Indiana Lawyer Names Three Barnes & Thornburg Attorneys Leaders in Law

The Indiana Lawyer has named Barnes & Thornburg Fort Wayne attorney Kathleen M. Anderson as a Distinguished Barrister and two Indianapolis attorneys, Jacob A.  German and Erica L. Woebse, as Up and Coming Lawyers as part of its annual Leadership in Law Awards. 

The attorneys were honored during a Nov. 9 event in Indianapolis and being featured in The Indiana Lawyer’s annual publication recognizing 15 Distinguished Barristers who have served with distinction for at least 20 years in the legal profession, and 15 Up and Coming Lawyers whose careers are on a successful path. 

Anderson, a partner in the firm’s Fort Wayne office, is an accomplished trial lawyer and advocate who has practiced for more than 25 years in the areas of labor and employment and related litigation. She co-chairs the firm’s national wage and hour practice. Over the last year, she helped lead the firm’s COVID-19 Employment Litigation Tracker, which earned a 2020 National Law Review Thought Leadership Award.

She is actively involved in the legal community, having served as a member of the Indiana Bar Foundation's board of directors and on the Indiana State Bar Association’s board of governors. Anderson also was on the board of directors of the Allen County Bar Association from 1999-2006 and served as president. Additionally, she has been a member of the Local Rules Committee of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana and has chaired the magistrate nominating committee for the Northern District.

Anderson also is deeply committed to supporting and volunteering for healthcare, education and community organizations throughout Fort Wayne. This includes 20 years of service on the board of directors of the nationally acclaimed Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, where she twice was board president and currently is the immediate past president and on the executive committee. Anderson also is on the board of Fort Wayne Youtheatre and is a past board member for Parkview Health System. 

Up and Coming Lawyers honorees

As an associate in the firm’s Indianapolis office, Jake German focuses his practice in the areas of municipal law, public finance, and procurement law, as well as on executive branch, legislative and federal lobbying. His duties for local government clients range from general counsel services for county governments to economic development strategy for redevelopment commissions and to structuring municipal bond deals for government entities. 

Additionally, German helps clients navigate Access to Public Records requests and the Open Door Law, community corrections and jail matters, Indiana Department of Transportation projects, grants with the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, and negotiations with the Indiana Economic Development Commission. 

Outside of the firm, German is chief legal counsel for the Bill Cook Foundation, an organization dedicated to the furtherance of education in the developing world, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, and South Sudan. A proud Wabash College graduate, German is on the board of the Indianapolis Association of Wabash Men, which focuses on student counseling and high school recruitment as well as on coordinating alumni events around Indianapolis. He also is deeply involved with the Little Red Door Foundation, which supports children living with cancer. 

Erica Woebse is an associate in the Indianapolis office, advising clients on compliance with federal and state healthcare laws and regulations. She is business counsel for healthcare entities, and leads clients in a variety of strategic transactions, including mergers and stock and asset acquisitions. She assists clients with HIPAA compliance, including drafting HIPAA policies and procedures, training privacy and security officers, and guiding clients through HIPAA breaches.

Woebse serves not only as a legal adviser on the regulatory restrictions that will guide business transactions, but also develops a deep understanding of the business to be acquired and the strategic purposes behind acquiring the business so that she can help guide the acquisition and integration process. In addition to M&A and other transactional work, she counsels clients on licensure issues and the requirements for participation in Medicare and Medicaid programs.

She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/US) in the laws of the United States for the private sector and a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/G) in U.S. government privacy laws.

In addition to her legal practice, Woebse is passionate about helping the next generation of professionals. She serves as a resource to current law students and is a volunteer interviewer for Tulane University. At Barnes & Thornburg, she is involved in the firm’s Legal Personnel Administrative Committee, which seeks to provide all firm professionals with a more productive and positive environment. She also is active in the firm’s mentoring program. 

With more than 700 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from offices in Atlanta, Boston, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, New York, Ohio, Raleigh, Salt Lake City, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.