HKM - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Attorney
- Employment Law Attorney
Ms. Zinman is an attorney at HKM's Denver office. She was drawn to practice law by the desire to help people and to give a voice to those who often don't have access to justice. She earned her law degree from the University of Colorado and started her legal career at the Denver Public Defender's office, where she had the opportunity to advocate for the most vulnerable in the Denver community and litigate 7 jury trials. Now, she is passionate about using that experience to fight for safe and equitable workplaces on behalf of Colorado workers. She is thrilled to represent employees facing any kind of unlawful employment practice, including discrimination, retaliation, unpaid wages, and wrongful termination.
Adam is a Partner in HKM's Denver office. He received his bachelors from Cornell University and his law degree from the William and Mary School of Law. Over the past 14 years, he has represented thousands of workers in litigation, arbitration, mediation, administrative proceedings, grievances, and severance negotiations.
Adam specializes in wage and hour class actions, but is also adept in pursuing discrimination, equal pay, wrongful termination, retaliation, disability accommodation, and whistleblower protection claims. He has obtained significant victories in class actions, including the landmark case of Pilmenstein v. Devereux Cleo Wallace and Alvarado v. Pella Windows & Doors of Colorado, among many others. He has also prevailed in obtaining legal rulings that impact federal and state employment law in Moncada v. Grace French Café, Johnson v. Colorado Seminary, Jones v. PeopleReady, and West v. Strike Tax Advisory, among other cases.
In his spare time, Adam volunteers as a mentor with the Law School Yes We Can and is active in the Colorado Plaintiffs Employment Lawyers Association. He also loves hiking with his wife and children and singing.
Adam is fluent in Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner of Our Houston
Alvin Adjei is the managing partner of our Houston, Texas office. Mr. Adjei represents employees in all aspects of legal matters related to employment law. His legal expertise spans across several venues. For example, prior to joining HKM Employment Attorneys, he served as a Partner at Burritt Adjei PLLC from 2018 to 2022. Furthermore, he worked as an Associate at Abraham, Watkins, Nichols, Sorrels, Agosto & Aziz from 2016-2018, where he primarily handled personal injury plaintiff cases. Additionally, Mr. Adjei worked at the Harris County District Attorney's office from 2013 to 2016. In that capacity, he tried numerous misdemeanor and felony cases. Subsequently, he was promoted to Chief of County Criminal Court 6, where he supervised prosecutors in trials that encompassed DWI and Assault Family member cases. Alvin was consistently recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers magazine every year since 2018.
Alvin Adjei is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Law School. While in law school, he formed a team that competed in the National Black Law Students Association Mock Trial Tournament. That team won the Midwest BLSA Mock Trial Tournament and advanced to the National Competition in Washington DC. In 2012, Notre Dame Law School awarded him the annual Jon Krupnick award for excellence in the art of Trial Advocacy. Currently, he serves as a guest instructor for the Notre Dame Intensive Trial Advocacy Program.
Attorney Amanda Crain's determined pursuit of justice is a perfect fit in your fight for employee rights. She holds a deep commitment to do what is right for employees facing illegal workplace practices. Amanda's proven record, perceptive approach, and steadfast dedication serve her clients well.
Amanda has been selected into Minnesota Super Lawyers Rising Stars, an elite group of only 2.5% of Minnesota attorneys under the age of 40, consistently since 2014. Inside the courtroom, Amanda brings a fearless and dedicated pursuit to high-stakes litigation. Outside of the courtroom, she consistently achieves considerable settlements on behalf of her clients.
Whether the case involves discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, or wrongful termination, Amanda achieves results for her clients. Amanda is a zealous advocate, possesses good instincts, has empathy for clients, and can analyze legal issues intelligently and effectively inside and outside of a courtroom. Amanda recognizes the immense task and the emotional toll of suing an employer, and her dedicated approach will guide your case efficiently through the process so that you can achieve the results you deserve.
In addition to presenting at seminars, Amanda mentors young law students, participates in several professional organizations, and serves on the Board for the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)-Minnesota Chapter. Outside of the office, she enjoys travel, hiking, boating, and spending time with her family.
Amy Mathieu represents employees in employment law matters. She focuses on litigating discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and FMLA issues. Ms. Mathieu also maintains a robust practice representing survivors of adult sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, and child sex abuse material. Ms. Mathieu has successfully litigated decades old child sex abuse claims brought under state window revival legislation.
While completing her law degree at the University of Pittsburgh, Ms. Mathieu served as a Judicial Clerk to the late Honorable Maurice Cohill of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She also served as an editor to the Journal of Law and Commerce and participated in moot court competitions. In recognition of her Title IX work during law school, she was awarded the Outstanding Law Student of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law from the National Association of Women Lawyers. She also received the Order of the Barristers for outstanding courtroom advocacy.
Andrew (Drew) Quisenberry's passion for the law started in his formative years. A sense of advocacy developed through his father, who was a conservationist that successfully inspired a community to protect one of the largest preservation areas in the Southeastern U.S. The elder Quisenberry lobbied on behalf of the state of Mississippi in 1974 to protect and conserve 35,000 acres of land that were slated to be sold to a large paper mill. Coined the "grassroots epic" by biologist Edward Wilson, the Pascagoula Watershed is now a thriving 70,000-acre nature preserve that hosts wildlife for the surrounding communities to enjoy.
Arielle is an attorney at HKM's Seattle office, where she focuses on all aspects of employment law and represents employees in a variety of employment litigation matters. A graduate from Seattle University School of Law, Arielle focused her work and study on employment law and workers' rights. She served as the Research and Technical Editor for the Seattle Journal for Social Justice and published an article on forced arbitration provisions in employment contracts. In addition, Arielle was a student advocate in Seattle University's Worker's Rights Clinic, where she helped low-wage workers understand and enforce their rights in the workplace. She also worked as a law clerk combating employment discrimination and advocating for worker's rights. Prior to law school, Arielle worked to advance the rights of people with disabilities at Disability Rights Washington, a nonprofit legal advocacy organization and the Office of Developmental Disabilities Ombuds. In her free time, Arielle volunteers as a Development and Awareness Committee Member for Disability Rights Washington.
Job Titles:
- Managing Partner of the New York Offices of HKM Employment
Mr. Guerra is the Managing Partner of the New York offices of HKM Employment attorneys focusing on all aspects of employment law. Before joining the firm, Mr. Guerra spent more than ten years combating wage theft by representing workers in complex class and collective action litigation against some of the most powerful corporations in the United States.
After graduating from law school, Mr. Guerra was the coordinating attorney of the Immigrant Worker Rights Project at Catholic Migration Services in Queens, New York, where he represented low-wage workers in wage and hour litigation and managed a collaborative effort with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor to educate workers about their rights.
Prior to his legal career, Mr. Guerra worked for over fifteen years as a community organizer and advocate organizing janitors, homeowners, and low-income tenants. As an organizer, Mr. Guerra led an effort to stop a dangerous practice by New York City retail establishments that routinely locked-in night cleaning crews leaving workers without any way out in case of an emergency. The effort resulted in a new local law that increased fines and targeted enforcement to prevent the illegal lock-ins of cleaning crews.
For more than a decade, Mr. Guerra has served on the board of directors of the Worker Justice Center of New York, a statewide organization that pursues justice for those denied human rights with a focus on agricultural and other low wage industries. Mr. Guerra has also served on the boards of New York City's Metropolitan Council on Housing, and ABC No Rio, a center for arts and activism in New York's Lower East Side.
Mr. Davis is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, where he was the second African American to win the award of Best Oral Advocate in the Ames Moot Court Competition. Mr. Davis is admitted to practice law in Alabama the District of Columbia, and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, and he has represented HKM clients pro hac vice in several notable matters in Georgia.
