Faegre Baker Daniels LLP News

May 23, 2012 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - Andrew B. Murphy, an employment litigator, has rejoined Faegre Baker Daniels LLP as an associate in the law firm's Minneapolis office.
Murphy joined Baker & Daniels' South Bend, Ind., office in 2007 after earning his law degree magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame Law School. A native of St. Cloud, Minn., he moved back to Minnesota in 2011 and worked for another law firm. This month, Murphy returned to his firm roots following the combination of Baker & Daniels and Faegre & Benson into Faegre Baker Daniels last January.
Murphy's practice is focused on complex employment litigation. His experience includes representing companies in collective actions arising under the FLSA and class actions, including multi-district litigation, involving claims under Title VII, ERISA and a variety of other laws...

Minneapolis (03-February-2012) - Philip G. Stalboerger has joined the government advocacy group at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP after serving as vice president of policy and legislative and public affairs for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota. As a senior government relations advisor, he will serve clients from the firm's Minneapolis office.
Stalboerger has more than 15 years of experience working in government and corporate public affairs and has specific expertise in health care and insurance policy. At Faegre Baker Daniels, he will help corporations devise and implement public policy initiatives by forming strategic relationships with key legislators and government officials, establishing coalitions, and organizing grassroots programs...

January 04, 2012 // Franchising.com // CHICAGO - Four Faegre Baker Daniels LLP partners have been selected for inclusion in the 2012 edition of Illinois Super Lawyers. They are:

David M. Allen in business litigation
Edward C. Fitzpatrick in banking
Kurt Stitcher in white collar criminal defense
David L. Weinstein in employment and labor

Two other Illinois attorneys at Faegre Baker Daniels, which opened its Chicago office in 2008, were named "Rising Stars"—Samuel A. Lichtenfeld and Rachel T. Nguyen, both in business litigation. "Rising Stars" recognizes the top up-and-coming lawyers who are 40 years old or younger or who have been practicing law for 10 years or less.
The objective of Super Lawyers is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource to assist attorneys and consumers in the search for legal counsel...

October 20, 2011 // Franchising.com // Denver - Faegre & Benson is pleased to announce that RoxAnn Mack has received the 2011 Individual Pro Bono Award from the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA). The award is presented each year to "an individual practicing paralegal who has exhibited extraordinary dedication to the delivery of quality legal services to a portion of the population that cannot afford to pay for legal services."
Mack, a paralegal in the firm's Boulder office, was recognized for her leadership and participation in a wide range of pro bono activities, including her work with the Metro Volunteer Lawyers' Post-Decree Clinics (Jefferson County) and the Project Homeless Connect Legal Team, as well as with various non-profit organizations and asylum and veterans cases...

October 19, 2011 // Franchising.com // Denver - Faegre & Benson is pleased to announce that Linda L. Rockwood has been inducted into the American College of Environmental Lawyers as a fellow. Ms. Rockwood is the executive partner for the firm's Denver office and a member of its environmental and natural resources practice.
The American College of Environmental Lawyers is a professional association of distinguished lawyers who practice in the field of environmental law. Membership is by invitation and members are committed to maintaining and improving the ethical practice of environmental law, the administration of justice and the development of environmental law at both the state and federal level.
Ms. Rockwood joins fellow Faegre & Benson partners Delmar Ehrich in Minneapolis and James Spaanstra in Denver as members...

MINNEAPOLIS | INDIANAPOLIS - (Oct. 12, 2011) — Faegre & Benson LLP and Baker & Daniels LLP today announced the combination of their law firms following a vote by partners in both organizations. The combined firm will begin operations as Faegre Baker Daniels on Jan. 1, 2012.
"We embarked on this journey from the beginning with our clients in mind," said Andrew Humphrey, managing partner at Faegre & Benson. "Both firms identified strategic expansion as important to continue providing the high-quality services and expertise required by our clients. And that remains our focus: meeting the needs of our clients."
In addition, B&D Consulting, a division of Baker & Daniels, will become FaegreBD Consulting on Jan...

August 10, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - The 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America includes the names of 98 Faegre & Benson LLP lawyers in Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota.

Best Lawyers® compiles lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting peer-review surveys in which thousands of lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers.

Attorney recognitions appearing in this year's The Best Lawyers in America are provided below.

Colorado J. David Arkell—Construction Law Jeffrey A. Brimer—Franchise Law J. William Callison—Corporate Law; Non-Profit/Charities Law; Tax Law Charles D. Calvin (20)—Real Estate Law James H. Carroll—Mergers & Acquisitions Law; Venture Capital Law Darrell M...

August 05, 2010 // Franchising.com // Denver - Faegre & Benson is pleased to announce that Jeffrey A. Sherman has returned to the firm's Denver office from Holland & Hart to continue his corporate and public securities practice.

Michael McCarthy, a partner in the Denver office and a member of the firm's management committee, says Faegre & Benson is delighted to welcome Sherman back. "The extensive experience Jeff brings to our top-ranked corporate practice is a win for both our firm and our clients. His reputation and leadership in the community provides substantial value to our Denver and Boulder offices," says McCarthy.

During his career, Sherman worked with many of Colorado's best-known companies, assisting with their most significant transactions...

July 23, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - Kristine McKinney has joined Faegre & Benson LLP as the firm's new diversity and inclusion manager. In this role, McKinney will lead firmwide efforts to increase diversity in the Faegre & Benson workforce.

McKinney began her career in the Faegre & Benson legal personnel department. She is currently completing a master of science in learning and organizational change at Northwestern University. For the past five years she has managed diversity efforts for Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago.

"We are very pleased to welcome Kristine back to the firm," says Charles S. Ferrell, chair of the Faegre & Benson Diversity Committee. "As a high-performing individual with a passion for positive change, we believe she is ideally suited to help us achieve the aggressive diversity and inclusion goals we have set for ourselves...

July 06, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - Scott W. Wright, partner in the Faegre & Benson employment practice, has been ranked among the nation's 100 most powerful employment attorneys in a Human Resource Executive® special section published in June.

As leader of the firm's business immigration law practice, Wright brings 22 years of experience to assisting global companies with U.S. work petitions, I-9 compliance, and international visas. He also provides counsel on immigration law issues that arise in employment decisions, mergers and acquisitions, government audits and investigations, and labor law disputes. Wright is a frequent author and speaker on employment-related immigration topics.

To be considered for the Nation's Most Powerful Employment Attorneys listing, candidates must demonstrate significant and substantive experience in their practice, have written authoritative articles, and receive exemplary evaluations by clients and peers...

June 30, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - The Faegre & Benson LLP product liability practice was recognized as a national leader in product liability defense in the 2010 edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. The 55-lawyer practice defends and manages litigation that includes complex mass tort, toxic tort, multi-district litigation and large class action cases on behalf of U.S. and European companies.

Practice chair James A. O'Neal says the practice has long been national in scope, and he is pleased it continues to gain nationwide recognition. "We manage mass tort litigation for some of the largest manufacturers around—and try cases all over the country, says O'Neal. "Our focus on scientific expertise and simple and persuasive communication has proven to be a winning combination," he says...

June 14, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - Three Faegre & Benson LLP practices—product liability, Indian tribes, and franchise and distribution—have received nationwide rankings in the 2010 edition of Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business.

The firm's product liability practice is new to the Products Liability & Mass Torts: Nationwide listing this year. Chambers highlights the practice's "strength in pharmaceutical and agricultural matters" and its role as national counsel for Novartis in hormone therapy multidistrict litigation proceedings in the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Moving to band 1 this year, the Indian tribes practice has recently represented a number of syndicated bank lenders in the restructuring of distressed loans to Indian tribes...

May 24, 2010 // Franchising.com // Denver - Faegre & Benson is pleased to announce that the American Bar Association's (ABA) Antitrust Section has named Faegre & Benson Partner John Shively co-chair of the newly-established Agriculture & Food Committee. This committee will focus on reporting, educating, and participating in accelerating antitrust developments within the agriculture and food sector.

