Joe Bourne Announced as LGN Partner

Joe Bourne

Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP is pleased to announce the promotion of Joe Bourne to the position of Partner, effective January 1, 2024. This well-deserved promotion reflects Joe’s outstanding contributions in the fields of antitrust, consumer protection, and business litigation.

Joe joined Lockridge Grindal Nauen in 2021 and has quickly distinguished himself. During the past decade in private practice, Joe has litigated antitrust, class action, and other complex civil litigation matters involving the technology, logistics, food product, and healthcare industries, among others.

Notably, Joe represented the plaintiffs in Wood Mountain Fish v. Mowi ASA, who alleged that Norwegian and other foreign producers of farm-raised Atlantic salmon conspired to fix the prices of the salmon they produced and sold into the United States. Joe took a leading role in the litigation, including discovery, briefing, and oral argument, and helped obtain a significant $33 million recovery on behalf of indirect purchasers of farmed salmon, such as restaurants, caterers, and grocery stores.

In 2022, the American Antitrust Institute awarded Joe the Outstanding Antitrust Litigation Achievement by a Young Lawyer recognition for his work on the In re Pork Antitrust Litigation. He has also been named a Minnesota Rising Star from 2014-2023 by Super Lawyers®.

“The Partners of LGN are proud and delighted to add Joe to the partnership ranks. In addition to the breadth and depth of Joe’s litigation skills, his demonstrated commitment to clients and to his colleagues both within and outside the firm are some of his strengths. Joe is a valuable member of the Antitrust Department, and the firm looks forward to his continued contributions to clients and to firm culture,” said Lockridge Grindal Nauen Partner Heidi Silton.

“I am excited to be joining the LGN partnership with some of Minnesota’s most well-respected attorneys, who have been amazing mentors to me in my career to date. Many of my partners at LGN are national practice leaders in the antitrust bar, and I look forward to continuing to work together to enforce the antitrust laws, promote fair competition across industries, and achieve economic justice for our clients,” said Joe.

Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP is confident that Joe’s elevation to Partner will further enhance the firm’s ability to meet the evolving needs of our clients and reinforce our commitment to excellence in legal services.

LGN PARTNER PARTICIPATES IN AMERICAN ANTITRUST INSTITUTE PANEL DISCUSSION

LGN Partner Heidi Silton participated in an American Antitrust Institute panel discussion this week titled I Won the Motion to Dismiss – Now How Do I Get the Discovery Train Down the Tracks? The discussion, geared towards new practitioners, focused on building a strong career foundation. It allowed participants to learn from expert panelists and was tailored for both new and experienced lawyers seeking to enhance their fundamental skills.

The American Antitrust Institute (AAI) is an independent, nonprofit organization devoted to promoting competition that protects consumers, businesses, and society. They serve the public through research, education, and advocacy on the benefits of competition and the use of antitrust enforcement as a vital component of national and international competition policy.

https://www.antitrustinstitute.org/event/virtual-cle-lunch-learn-i-won-the-motion-to-dismiss-now-how-do-i-get-the-discovery-train-down-the-tracks/

Debate Champions

MN State Debate Champions

Over the weekend, LGN Partner Kate Baxter-Kauf‘s daughter, Kiernan, and her partner Max Ulven emerged as MSHSL State Debate Champions in Policy Debate after 8 challenging rounds. Kate is a coach and advisory board member for the Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL), whose programs support competitive academic debate in urban Twin Cities schools and enable more than 1000 students per year to research, learn, and argue.  LGN is a longtime supporter of the MNUDL – partner Gregg Fishbein is a founding and longtime advisory board member, and LGN has long been an annual sponsor of the Mayor’s Challenge, the MNUDL’s longest-running annual fundraiser.

LGN proudly supports MNUDL’s programs which empower students, like Kiernan, to become policymakers addressing global issues. These initiatives help foster self-confidence and inspire debaters to extend their advocacy skills into their local communities.

Congratulations to all teams that competed at the State Debate Championship. What an inspiring group of future leaders!

