The Civil Discovery Practice Group and the Mass Tort, Multi-District Litigation, and Class Action Practice Group of the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (FBA) hosted a distinguished all-female panel of attorneys to discuss Rule 36 Requests for Admission, a litigation tool that is often overlooked or ineffectively used. The panelists shared insights from their experiences, including notable successes, common pitfalls, and perspectives from the bench.
The panel featured Kate Baxter-Kauf, Partner at Lockridge Grindal Nauen; The Honorable Dulce J. Foster, Magistrate Judge for the District of Minnesota; and Kristin Zinsmaster, Partner at Jones Day. The discussion, held at the LGN offices, was moderated by Courtney Burks, Associate at Jones Day.
LGN Senior Counsel, Simeon Morbey, who is a member of the Civil Discovery Practice Group, coordinated this insightful event.
https://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpg00Megan Hoelscherhttps://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpgMegan Hoelscher2024-10-04 17:46:492024-10-20 20:51:49Kate Baxter-Kauf Featured on FBA Panel Hosted at LGN
LGN partner Heidi Silton and associates Eura Chang, Kira Le, and Consuela Abotsi-Kowu were honored to attend the 3rd Annual Committee to Support Antitrust Laws (COSAL) Leadership & Diversity Summit in Philadelphia. It was a day filled with networking and learning featuring various panels, including a panel titled: “Allies: How to Find One and How to Be One,” moderated by Heidi Silton.
The COSAL Diversity Summit invites leaders and emerging leaders of the plaintiffs’ antitrust bar to work together to enhance antitrust enforcement by amplifying the voices and power of attorneys from diverse backgrounds in the profession. The Summit provides an opportunity for historically underrepresented antitrust attorneys to further develop best practices and strategies in enforcement, to discuss current challenges in the practice and to identify solutions in an intimate, collaborative environment.
Invitations are limited to women, attorneys of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and other underrepresented members of the plaintiffs’ antitrust bar.
AAI and COSAL created the Hollis Salzman Memorial Leadership Award in 2021 to honor the life of Hollis Salzman, a friend, colleague, and incomparable member of the antitrust community. One of the nation’s leading antitrust attorneys, Ms. Salzman spent more than 25 years litigating some of the world’s largest cases and recovered over $2 billion in settlements for victims of antitrust cartel and unfair competition practices.
She was a champion of gender equality and diversity in her profession, embracing her role as a mentor and role model to other female attorneys, and helping to inspire them to shine on their own merit. “Women can succeed and lead blockbuster investigations, even in a male-dominated field, without losing their identity or acting in a way that is not true to themselves,” Ms. Salzman noted. Her tireless dedication to advocating on behalf of women included an extensive pro bono practice representing indigent women and victims of domestic violence.
About Award Recipient Heidi Silton:
Heidi is a seasoned litigator with more than 25 years of experience representing clients in high-stakes complex civil litigation. She is known as consistently positive and courteous in dealing with co-counsel, opposing counsel, and the Courts, even while pressing her clients’ best interests. She is a vigorous defender of the need for antitrust enforcement by the civil justice system and also devoted to training the next generation of antitrust lawyers and ensuring that the bar is ever more prepared, diverse, and knowledgeable. She stands out as a leader in the antitrust bar and possesses many of the characteristics of Hollis Salzman: honest, tough, mentor, friend.
Heidi is an active member of both the AAI Advisory Board and COSAL. For AAI, she has served on AAI’s Antitrust Enforcement Awards Judging Committee since 2017 when it was chaired by Hollis Salzman. She has been committee chair or co-chair since 2020. For COSAL, Heidi has served in numerous leadership positions, including as President in 2021, and was instrumental in creating the Hollis Salzman Memorial Leadership Award. She was on the leadership team that established COSAL’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and she presided over the first annual COSAL Leadership and Diversity Summit.
Heidi is also a past chair of and current council member emeritus of the Minnesota State Bar Association Antitrust Law Section.
Heidi has led LGN’s Business Development Committee, the Hiring Committee and the Summer Associate Program and has been active in the firm’s efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. She currently sits on the firm’s executive committee. She mentors lawyers inside and outside her firm to support diversity in the bar. She regularly encouraged new law clerks and associates, including from underrepresented groups, to work with her on writing projects that allow them to get published and start making their mark professionally. More than that, she works with an open door and a welcoming smile that encourages everyone at LGN to do their best work and strive to both lead and learn.
https://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpg00Megan Hoelscherhttps://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpgMegan Hoelscher2024-09-27 06:34:002024-10-20 20:51:49Heidi Silton to Receive 2024 Hollis Salzman Memorial Leadership Award
We were proud to sponsor and attend the 2024 Mayors Challenge fundraiser in honor of The Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL) last week. Since 2012, the Mayors Challenge event has brought together education advocates from across the Twin Cities to celebrate and empower debate students. The event raised an impressive $162,087 in celebration of the MNUDL’s 20th anniversary.
The program featured an informative showcase debate discussing issues related to AI, the 2024-25 policy debate topic. Experts in AI and intellectual property rights served on the VIP panel. Other notable speakers included Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey.
The keynote speaker was First Lady of Minnesota, MNUDL Board Member, and former speech & debate coach Gwen Walz. She shared:
“What educators and coaches work at, and dream of, is the possibility of transformation – for students to find their voices, to articulate their ideas, and to challenge, most of all, themselves. What we know about debate is that it does just that for students, and for all of us . . .
If ever there was a time to research and discuss and engage one another, it is now. If ever there was a time to support ideas with real information and real facts and real evidence, it is now.
Our hope is that our democracy looks much more like a debate team.”
