Six Varnum attorneys have been elected to the partnership, reflecting growth in key practices and markets. The new partners are Regan A. Gibson, Timothy A. Gordon, Herman D. Hofman, Robert M. Huff, William L. Thompson and Rebecca K. Wrock.
“We are very proud to welcome each of these attorneys to the partnership,” said Varnum Chair Ron DeWaard. “In addition to their proven legal ability, each of them brings a unique background and experience to their practice as well as to the larger firm.”
Varnum Executive Partner Scott Hill noted that each of new partners took a different path to their legal career.
“Our newest partners bring perspectives informed by their diverse backgrounds, including military service and government experience,” Hill said. “We are pleased to welcome this talented group with their distinctive skills to the firm.”
Regan Gibson is a litigation attorney, representing clients in a variety of civil and criminal litigation matters and internal investigations. She has further represented companies and individuals in civil and criminal investigations by the United States Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission and numerous other state and federal agencies. Prior to receiving her law degree, Gibson was a paralegal specialist in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, where she served in the Violent Crime and Narcotics Trafficking Section. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and received her undergraduate degree from Smith College. Gibson joined the firm in 2019.
Tim Gordon is a corporate attorney focused on mergers and acquisitions and general corporate counseling. He represents public and private companies and private equity, venture and angel capital firms in a variety of domestic and cross-border mergers, acquisitions, divestitures and other strategic investment transactions. During law school, he served as an intern with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in the Division of Corporation Finance. He joined Varnum in 2021 from the Chicago office of a global law firm. Gordon graduated from the Maurer School of Law at Indiana University. He earned both a Master of Business Administration degree and undergraduate degree from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.
Herman Hofman is a litigation attorney. He has extensive courtroom experience and advises companies in a variety of industries on legal matters in both individual and class action contexts. Hofman has also successfully handled appeals spanning a broad range of subject matters in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth and Seventh Circuits, the Michigan Supreme Court and the Michigan Court of Appeals. Before joining Varnum in 2017, Hofman served as a law clerk for Chief Judge Robert Jonker of the District Court for the Western District of Michigan. He additionally lived in a rural village in Bolivia, South America, for nine years and is fluent in Spanish and Dutch, as well as English. Hofman is a graduate of Michigan State University College of Law and received his undergraduate degree from Dordt University in Sioux Center, Iowa.
Rob Huff is a member of Varnum’s Estate Planning Practice Team. He is experienced with all facets of advanced planning techniques, including the use of various trusts and entity structures utilized in gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer tax planning. He further maintains a particular focus on the intersection of business matters and personal estate planning. Huff joined Varnum in 2017 after practicing in Florida for several years and frequently counsels clients who own property or relocate to Florida. Huff received his law degree from the University of Michigan Law School and attended the University of Chicago for his undergraduate degree.
Will Thompson is a member of the Litigation Team. His practice is primarily focused on complex commercial, tax and insolvency litigation. He also has substantial first chair trial experience litigating civil and criminal tax issues arising under state and federal law. Thompson served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Sean F. Cox of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Prior to his legal career, Thompson served with the United States Marine Corps as a Staff Sergeant from 2004 to 2008, during which time he was deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Thompson joined Varnum in 2015 upon graduating from Wayne State University Law School. He earned his undergraduate degree at Wayne State University School of Business Administration.
Rebecca Wrock is a member of Varnum’s Estate Planning Practice Team. Her practice includes all aspects of estate planning and estate settlement, including advanced planning techniques for estate, gift, income and generation-skipping transfer tax planning, cottage planning, business succession planning, planning for the care of animal companions with pet trusts, planning for charitable giving and long-term care and estate and trust administration services. Wrock joined Varnum in 2019 and is licensed in both Michigan and Florida. She holds an LLM in taxation from the University of Alabama Law School in addition to her law degree from Wayne State University Law School and undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan.