People & Practices: Nov. 21, 2022

Faegre Drinker has announced that Gina Kastel has been selected by the firm’s board as the next chair. Effective April 1, 2023, Kastel will succeed Tom Froehle and Andrew Kassner, who have served as co-chairs of the firm since the combination of Drinker Biddle & Reath and Faegre Baker Daniels formed Faegre Drinker in February 2020.

Kastel, a member of Faegre Drinker’s executive leadership team and board, co-chairs the firm’s compensation committee and served as its integration partner following the merger. Previously, she served as Faegre Baker Daniels’ vice chair and chief operating partner and a member of the firm’s management board and executive committee.

“I am honored to serve Faegre Drinker and our clients in this important role and look forward to working with Tom and Andy during this transition,” says Kastel. “We are a stronger firm thanks to Andy and Tom’s leadership through the combination, and their remarkable work has led to Faegre Drinker’s early success. In collaboration with attorneys and business professionals across our offices, I plan to build on our foundation of exceptional clients, talent and culture, while leading efforts to continue innovating our services, organization and the client experience.”

Kastel has asked partners David Barrett, Andrew Joseph, Heather Perkins and Judy Reich, Chief Operating Officer Jane Koehl and Chief Diversity Officer Maria Lewis to serve, or continue serving, as part of Faegre Drinker’s executive leadership team, which is responsible for implementing firm-wide strategy and policy.

Kastel, who is based in Faegre Drinker’s Minneapolis office, started her legal career in 1999 at Faegre & Benson, a predecessor firm to Faegre Drinker. She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School.

***

Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP has changed its name to Saul Ewing LLP, returning the firm to the moniker it used before its combination with Arnstein & Lehr in 2017. In conjunction with the new name, the firm also has launched a complete rebrand, including a new logo, tagline, website, interactive client and recruiting materials, and a digital company store.

More than one year of work went into the rebrand effort, which involved interviews with attorneys, clients and business professionals to crystallize the firm’s strengths and priorities. This collective feedback influenced the development of the firm’s new tagline at a particularly transformative time in its history – “Inspired People. Inspiring Trust.™”

Managing Partner Jason St. John said of the rebrand, “Since our merger five years ago, we have successfully integrated across our offices, practices and departments, growing and thriving along the way. We have capitalized on the momentum from our 2017 merger and the opening of our new Minneapolis office in 2019 by expanding our client base and services and elevating our internal operations. Now, we are seizing the opportunity to celebrate all of these advancements with a rebrand to better reflect who we are today – one unified firm.”

The new brand launch caps off a series of recent firm milestones: electing new Managing Partner Jason St. John; bringing on its first Chief Talent Officer, Chandra Kilgriff, and building out a complete Talent Team; debuting the SAULutions innovation challenge and the Saul2Go app; and implementing the widely lauded “4+4 Plan” for hybrid work.

***

Hennepin County Attorney-elect Mary Moriarty has announced that Cedrick Frazier and Mark Osler will serve as co-chairs of her transition team.

“The transition team, led by Mark Osler and Cedrick Frazier, will help me prepare to take over the state’s largest public law office, including recruitment, community engagement, and the office’s budget. These two leaders bring a wealth of knowledge and skills that will ensure we bring together the right people and perspectives for the work ahead of us,” Moriarty said in a news release.

Cedrick Frazier is a state lawmaker and attorney. Frazier attended the University of Minnesota-Morris, graduating with a B.A. in psychology. Frazier went on to attend Minnesota State University, Mankato, where he served as a fellow with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, graduating with an M.A. in urban studies with an emphasis in local government management. Frazier then enrolled at William Mitchell College of Law. Frazier clerked for the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office as well as the League of Minnesota Cities. After graduating with a J.D, he began his legal career as a public defender in Hennepin County. In 2008, Frazier was named the director of Equity and Diversity for the Minneapolis Public School District and was later promoted to legal counsel for the district. After spending eight years in public education, Frazier joined the legal team at Education Minnesota, the state’s largest labor union.

Frazier served on the New Hope City Council from 2018 to 2020. In 2020, he was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives and served as the first African American vice-chair of the House Public Safety Committee.

Mark Osler is a law professor and former federal prosecutor. He holds the Robert and Marion Short Distinguished Chair in Law at the University of St. Thomas and his work advocates for sentencing and clemency policies rooted in the principles of human dignity. A graduate of the College of William & Mary and Yale Law School, Osler clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Jan DuBois. He played a role in striking down the mandatory 100-to-1 ratio between crack and powder cocaine in the federal sentencing guidelines by winning the case of Spears v. United States in the U.S. Supreme Court. He has testified as an expert at the White House and before the United States Sentencing Commission and the United States House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.

As a law professor at St. Thomas, Osler founded the nation’s first law school clinic on federal commutations and has advocated for an expansive use of the presidential pardon power. Osler’s recent writings on clemency, sentencing, and narcotics policy have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and in law journals at Harvard, Stanford, the University of Chicago, and others.

***

Sydney Tombers has joined Eckberg Lammers’ Prosecution Team. Her primary focus will include misdemeanor prosecution for the Stillwater-based firm’s municipal clients. Her experience working in the many aspects of the criminal justice system positions her to be a strong advocate for the municipalities she serves as well as our community.

Before joining the firm, Tombers worked for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office as a certified student in the Child Protection and Adult Prosecution Division. She also worked as an associate attorney in the area of criminal defense, handling various criminal defense cases from traffic citations to felony‐level defense.

While in law school, Tombers  had an externship with a Hennepin County judge, where she worked in DWI/Drug treatment court and experienced the importance of addressing criminal behavior with treatment to reduce recidivism.

***

The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) has promoted Evan Wilson from senior attorney to deputy general counsel of the organization, which owns and operates Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and six reliever airports in the Twin Cities.

As deputy general counsel, Wilson will assist in providing legal counsel to the MAC and help guide the organization on a wide range of legal matters, including governance, regulatory compliance, operational and policy issues, legislation, real estate transactions, contracts and grant agreements, emergency management, airport safety zoning, technology and intellectual property matters. Wilson also advises the Airport Foundation MSP and Arts@MSP program.

“Evan Wilson’s extensive experience at the MAC and his legal expertise within the airport industry is a perfect fit for this important leadership position,” said Cameron Boyd, General Counsel for the MAC.

Wilson has worked at the MAC since 2004. He became senior attorney in 2014.

Wilson has held various leadership roles within the American Bar Association (ABA) and the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA). He is currently on the MSBA’s Investment Committee, which oversees the MSBA’s investment policy and portfolio. Wilson received his juris doctorate from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he was a board member and managing editor of the Minnesota Law Review. He received his bachelor’s degree in history and political science from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul.

***

The Board of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities has appointed Scott Goings to serve as general counsel. His appointment is effective immediately.

“During his service, Scott has provided sound advice and counsel to both the Board of Trustees and the Chancellor’s Office,” said Devinder Malhotra, chancellor of Minnesota State. “He has worked extremely well with the other members of the Cabinet, as well as the presidents at our colleges and universities, creating a collaborative cross-divisional work environment.”

As general counsel, Goings will provide advice and support to the chancellor, the Board of Trustees, and system leadership on business, legal, and public policy issues. The role is responsible for the development and implementation of strategies to effectively coordinate and integrate the system’s legal services and compliance activities to achieve Minnesota State objectives. The general counsel reports directly to the Board of Trustees and to the chancellor and is a member of the chancellor’s Cabinet.

Goings has served Minnesota State for 14 years, including as assistant general counsel from 2008 to 2022, and his current role as interim general counsel. From 2000 to 2008 he served the Office of Minnesota Attorney General as assistant attorney general, where he was responsible for defending Minnesota State in litigation. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Grinnell College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law.

People & Practices is a lightly edited compilation of news releases from law firms and other organizations. Minnesota Lawyer welcomes news about hires, promotions and other activities in the legal profession. Send releases (and photos if desired) to [email protected].