MADEL PA

Paul Nolan//September 26, 2024//

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Jennifer Maria de la Luz Robbins, managing partner of MADEL PA, was named 2023 Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer along with her partner, Chris Madel. The legal duo successfully defended clients in a jury trial who were accused of federal criminal bid rigging. The clients were acquitted on all counts — something the Pew Research Center stated occurs in less than 1% of federal cases.

Robbins represents Fortune 500 companies and individuals in a variety of high-stakes controversies and complex matters, sometimes as plaintiff and sometimes as defendant. She has experience in federal and state courts nationwide.

In 2023, she was named one of Minnesota Lawyer’s Top Women in Law. She credits her Mexican American mother, her father and her upbringing in San Antonio for her tenacity and work ethic.

Robbins is a past president of Minnesota Women Lawyers and a former governor-appointed member of the Minnesota Board of Psychology.

MADEL PA sets a high bar for promoting diversity on several fronts. The firm is proud that a Hispanic woman is its managing partner, that 67% of its attorneys are female, and 20% of its staff identify as LGBTQ.

Merchant & Gould P.C.

Heather J. Kliebenstein is managing director of the intellectual property law firm of Merchant & Gould P.C., where half the leadership positions are held by women.

Henson Efron

In January 2020, Lisa Spencer became a trailblazer at the 48-year-old Henson & Efron law firm, when she was named its first woman president.

In the Lead: Women-Led Law Firms 2024

With In the Lead, we decided to go broader and recognize Minnesota’s best law firms that are led by women.

Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services

Three of four cases served by the Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) involves women, many of them from BIPOC communities.

Nilan Johnson Lewis PA

When Nilan Johnson Lewis PA chose its first woman president — Heidi Christianson — in 2019, a major commitment toward ownership by women took shape.

Berens Miller

Berens Miller might not be the biggest, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t among the best.

Winthrop & Weinstine

Tammera R. Diehm, the first female president of Winthrop & Weinstine, says the dual role of firm president and practicing attorney has a lot of crossover characteristics.

Greene Espel PLLP

Over the past decade, two-thirds of Greene Espel’s newly elevated partners — eight of 12 — have been women.

Fredrikson & Byron P.A.

Leadership of Fredrikson & Byron P.A. is distinguished for how many top positions are occupied by women, among them is President Melodie Rose, COO Ann Rainhart, General Counsel Lousene Hoppe, and Board Members Loan Huynh, Christina Brusven and Leigh-Erin Irons.

Barnes & Thornburg LLP

Established in 2009, the Minneapolis office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP has been recognized multiple times for its efforts in diversity, inclusivity and overall support for its employees.

Gustafson Gluek PLLC

Karla M. Gluek was a decade out of law school in 2003 and still working at her first firm when her colleague Daniel Gustafson asked her if she wanted to start a new firm.

Honsa Mara & Kanne

In more than 30 years as a law firm owner and entrepreneur, Anne Honsa has made empowering female attorneys to build successful legal careers one of her priorities.

Sapientia Law Group, PLLC

Sapientia Law Group carries the distinction of being one of the few minority-and-women-owned firms in the Midwest.

Fish & Richardson P.C.

Fish & Richardson is a global IP law firm with 14 offices in the United States, Germany, and China.

MADEL PA

Jennifer Maria de la Luz Robbins, managing partner of MADEL PA, was named 2023 Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer along with her partner, Chris Madel.

Faegre Drinker

For the global law firm Faegre Drinker, equity and inclusion is a given.

Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP

Minneapolis Office Managing Partner Alana Bassin spent two decades as an attorney with few female mentors early in her career.

Norton Rose Fulbright

Norton Rose Fulbright is a national law firm and leader in employing women attorneys.

Ballard Spahr

Over 139 years in business, Ballard Spahr has earned a reputation as the place to go for clients looking for help in matters of litigation, transactions and regulatory compliance.

Stoel Rives LLP

Sarah Johnson Phillips has truly risen through the ranks at Stoel Rives LLP, a leading corporate and litigation law firm recognized for its work in project finance and the energy and natural resources industries.

Cozen O’Connor

Recognizing that it needed to have more women in leadership roles, law firm Cozen O’Connor started its Women’s Initiative program to bring programming, networking and connection to the women lawyers in the firm.

Roe Law Group

In three decades of law practice, Jessica Roe has earned a reputation as a savvy negotiator, skilled at helping clients prevent employment issues from arising, or helping resolve them quickly and efficiently, in or out of court.

Fafinski Mark & Johnson, P.A.

In 2007, Heidi Carpenter and Shannon McDonough, attorneys at the Fafinski Mark & Johnson commercial law firm, launched FMJ Women Uncorked, a series of events to help women attorneys connect with and support each other and other women in business.