Verrill Elects Five New Partners

PORTLAND, Maine and BOSTON, Mass. – Verrill is pleased to announce that Hans C. Eysenbach, Lauren Galvin, Sarah K. Grossnickle, Elizabeth T. Johnston, and Derek Rocha were recently elected to the Firm’s partnership, effective January 1, 2026.

Eysenbach, a member of Verrill’s Telecommunications Group, resolves complex business and regulatory challenges by providing clear, actionable recommendations that create economic value and stability for clients. He represents private companies, industry associations, and government entities in energy, telecommunications, and water utility matters before utility commissions across the U.S.—including in California, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and Vermont—as well as before the FCC. His work includes drafting filings and participating in rulemakings, investigations, and other regulatory proceedings. Eysenbach also advocates before state legislatures, offering written testimony and building strategic relationships to advance targeted and broad government relations initiatives in Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Eysenbach received his law degree from Vermont Law School, and his undergraduate degree from Connecticut College.

Galvin, a member of Verrill’s Trial and Litigation Group, has more than a decade of experience representing private and public clients at all stages of litigation before the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Appeals Court, Land Court, and Superior Court. Her practice spans land use and zoning, real estate disputes, state and local permitting, the Wetlands Protection Act, Article 97 of the Amendments to the Massachusetts Constitution, local legislation, elections and the Massachusetts Public Records and Open Meeting Laws. Galvin has been at the forefront of significant Massachusetts legal developments, including co-counseling the landmark case Bristol Asphalt Co., Inc. v. Rochester Bituminous Products, Inc., 493 Mass. 539 (2024), in which the SJC clarified and simplified the anti-SLAPP analytical framework.  She has also successfully argued and won cases before the SJC and Appeals Court, setting important precedents in wetlands, land use and zoning matters. Galvin received her law degree from Emory University School of Law, and her undergraduate degree from Boston College.

Grossnickle, a member of Verrill’s Trial and Litigation Group, has extensive experience representing clients at all stages of dispute resolution, from pre-litigation analysis through trial and appeal, in state and federal courts and administrative tribunals nationwide. She routinely handles complex and novel state, federal, and constitutional law issues and represents clients across a broad range of commercial and tort matters, including contract disputes, shareholder and investor disputes, breach of fiduciary duty claims, environmental torts, class action defense, and procurement appeals, with experience spanning the energy and telecommunications sectors, financial institutions, investors, LLCs, and government contractors. A seasoned appellate practitioner, Grossnickle has appeared before the First and Fifth Circuit Courts of Appeals, the Maine Law Court, numerous other state and federal appellate courts, and the United States Supreme Court, and she is a former federal appellate law clerk to Judge Carolyn Dineen King of the Fifth Circuit. Grossnickle received her law degree from Brooklyn Law School, and her undergraduate degree from McGill University.

Johnston, a member of Verrill’s Employment & Labor Group, provides practical, tailored guidance to help employers navigate complex workforce issues while keeping organizational goals in focus. She advises clients on a broad range of employment-related matters including harassment and discrimination claims, whistleblower retaliation claims, wage and hour compliance, leave and accommodation issues, hiring and termination practices, performance management, employment agreements, and workplace policies, and she also represents employers in state and federal employment litigation and before administrative agencies.  Maintaining a robust investigations practice, Johnston conducts and advises on workplace investigations into harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and other employee misconduct, and is trained in Title IX investigation procedures.  Johnston also regularly provides training to HR professionals and organizational leaders on effective, legally sound investigation practices and other employment topics. Johnston received her law degree from the University of Maine School of Law, and her undergraduate degree from the University of Maine.

Rocha, a member of Verrill’s Trial and Litigation Group, represents businesses, financial institutions, and individuals in complex commercial and regulatory disputes. He handles matters from pre suit investigation and early resolution efforts through discovery, dispositive motions, evidentiary hearings, trial, and appeal, in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. His practice includes commercial contract and business tort claims, consumer protection and class action defense, financial services litigation, corporate governance and shareholder disputes, professional liability matters, and creditors’ rights and secured transactions, including enforcement and recovery proceedings. Rocha also represents health care providers in court and before administrative agencies on matters involving patient privacy, standards of care, fraud and abuse, and Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement. Rocha received his law degree from Boston College Law School, and his undergraduate degree from Boston College.