball Team in the 1984 and 1988 Olympic Games, setting a record for three-point shooting that has never been broken. He earned his JD, summa cum laude, from Brigham Young University, where he was the editor in chief of Brigham Young University Law Review, and his BA from the University of Calgary.

“We could not be more enthusiastic to have made the move to Dentons,” said Tilleman. “The US and global footprint is critical to the growth and expansion of our practices.”

Charlton is known as a seasoned trial lawyer who successfully defended corporations and high-net -worth individuals who were the subject of state and federal investigations. A former career prosecutor, he ended his nearly 20 years of public service as Arizona’s United States Attorney.  Charlton also works in Native American Law and successfully advocated for Native American tribes and tribal leaders on nationally reported leaders.  He is sought-after and often-quoted media commentator on litigation in the news, and, with his wife, owns and operates a cattle ranch. Charlton earned his JD from the University of Arizona, where he was the note and comment editor for the Arizona Law Review, and his BA from there, as well.

Bradham focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on disputes involving aviation, healthcare, insurance and class action allegations. She has extensive experience defending clients in state and federal courts, and has served as trial counsel in multiple lawsuits, including a two-week jury trial that resulted in a defense verdict in her client’s favor. Committed to pro bono service, Bradham has successfully secured asylum and other immigration relief for over a dozen clients fleeing political persecution or harm in their home country. She earned her JD, magna cum laude, from Duke University, where she was the editor of the Journal of Law and Contemporary Problems, and her BA, summa cum laude, from College of William & Mary.

Cushner focuses on white-collar defense criminal defense and civil litigation including the successful representation of individual and corporate clients across the state and on American Indian tribal lands. Most recently he led public corruption investigations and served as a special prosecutor in Indian Country.  Previously he served as a clerk to US District Court Judge Stephen McNamee. Cushner earned his JD from the University of Arizona College of Law, magna cum laude, where he was a member of Order of the Coif and managing editor of Arizona Law Review, and holds a BA from Oberlin College.

Also joining Dentons are Doug Janicik and Jason Sanders as counsel in the Litigation practice. 

Janicik focuses on appellate advocacy and commercial litigation matters, including employee non-competition agreements, class actions, business torts, and insurance coverage and disputes. Prior to entering private practice, he clerked for Judges Thomas G. Nelson and Barry G. Silverman, both of the Ninth Circuit. He earned his JD, summa cum laude, from The Ohio State University College of Law where he was associate editor of Ohio State Law Journal, he earned his BS, cum laude, from University of Notre Dame.

Sanders focuses his practice on representing corporate clients in complex disputes involving professional liability, product liability, construction claims, insurance coverage and bad faith. He holds a JD, cum laude, from Harvard Law School and a BA, magna cum laude, from University of Nebraska.

The Litigation practice also added Erin Norris Bass as senior managing associate, Monica Thompson as managing associate and Debbie Jang as associate. Additional staff have also joined with the group.

Dentons' Litigation and Dispute Resolution practice is comprised of more than 200 lawyers in the United States, focusing on complex disputes in federal and state courts across the country, as well as before regulatory agencies, administrative bodies and arbitration tribunals. Dentons' Litigation group has consistently received top rankings in leading trade publications, including The Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500 and Chambers USA. Law360 has named Dentons one of its “Top 50 Litigation Powerhouse Firms." The Daily Report awarded Dentons "Insurance Litigation Department of the Year" in 2017. BTI Consulting named Dentons' Litigation team to its "Fearsome Foursome" in 2017 and its "Fearsome Five" in 2018, crediting the litigators' intense approach and fierce strategy on behalf of clients in the competitive legal market. BTI also named Dentons a "Powerhouse" in all eight litigation categories it measured.

About Dentons

Across over 80 countries, Dentons helps you grow, protect, operate and finance your organization by providing uniquely global and deeply local legal solutions. Polycentric, purpose-driven and committed to inclusion, diversity, equity and sustainability, we focus on what matters most to you. www.dentons.com