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Merchant & Gould P.C.

Jeff Sjerven//September 29, 2025//

MN In the Lead Women Led Law Firms logo

Merchant & Gould P.C.

Jeff Sjerven//September 29, 2025//

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Heather Kliebenstein, Merchant & Gould P.C.
Heather Kliebenstein

Heather J. Kliebenstein is managing director of the intellectual property law firm Merchant & Gould’s seven offices across the country. With fellow members of the Executive Committee, she leads the 125-year-old firm and provides direction for planning and growth, while COO and CFO Tracy R. Skjeveland manages day-to-day operations.

The firm’s practice combines technical mastery, strategic guidance, and litigation expertise to help clients convert their intellectual property into competitive advantage. It serves clients that range from solo inventors to global corporations.

Kliebenstein, who joined the firm as an associate in 2004, says the reception women received from the men who had always run the firm was “welcoming and supportive.” Kliebenstein says the firm supports women lawyers through mentorship and by challenging new lawyers to earn promotion. The openness to sharing personal struggles helps assure young women that they can take their own path and achieve success.

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