(Manchester, NH, December 18, 2024) Sheehan Phinney is proud to announce new leadership in the firm’s practice groups. Matt Benson was named Chair of the firm’s Corporate Group, Elizabeth Bailey Chair of the Litigation Group, and Emily Penaskovic Chair of the BOOST/Startup Group.
Bailey practices in the areas of management-side employment law counseling and litigation, where her client base ranges from private corporations to municipalities and counties. She works closely with HR professionals, management teams and in-house counsel to develop effective risk management strategies and cost-effective ways to avoid employment-related problems. Bailey also conducts independent investigations concerning employment-related workplace issues.
Bailey has been recognized by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America®, and New England Super Lawyers®, all for her work in labor and employment law, including being named a 2021, 2022, and 2024 Best Lawyers of America ® Lawyer of the Year. She is a Leadership New Hampshire 2011 Graduate, and a former member of Leadership New Hampshire’s Board of Trustees. Bailey is a Board Member and Secretary for both the Kearsarge Athletic Booster Club, and serves as a volunteer mediator for the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights. She received her J.D. from Suffolk University Law School and her B.A., cum laude, from Smith College.
Benson is a corporate attorney and advises his business clients on a variety of legal and business issues. He represents entrepreneurs of all types and at all stages of their businesses, from start-up to exit. In his work with start-ups and other privately held companies, Benson has counseled his clients on a variety of corporate matters, including entity formation, obtaining equity and debt financing, equity and non-equity incentive compensation arrangements, and exit strategy issues. He also advises his technology-related companies on a wide range of matters specific to them, including software licensing, licensing of intellectual property, and website development matters.
Benson has been recognized by NH Magazine, Martindale Hubbell, Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America®, and New England Super Lawyers®, all for his work in corporate law, including being named a 2024 Best Lawyers of America ® Lawyer of the Year. He serves on the Board of Directors of the New Hampshire Business Finance Authority and the National Finance Authority, and had been a long-serving member of the Board of the New Hampshire Tech Alliance. Benson received his J.D. from Boston College Law School, his M.B.A. from Boston College Graduate Carroll School of Management, and his B.S. from Brandeis University.
Penaskovic’s diverse practice encompasses a broad range of transactional, securities, and general corporate matters. She represents entrepreneurs and high-growth companies across the business lifecycle, from guiding founders at the earliest stages, to assisting with equity and debt financings through the growth stages, to negotiating later-stage exits. Through Sheehan Phinney’s Boost for Startups program, Penaskovic helps local startups with their most critical legal needs and connects them with valuable resources.
Penaskovic has been recognized by Best Lawyers of America ® and New England Super Lawyers, both for her work in corporate law. In 2024, she was named to the New Hampshire 200, a list of the state’s most influential business leaders, by the NH Business Review. Penaskovic is Vice President of the New Hampshire Tech Alliance Board of Directors, and for the past six years, she served as Chair of its Startup Committee. She is a 2014 graduate of Leadership Greater Manchester. Penaskovic is admitted to practice in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and she received her J.D., with honors, from the University of Connecticut School of Law and her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of New Hampshire.
About the Firm
Sheehan Phinney is a full-service business law firm representing local, national and international clients with innovative approaches and practical solutions. Founded in 1937, Sheehan Phinney has grown to over 70 attorneys with five offices throughout New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont, and is known for professional excellence, practical counsel and commitment to both its clients and the communities it serves. Sheehan Phinney is the exclusive member in New Hampshire of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of premier independent law firms.