2022 Up & Coming Attorneys: Amber L. Kraemer

Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. In her youth, Amber Kraemer was a devotee of NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” — inspired by its star attorney Alexandra Cabot, played by Stephanie March.

Alas, she ended up an attorney but not in criminal law. While at the University of Minnesota Law School, she realized her personality was not one of a prosecutor. “I wanted to work with people and help people, and there are a lot of opportunities to do that in law,” she said.

Today, Kraemer works primarily with community banks and a touch of general corporate work. While working as a summer associate at her future employer, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., she did a project with the community banking group and found she liked the attorneys, the clients and the challenge.

“Community banks are pillars in their communities, and in a lot of cases, have been around for generations,” Kraemer said. “They’re very invested in the community whether it be through employing people or supporting community activities.”

Since these banks are so closely woven into the communities they serve, a sale can be an emotional time for owners, and Kraemer helps guide them through it. “Many owners want to know that their employees and community will be cared for if they sell,” she said.

Her work as a managing associate specializing in community banking also involves bank governance, succession and ownership issues, employment, business formation, regulatory matters and third-party vendor agreements. Kraemer’s biggest recent deal was being part of the team that formed EntreBank, the first new bank chartered and approved since 2008 for a seven-state region including Minnesota, which opened this year in Bloomington.

At Winthrop & Weinstine, she serves on numerous committees and helps run the Summer Associate program. In addition, she helps the University of Minnesota recruit students and engage alumni and volunteers with Feed My Starving Children. “I loved volunteering when I was in college and law school, and I try to fit in as much of it as I can as a professional,” she said.

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