People & Practices: July 3, 2023

Corporate lawyer Walker Kool rejoins Fredrikson

Fredrikson welcomes back attorney Deborah Walker Kool to the firm’s Start Up & Rapid Growth Enterprises (SURGE), Venture Capital & Angel Financing, Corporate, Finance & Securities and Mergers & Acquisitions groups.

Walker Kool represents businesses at all stages of their growth with raising capital, structuring ownership, leadership and governance, acquisition and sale, and the many other needs and goals of company life.

Walker Kool represents companies in sale, merger and acquisition transactions, both strategic and private equity, through drafting agreements, preparing and reviewing term sheets, proposals and non-disclosure agreements (NDA), and diligence of the targets.

Walker Kool served as a vice chair of the Corporate Social Responsibility Committee of the American Bar Association (ABA). She was the co-chair of the Task Force for Supplier Policies on Labor Trafficking, which resulted in a set of Supplier Policies adopted by the ABA and circulated to the Fortune 500 companies. Prior to her career in law, she was a director of an international anti-trafficking nonprofit organization.

Yevzelman joins Jewish Family Services board

Fredrikson shareholder Masha Yevzelman has been appointed to the Jewish Family Services of St. Paul (JFS) Board of Directors. JFS is a nonprofit organization that provides programs and services that help people from all walks of life meet the planned and unplanned changes in their lives.

In addition to being a shareholder, Yevzelman chairs Fredrikson’s Tax Disputes & Litigation Group. She represents public and private companies, trusts, estates and high-net-worth individuals in complex tax disputes. She handles all stages of tax controversies—voluntary disclosures, audits, administrative appeals, tax court, district court and appellate litigation.

JFS serves all people regardless of race, ethnicity, creed, religion, national origin, gender, disability or sexual orientation. As an organization founded over 110 years ago to provide support to impoverished Jewish refugees fleeing Eastern Europe, JFS’s approaches are rooted in their values, beliefs and experiences related to navigating important life changes.

Fox attorneys on Chambers list

Four Minnesota-based Fox Rothschild attorneys were selected for inclusion in the 2023 Chambers USA guide: Lloyd Kepple, Real Estate; Kathy Kimmel, Litigation: General Commercial; Bruce Machmeier, Corporate/M&A; and Tim Scallen, Corporate/M&A.

In addition, the following Fox Rothschild practice groups were highlighted in the state of Minnesota: Corporate/M&A; Litigation: General Commercial; and Real Estate.

Since 1990, Chambers has published the world’s leading guides to the legal profession and has built a reputation for in-depth, objective research. Chambers identifies and ranks the world’s best lawyers (i.e., those who perform best according to the criteria most valued by clients – such as technical knowledge, business acumen, prompt delivery, value for money).

Husch Blackwell adds energy partner Bergan

National law firm Husch Blackwell has announced that partner Sara Bergan has joined the firm’s Minneapolis office.

Bergan’s joinder continues the Energy & Natural Resources industry team’s growth, which has added partners Kevin Johnson and Richard Bonnifield earlier this year.

Bergan represents developers through the development, procurement, and construction phases of renewable energy projects with a focus on energy transactions, particularly acquisitions and divestitures. She enjoys where the acquisition and construction components of energy projects come together in build-transfer transactions, as well other projects with complex construction or regulatory aspects. She is experienced with both large utility-scale wind, solar and energy storage projects as well as community-scale solar and solar plus storage projects in various jurisdictions.

NJL welcomes employment lawyer Judy Langevin

Nilan Johnson Lewis (NJL), among the largest certified women-owned law firms in the country, announces the addition of Judy Langevin to its labor and employment practice. One of Minnesota’s longest-practicing women attorneys, Langevin will advise and provide litigation and mediation services for employers in a wide range of matters, including pre- and post-employment issues, individual or group terminations, whistleblower allegations, wage and hour issues, and a host of discrimination claims including sexual harassment and disability discrimination.

Langevin’s law firm career spans over 40 years, during which she held management positions, chaired practice groups and served as an adjunct faculty member with the William Mitchell College of Law for more than a decade. Prior to her time in private practice, she worked in enforcement roles within the Human Rights Departments for both the city of St. Paul and state of Minnesota. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.

Frost, Newman recognized for pro bono work

DeWitt LLP attorneys R. Leigh Frost and Kathleen M. Newman were recognized by the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) as 2022 “North Star Lawyers Pro Bono All-Stars.”

They both provided 50 hours or more of pro bono legal services to low-income individuals in the community at no fee and without expectation of a fee. Frost and Newman were among 685 MSBA members certified as North Star Lawyers Pro Bono All-Stars for their pro bono work volunteered in calendar year 2022.

Frost’s earned a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota. Her affiliations include being a volunteer with the Tubman Safety Project, a presenter and author, for the Minnesota Continuing Legal Education, including the Annual Family Law Institute, a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, Amdahl Inns of Court, Association of Family and Conciliation Courts and the Woman’s Club of Minneapolis.

Newman earned a J.D. from Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a B.A. from Hamline University.  Her affiliations include being a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and a member of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, the Hennepin County Bar Association-Family Law Section, the Minnesota State Bar Association-Family Law Section, and the American Bar Association (ABA).

Four lawyers join Taft in Minneapolis

Taft has announced the addition of four new attorneys in its Minneapolis office: Bradley Walz, intellectual property partner; Alyssa Hirschfeld, corporate partner; Alan Gilbert, corporate partner; and Bradley Pederson, corporate partner.

Walz assists companies of various scales in maximizing the value of their intellectual property, safeguarding their interests, and effectively enforcing their rights.

Hirschfeld focuses her practice on general corporate law transactions and mergers and acquisitions. She represents public and private companies and private equity firms in a variety of industries in mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, and other general corporate and commercial matters.

Gilbert practices in securities, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and general corporate and commercial matters.

Pederson focuses his legal practice on assisting private and publicly held manufacturers, contractors, technology, entertainment, and retail businesses in various aspects of their operations.

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