MN Urban Debate League
Ramsey County Family Sponsorship Program

LGN GIVES BACK – Family Sponsorship Program

This past holiday season, LGN proudly continued its tradition of participating in Ramsey County’s Family Sponsorship Program. Through this program, community sponsors are paired with individuals and families in need. Sponsors have the unique privilege of personally selecting and wrapping gifts for their matched families.

This year, LGN, along with 320 other sponsors, contributed to making the holidays more joyous for a total of 1,795 individuals across 454 families who receive social services.

A special thank you to our dedicated wrapping crew: Barb, Kelly, Heather, and Amber for helping ensure beautiful gifts were delivered to our selected family!

You can learn more and see how you can get involved for 2024 at: https://www.ramseycounty.us/…/holiday-sponsorship-program

LGN Chicago Office

LGN Expands to Chicago with New Office Opening

We are pleased to announce the opening of an office in Chicago. The new office, located near downtown Chicago at 1165 North Clark Street, Suite 700, Chicago, IL 60610, will allow us to better serve existing and new clients in the area.

We are excited to establish a presence in the vibrant city of Chicago. This expansion underscores our commitment to address the evolving requirements of our firm, ensuring we are well-equipped to meet client needs as we grow and thrive.

Our Chicago location’s lead attorney, Kyle Pozan, brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the position. Kyle represents clients in antitrust and business litigation.

Chicago Office - Kyle Pozan

Happy New Year from LGN

Hats off to 2024!

Our team and colleagues donned new LGN beanies to commemorate the end of an exceptional year. As we usher in the new year, we extend our sincere wishes for continued prosperity and success to all.

LGN Sponsors ERA MN Fundraiser for Equal Legal Rights

LGN proudly sponsored ERA MN’s “Ring in the New Year Early” fundraiser, supporting its dedication to realizing equal legal rights for all in Minnesota. ERA MN collaborates with other local organizations, including Gender Justice, which is committed to ensuring that people of all genders have a meaningful right to bodily autonomy, safety, health, and opportunity.

LGN is honored to have recently partnered with Gender Justice on important litigation involving access to emergency contraceptives, as well as ensuring that women who return to work after giving birth have access to appropriate facilities for expressing milk. Pictured are Megan Peterson, the Executive Director of Gender Justice, along with LGN Partners Rebecca Peterson and Karen Riebel.

LGN Celebrates 45 Years 

Today, Lockridge Grindal Nauen PLLP proudly commemorates 45 years of commitment to our clients and community.

At our recent anniversary party, we joined with colleagues and clients to celebrate our team’s history and recognize the dedication and hard work that has brought us to this milestone. Thank you to everyone who has helped make LGN a success.

As we look to the future, we renew our pledge to provide top-notch, effective representation to our clients and community. Here’s to many more years of making a positive impact together!

LGN attorney Stephen M. Owen Presents Live Webcast CLE

LGN attorney Stephen M. Owen recently presented a live webcast CLE through Minnesota CLE titled Creating Job Descriptions, Postings, and Applications. The CLE was part of a series focused on hiring and firing.

LGN Partner Kristen G. Marttila Named to Hennepin County Bench

Lockridge Grindal Nauen is pleased to announce that partner Kristen G. Marttila has been named by Governor Tim Walz to the Hennepin County Bench, and will serve as a judge in the Fourth Judicial District of the State of Minnesota. 

Ms. Marttila currently practices primarily in the firm’s antitrust, environmental and land use, business law, and health care law practice areas, and serves as the firm’s pro bono committee chair. She formerly clerked for Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz and Judge Eric Tostrud in the District of Minnesota and is both a mentor to younger lawyers and also a spectacular practitioner. LGN is sorry to see Kristen leave our firm but is exceptionally proud that she will be serving the people of Minnesota on the bench. 

Read more at the link to Governor Walz’s announcement here: https://mn.gov/governor/appointments/judicialappointments/judicialnews.jsp#/detail/appId/1/id/601721