Job Titles:
- Employment Law Attorney
- Managing Partner of HKM Indianapolis
Mr. Ellis, the Managing Partner of HKM Indianapolis, brings more than a decade of employment litigation experience to the service of working Hoosiers. With HKM, he returns to his roots championing the interests of employees, after a stint defending Indiana's state agencies and personnel, and protecting taxpayer funds. Mr. Ellis' clients benefit from the fuller perspective he cultivated by working extensively for both employees and employers. Equally at home in state and federal courts, and before trial and appellate judges, Mr. Ellis is well-prepared to advocate for his clients' interests - beginning to end.
Mr. Ellis graduated cum laude from the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, and received a Master of Public Affairs from the Paul H. O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs.
Job Titles:
- Board Member for the Minnesota Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers' Association
Communication, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to achieving justice for his clients are central to Blaine Balow's successful legal practice.
Blaine is deeply committed to helping individuals navigate the legal process of standing up to employers who have treated them unfairly. From retaliation, discrimination, abuse, assault, harassment, or negotiating an equitable executive severance agreement, Blaine has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of those he's represented. Through settlements and litigation, he has successfully challenged some of our nation's largest corporations, financial institutions, health organizations, product manufacturers, software developers, government entities, education institutions, medical device manufacturers, and more. He also represents individuals in shareholder disputes, helping his clients obtain the buyouts to which they are entitled. Blaine is an astute negotiator but should the case call for litigation; he has no hesitancy.
Blaine has co-authored a chapter on employment law for a legal desk book, and is frequently invited to speak at continuing legal education seminars, sharing his expertise and insights on employment law.
In addition to his practice, Blaine has served as a board member for the Minnesota Chapter of the National Employment Lawyers' Association, an advisory board member for the University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital, and currently serves as an ethics investigator for the Fourth Judicial Ethics Committee. For his commitment to providing pro bono services, he has been named a North Star Lawyer, and was the recipient of the Hennepin County Bar Association Excellence Award. Moreover, every year since 2019, Blaine has been recognized as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, a recognition bestowed on just 2.5% of attorneys under 40 years of age in Minnesota. Sharp, methodical, and empathetic, Blaine brings a proven, personal approach to his practice and those he represents.
Brad's passion is helping employees protect themselves and ensure that employers around the country treat their employees legally and fairly. He appreciates that for many individuals, a job is more than just a way to make a living. A job-and feeling valued after a hard day's work-provides individuals with a sense of fulfillment, of well-being, and of contributing to something larger than one's self. Brad recognizes that when employers treat their employees unfairly-when they discriminate against them, harass them, take advantage of them, or retaliate against them-employers cause grievous harm to their employees, both financially and emotionally. His sole professional focus is on helping his individual clients through these incredibly difficult circumstances.
During his career, Brad has been fortunate to work at some of the best law firms in Missouri with some of the brightest and most accomplished attorneys in the area. He has experience in representing his clients, large and small, at every stage of the dispute resolution process-from the first days of a problem or dispute arising, through the filing of a lawsuit, through trial, and through appeal. His strategy is simple-to fight hard for his clients every step of the way, to place himself in his clients' shoes, and to always focus on what is in the best interests of his client.
Brian is a partner in the Pittsburgh and Boston offices of HKM Employment Attorneys focusing on the representation of individuals and employees in all aspects of employment and plaintiff litigation. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Benestad worked in the Commercial Litigation Groups of Dinsmore & Shohl, LLP, and Burns White, LLC, while holding the position of Vice President & General Counsel at ECM Energy Services, Inc.
Mr. Benestad has also tried over 40 courts-martial and administrative discharge proceedings while serving in the Air Force JAG Corps from 2008 through 2013 as a first chair trial and defense counsel. He further deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, as the Central Criminal Court of Iraq Legal Liaison Officer and Counter Terrorism Service Legal Advisor, facilitating collaboration among Iraqi Ministries, Legal/Targeting Directorates and Judges improving target development, warranting and interrogation techniques.
Mr. Benestad enjoys golfing, skiing, trail running and marathons. He paces various groups at the Pittsburgh Marathon and served as the U.S. Elite Women's Olympic Trials Qualifying Time 2:43 Group Pacer in 2015. He has run the Boston Marathon every year since 2008 with the goal of completing twenty-five straight.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- President