Ian Conner of Hunton & Williams in Washington, D.C. has also been selected as co-chair and Les Locke of McGuireWoods in Chicago as Vice Chair.

This committee was formed to report, educate, and participate in the increase of antitrust developments addressed in the ongoing DOJ/USDA workshops launched by U...

May 20, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - Based on strong representation of women on its management committee and in other leadership positions, Faegre & Benson has been named a recipient of the Inside Counsel Economic Empowerment Award.

The first annual Transformative Leadership Awards honor women general counsel and law firms that demonstrate a commitment to advancing the empowerment of women in corporate law.

Three women lawyers, Leslie A. Fields, Kathlyn E. Noecker and Linda S. Svitak, serve on the nine-member Faegre & Benson Management Committee. Lisa R. Pugh chairs the firm's benefits committee, and Heather Carson Perkins chairs its legal personnel committee.

Women also serve as executive partners of two of the firm's five offices: Terri L...

May 12, 2010 // Franchising.com // Des Moines - Drake University and Faegre & Benson are pleased to announce the firm is launching a Visiting Scholar Program in collaboration with Drake University's Agricultural Law Center. Faegre & Benson Attorney Jennifer Williams Zwagerman, an alumna of Drake University Law School, has been chosen as the first Visiting Scholar.

Zwagerman is uniquely qualified for this appointment given her practice in the arena of food, agriculture and agribusiness litigation, as well as holding a LL.M in Agricultural Law from the University of Arkansas School of Law. Zwagerman will continue as a member of the litigation practice at Faegre & Benson, but will be in residence at the law school for the 2010-2011 academic year...

April 07, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - The Faegre & Benson franchise practice has been recognized in the 2010 edition of Chambers Global: The World's Leading Lawyers for Business—a distinction that can be claimed by only 11 firms worldwide.

With a team of 25 lawyers in Minneapolis, Denver, Shanghai and London, the practice is handling an increasing volume of international franchise work, including litigation and transactional matters for clients with interests in the Middle East, Europe, Australia, South and Cenral America, and Asia.

Chambers Global specifically highlights the contributions of Brian B. Schnell, a leader of the Faegre & Benson franchise practice. "[Schnell's] approach is always very business-minded, rational and practical...

March 10, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - Faegre & Benson LLP has successfully represented Seagate in a patent appeal, resolved yesterday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a California jury's verdict that Siemens' patent asserted against Seagate's hard disc drives was invalid.

The Federal Circuit's opinion represents a complete victory for Seagate on Siemens' claim for patent infringement.

Faegre & Benson attorney David J.F. Gross, who served as lead trial and appellate counsel for Seagate, says he was confident the Federal Circuit would respect the jury's verdict. "We believed the jury's verdict was well supported by the evidence, and we are very pleased that the court of appeals agreed with us," says Gross...

March 02, 2010 // Franchising.com // Minneapolis - Faegre & Benson is pleased to announce the publication of a new book: The Secrets to Winning Trade Secret Cases. Featuring a unique approach to presenting legal information, the book focuses on how to win in trade secrets litigation. The authors share their own "trade secrets, "—their litigation strategies—in an engaging, easy-to-read format punctuated with witty illustrations. The book is authored by the firm's winning team of trade secrets litigators, led by Randy Kahnke and Kerry Bundy.

"We have approached the book in the same way we approach clients, judges and juries: through clear, practical, and entertaining communication that reveals how the law can strategically advance business goals," said Kahnke, the head of Faegre & Benson's business litigation practice...

February 19, 2010 // Franchising.com // The upcoming 4th Annual Patent Law Institute, hosted by the Practising Law Institute (PLI), will feature Faegre & Benson LLP intellectual property partners Scott M. Alter and Peter J. Kinsella.

The conference takes place March 1-2 in New York City and March 22-23 in San Francisco. The event will cover the practice impact of recent developments on all three sub-groups in the patent law community: patent prosecutors, litigators and strategic/transactional lawyers.

Alter will present on "The Continuing Importance of Opinions of Counsel in Light of Recent Court Decisions." Alter also serves as a co-chair of the conference.

Kinsella will present on "The State of Patent Exhaustion After Quanta...