The POWER 30: Kathy Kimmel

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When it did, it took care of its clients and staff, and many firms benefited by the migration of its lawyers.

Kathy Kimmel is one of the lawyers who absorbed values at Rider Bennet that she lives by 14 years later. She also credits Rider with mentoring and support in the early stages of her career that she still employs now as a partner at Fox Rothschild in Minneapolis.

She has been an equity partner in law firms since 2001, and practices in the areas of fiduciary issues, health care employment and business torts. In 2014, before the Minnesota Supreme Court, her client Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center prevailed in litigation over whether it could amend its medical staff bylaws.

Kimmel came from Rider Bennet, where women lawyers could succeed, she said. Its managing partner, Pat Burke, was the first woman in that spot in Minneapolis. Many of the firm’s women lawyers became judges. “We had the sheer volume of highly successful women lawyers. The firm already understood the value of having different perspectives at the table,” she said.

It worked for Kimmel and others because “the bar was high but the support was there.”

Kimmel worked with mentor Jamie Forman at Rider and sought out others. “I’d camp outside their offices,” she said. Mentorship is a two-way street where the mentors are donating their time and the “mentee” should seek opportunities out, Kimmel said.

Her approach to litigation is to advocate zealously both for a client’s interests and also to respect the legal process and professionalism. “You can accomplish a client’s goals and still remain true to the legal profession.

“Some lawyers think you should fight for the sake of fighting. That’s rarely in a client’s long-term interest,” Kimmel said. Most clients, even those who believe their lawyer should be a “junkyard dog,” don’t have the wherewithal to fight for every short-term goal, she said. The lawyer provides experience and judgment while retaining rapport and reputation within the profession, she said.

Kimmel believes in the “Rider Bennett phone call” approach to litigation. At Rider, if a lawyer lost a motion, the first thing to do was address it with the client. The second thing to do was call the other lawyer and congratulate him or her on the victory — or at least acknowledge it.

“Those calls are not fun if you are highly competitive, and they are not an option,” Kimmel said.

Kimmel represents pro bono clients through the Tubman organization in Minneapolis. More than 20 years ago, the Tubman Safety Project was created in collaboration with nonprofit organizations and attorneys to facilitate pro bono legal representation to victims and their families facing domestic abuse and seeking relief under Minnesota’s Domestic Abuse Act.

“For me, advocating for Safety Project clients who are in crisis and facing profound needs is a humbling privilege,” Kimmel said. “In conjunction with others, we attorneys can help obtain needed relief to those facing the tragic and lasting impact of domestic violence and help change what can otherwise become a repeated cycle of violence.”