People & Practices: May 12

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The Minnesota Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators announced its 2014-2015 board of directors recently.  They include:

President: Deborah P. O’Connor,  director of human resources, Best & Flanagan; President Elect: Katherine M. Hubbard, firm administrator, Olup & Associates; Administrative Director: Wendy Bartlett, legal administrator, Metropolitan Airports Commission; Communications Director: Sarah L. Evenson, firm administrator, Anderson, Helgen, Davis & Nissen; Education Director: Pam Gerads, director of human resources, Merchant & Gould; Finance Director: Tracey Skjeveland, chief financial officer, Merchant & Gould; Membership Director: Sarah Didrikson, applications and database manager, Nilan Johnson Lewis; Past President: David H. Oxley.

O’Meara, Leer, Wagner and Kohl attorney Allison Haley was recently elected to the board directors for the National Alliance of Medicare Set-Aside Professionals. The nonprofit educates Medicare professionals and advocates for a more efficient and effective Medicare Secondary Payer process in Washington, participates in the federal rule-making process and helps draft Medicare-related legislation.

Haley was appointed to a three year term. She has been a member of NAMSAP since 2007, and has served as the chair of the organization’s legislative committee.

Haley concentrates her civil litigation practice in the areas of Medicare Secondary Payer Act Compliance, general liability litigation and workers’ compensation.  Haley joined O’Meara, Leer Wagner & Kohl in 2005 as a law clerk and graduated with honors from the University of Minnesota Law School in May 2006.

Foley & Mansfield announced that Peter M. Torseth has been elected to the position of CEO and Mona D. Nore was named COO of the 150-attorney firm.

As the first CEO and non-lawyer to lead the firm, Torseth is responsible for overall business strategy and operations, overseeing finance, IT, marketing, human resources, recruiting and development functions, and related personnel.

Torseth, the firm’s director of finance since 2008, holds an MBA with an emphasis in finance from the University of St. Thomas and has more than 25 years of experience in finance and accounting.

As COO Nore will oversee the administrative aspects of the firm’s 10 offices, including management of the firm’s office administrators and legal support staff. Nore joined Foley & Mansfield in 1992 as its first office administrator in its sole Minneapolis location. She was named executive director in January 2008. A former Series 7 and 63 securities license holder, Nore has more than 30 years of experience in accounting and office administration within the securities, manufacturing, public accounting and legal industries. She is currently based in the firm’s Oakland office.

John C. Levy recently joined Nilan Johnson Lewis in the firm’s business transactions/real estate group. Levy brings 29 years of experience in corporate and business law to the firm and a growing practice in food truck law. He is founder and president of the Minnesota Food Truck Association and an owner and manager of Andrew Zimmern’s Canteen food truck.

Prior to joining Nilan Johnson Lewis, Levy was a partner at Henson & Efron.