Katie Crosby Lehmann, Ciresi Conlin LLP

Katie Crosby Lehmann is founding and managing partner of Ciresi Conlin, where she practices at the intersection of science and law, representing plaintiffs and defendants in complex business litigation and patent infringement cases. Her practice encompasses trust law, consumer rights, false advertising claims, business contractual disputes, and science-based disputes involving modeling, water rights, and environmental issues.

Lehmann has achieved significant victories in high-profile litigation. She served as trial counsel for the Otto Bremer Trust and its trustees, successfully defending against a Minnesota Attorney General’s petition seeking their removal for alleged breaches of trust and fiduciary duty. After a four-week trial, the court denied the petition and found the trustees acted in good faith to protect and enhance the trust. She also represented Kraft Foods Group in a three-year arbitration against Starbucks Coffee Company, resulting in a $2.7 billion cash award after Starbucks unilaterally terminated their exclusive distribution agreement.

Her environmental law expertise includes serving as lead counsel for the White Bear Lake Restoration Association against the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, securing a finding that DNR violated the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act and materially harmed the lake and underlying aquifer. She also represents Northeastern Minnesotans for Wilderness in a case challenging DNR’s regulations regarding copper mining near the Boundary Water Canoe Area.

In patent litigation, Lehmann has handled cases involving diverse technologies from food packaging and internet protocols to mailing machines and medical devices. She successfully defended Pitney Bowes in a patent infringement case where the jury found all 18 asserted claims invalid, and helped secure a $400 million settlement for Pitney Bowes against Hewlett Packard in a laser jet printer patent dispute.

Beyond litigation, Lehmann co-created OneBudget, a software program for budget monitoring and modeling, and architected the Legal Project Management Program at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi. She is admitted to practice in Minnesota and federal courts.