Ice Miller LLP Announces Launch of Agribusiness Legal Services
12/10/2007
Indianapolis – Ice Miller LLP, Indianapolis' largest law firm, announced today that Beth Bechdol, former Deputy Director, Indiana State Department of Agriculture (ISDA), has joined the firm as the Director of Agribusiness Strategies. Bechdol will be responsible for assisting and coordinating the Firm's efforts for a newly formed agricultural law initiative.
"Agriculture is becoming an increasingly important economic driver for Indiana," stated Byron Myers, Managing Partner, Ice Miller LLP. "The agribusiness industry today is much broader than traditional crop and livestock production and now encompasses everything from food processing and retail services to hardwoods, horticulture, alternative energy, biotechnology, and food distribution and logistics."
According to the ISDA's strategic plan, Indiana’s competitive advantages in agriculture are unparalleled. The state has long been nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in food and agriculture production and innovation. Indiana’s productive land base sustains over 13 million acres of planted crops and over 4 million acres of high quality hardwood forests. The state’s robust infrastructure network and its central geographic location within one day’s drive of two-thirds of the U.S. population also provide significant transportation and logistics advantages.
Ice Miller will provide myriad of legal services specifically tailored to the food and agribusiness industry including: labor, employment and immigration, intellectual property, environmental and real estate management, transactional and investment related services, litigation/risk management, regulatory, public affairs and lobbying and estate planning. Melissa Proffitt Reese, former co-managing partner of Ice Miller, will chair the initiative. The group will include an additional fourteen attorneys and industry specialists making it the largest agricultural law initiative in the state.
"Beth brings a tremendous amount of knowledge of agriculture, business and market trends to the Firm," stated Reese. "She has unrivaled contacts throughout the industry – in Indiana with private sector food and agricultural businesses and with national associations representing the agriculture industry."
Bechdol most recently served as the Deputy Director for the Indiana State Department of Agriculture. Prior to joining ISDA, she was Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She also served on the Senate Agriculture Committee under Indiana Senator Richard G. Lugar during the development of the 2002 Farm Bill. Bechdol received her bachelor's degree from Georgetown University in International Law and International Affairs. She completed her master's degree at Purdue University in agricultural economics. She was raised on a corn and soybean farm in Auburn, Ind.
"Significant business, market and policy shifts are underway in the food, agricultural and renewable energy industries, requiring more customized and even new legal services for individual companies. We know clients want their lawyers to understand their business and industry. This group of Ice Miller attorneys can meet that need," stated Bechdol. "The timing is right to provide these services to the agribusiness community, and I am confident this focus by a firm with the stature of Ice Miller will be well received by the industry."
Ice Miller's lawyers and business professionals, through their understanding of businesses, industries, and government entities, help simplify the complexities faced by its clients. Ice Miller is committed to helping its clients achieve their legal and business goals. The Firm has offices in Indianapolis, Indiana; Chicago, Illinois; DuPage County, Illinois; and Washington, D.C. For additional information, visit www.icemiller.com.
This press release is intended for general information purposes only and does not and is not intended to constitute legal advice.
