People & Practices

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The Farrish Johnson Law Office announced the addition of a new attorney, Kay L. Wallerich. Wallerich will practice in the areas of probate, estate planning, real estate, business law, banking law, and employment law. She is a graduate of Creighton University School of Law and is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and Nebraska. Wallerich formerly was an investment executive with U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray.

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Smith, Paulson, O’Donnell & Associates, PLC (formerly Gregory V. Smith & Associates), has recently hired Melanie A. Flores as an associate at its Monticello office. She will focus her practice in all areas of family law. Prior to joining the firm, she was an associate with Ballou Law Office in Minneapolis. Flores received her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

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Fish & Richardson P.C., P.A. is pleased to announce that R.J. Zayed has joined the firm as a principal in their Twin Cities office. Zayed is a trial lawyer who handles complex civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense cases. Prior to joining Fish & Richardson, he was Assistant U. S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota. Prior to becoming a lawyer, Zayed worked as a hardware design engineer for Honeywell, Inc. He received his law degree from the University of Illinois and his Electrical Engineering degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology.

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Jason C. Brown has joined Pritzker & Associates. He earned his J.D. from the William Mitchell College of Law. Brown represents victims in personal injury cases. Prior to joining the firm, he was an associate with Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala, P.A.

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Oppenheimer Wolff & Donnelly LLP announced that Michael Bleck has retired from his role as CEO. He will be succeeded by Brad Keil, a Minneapolis-based lawyer with the firm. Bleck, who has served on the management committee of the firm since 1989 and was CEO for the past six years, will return to his business litigation practice with the firm.

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Joseph Mandernach has joined the Minneapolis office as an associate of the law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. His practice focuses on intellectual property. Mandernach received his J.D. from Hamline University School of Law and his B.A. from the University of Minnesota.

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Robyn Anderson has joined the Minneapolis office of the law firm of Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. Her practice focuses on business litigation in the area of antitrust. Anderson was a mediator with the Citizens Council on Crime and Justice where she mediated juvenile victim-offender and family disputes in Hennepin County. Anderson received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and her B.A. from the University of Minnesota.

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Seth M. Colton has joined Lommen, Nelson, Cole & Stageberg, P.A. as a commercial litigator. Colton, with 19 years of experience, practices in areas such as NASD customer and broker-dealer arbitrations, commercial disuptes, intellectual property, contract, insurance coverage, construction, antitrust and employment law. Colton was the mayor of North Oaks from 1995 to 2000, and previously a partner with Maun & Simon. He is a graduate of William Mitchell College of Law.

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Scott Hertogs, an associate with the law firm of Sieben, Polk, LaVerdiere, Jones & Hawn, P.A. has been certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association and the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Hertogs is a trial lawyer in private practice of law limited to personal injury and wrongful death. He received his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law in 1986 and his B.S. in Business Administration from Arizona State in 1981.