Dinsmore is pleased to announce that William A. Blodgett, Jr., former Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Brown-Forman Corporation, has joined the firm. He will practice in the Labor & Employment, Litigation and Corporate Departments from the firm's Louisville office.
“Bill Blodgett brings to Dinsmore a lifetime of experience in addressing legal and other issues confronted daily by publicly held and regulated companies,” said John Selent, Managing Partner of Dinsmore’s Louisville office. “We are delighted to have access to his knowledge, experience and perspective which will enhance the personal service we provide to our clients."
As Deputy General Counsel of Brown-Forman since 1994, Blodgett managed the company’s global legal and compliance activities conducted by 13 attorneys and 18 staff in Louisville, California, Mexico and the United Kingdom. During this time he also served as Brown-Forman’s Chief Compliance Officer, overseeing its Code of Conduct and Compliance Guidelines and reporting to the Board of Directors’ Audit Committee on activity under the compliance program.
“I look forward to returning to private practice with my former colleagues and friends at Dinsmore, which has a long history of providing top quality, efficient legal services to its clients in Kentucky, Ohio and the region,” said Blodgett. “I hope that my experience with a publicly-held global marketing company will provide additional perspective for Dinsmore’s clients.”
Prior to joining Brown-Forman, Blodgett was a partner at Woodward, Hobson & Fulton, which combined with Dinsmore in 2009. During this time he served on the firm’s Management Committee for nearly 10 years and focused his practice on counseling employers on labor, employment and litigation issues for nearly 25 years. He has remained active in the management of litigation and presently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Products Liability Advisory Council, a leading legal voice in the conduct of litigation concerning the manufacturers of products.
Blodgett also is committed to the Louisville community and its arts. He presently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Kentucky School of Art (Chair) and the Kentucky Opera and is a member of the Board of Trustees of Spaulding University. He earned his J.D. from Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville and his B.A. from the University of North Carolina.