LGN has been a longtime supporter of the Minnesota Urban Debate League. LGN partner Gregg Fishbein is a founding member of the Advisory Board, and LGN partner Kate Baxter-Kauf currently serves as incoming Vice Chair of the Advisory Board and volunteers at St. Paul Central. LGN attorneys Karen Hanson Riebel and Arielle Wagner, as well as state government relations specialist Jess Lindeen, also attended the event.
A team of LGN attorneys, government relations professionals, and close family members paddled a 24-foot canoe and raced down the Mississippi River on Saturday. The more than 5-mile canoe race was part of Wilderness Inquiry’s annual Great River Race. The event raised over $190,000 to fund outdoor opportunities for youth and families across Minnesota and beyond.
Every fall, Wilderness Inquiry brings together hundreds of youth, paddlers, sponsors, volunteers, and community members to raise support and awareness for Canoemobile, a program to close the opportunity gap and create equitable pathways into the outdoors for youth of all backgrounds and abilities. The Canoemobile program works with more than 25,000 youth annually through a “floating classroom” to help improve school performance, cultivate a stewardship ethic, and create pathways to higher education and career opportunities in the outdoors.
You can learn more about Wilderness Inquiry including how to donate on their website
LGN is proud to announce that associate Laura M. Matson has been named a 2024 Up & Coming Attorneys honoree by Minnesota Lawyer. Each year, Minnesota Lawyer recognizes a group of new attorneys off to a fast start in their legal careers and legal professionals making impacts within the companies and communities they serve. All the Up & Coming Attorneys honorees are in their first decade of practice.
Dr. Laura M. Matson, JD, PhD, joined Lockridge Grindal Nauen as an associate in 2020, and practices in the firm’s environmental, political, business, antitrust, employment, mediation, government representation, and complex litigation practice groups, representing numerous public entities, businesses, tribal governments, and individual plaintiffs in complex litigation and transactional matters in state and federal court.
Dr. Matson has been particularly active in the last several years representing tribal, governmental, and private clients in environmental matters and consulting on regulatory issues, including work for the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, representing the City of Minneapolis in litigation related to environmental review, and representing a small independent flower farmer in an environmental action.
In addition, Laura has been at the forefront of technology-related cases at LGN and represents plaintiffs in complex and class action cases on the cutting edge of the next generation of litigation. She is actively involved in antitrust litigation related to data privacy against a major social networking site, has helped to establish and leads LGN’s new Generative AI litigation practice, which includes various cases representing artists and authors whose copyrighted works were infringed to train generative AI models, and has also been developing a practice related to copyright and entertainment law negotiating options for book rights and music licensing. In addition to her busy litigation practice, Dr. Matson is an active professional and community volunteer, currently serving as a Council Member for the Minnesota State Bar Association, Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law Section. She previously served on the board of directors of Frank Theater and was an adjunct professor for the International Law Moot Court at the University of Minnesota Law School from 2018-2020. She is a popular speaker and writer and has written articles on environmental and tribal issues, as well as a three-part series in Attorney at Law Magazine about the career of the Honorable John R. Tunheim, former Chief Judge of the District of Minnesota.
We were proud to support the annual gala of the Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association (MNAPABA) yesterday. The theme of this year’s MNAPABA Gala was “Leadership, Law, Legacy.” The keynote speaker was Don Liu, the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal and Compliance Officer for Target and fellow MNAPABA member. LGN associates Eura Chang, Arielle Wagner, and Michael Kinane were in attendance.
MNAPABA is a community of Minnesota Asian Pacific American and Asian lawyers that supports one another, celebrates each other’s accomplishments, creates opportunities for dialogue on issues of importance to APAs, and highlights APA issues to the legal community at large. The group welcomes people of all diverse backgrounds and experiences and offers individuals professional support and opportunities for growth and mentorship while being the voice of the APA legal community. MNAPABA (formerly NAPABA-MN) is an affiliate of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA).
https://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpg00Megan Hoelscherhttps://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpgMegan Hoelscher2024-09-06 17:26:592024-10-20 20:51:50LGN Attends Minnesota Asian Pacific American Bar Association Gala
Lockridge Grindal Nauen was pleased to welcome the St. Paul Central High School debate team for their beginning of the year preparations and captains’ practices. The Central debate team is a part of the Minnesota Urban Debate League (MNUDL), an organization that LGN has long supported and championed. LGN partner Gregg Fishbein is a founding member of the Advisory Board, and LGN partner Kate Baxter-Kauf (pictured) currently serves as a member of the Advisory Board and volunteers at Central.
You can find out more about the MNUDL, a program of Augsburg University, and sign up to volunteer by clicking below.
We are thrilled to announce that LGN attorneys Kate Baxter-Kauf, Rachel Kitze Collins, Arielle Wagner, and Derek Waller have been recognized as 2024 North Star Lawyers. LGN attorneys have been recognized as Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) North Star Lawyers (for providing at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services) since the North Star Lawyer program began in 2013.
Lockridge Grindal Nauen attorneys, paralegals, and staff dedicate hundreds of hours per year toward pro bono legal representation and volunteer activities coordinated by a committee of partners and associates. We are committed to helping those who otherwise could not afford counsel achieve justice.
We asked each of our North Star Lawyers why pro-bono work is important to them. You can see their responses below.
Kate Baxter-Kauf, Chair of the Pro Bono Committee and Pro Bono Partner
“Pro Bono work is an integral part of my practice. It allows me to do meaningful work and help people who might not otherwise have access to the court system navigate their cases while gaining expertise in different areas of the law. I appreciate the responsibility of making sure that my clients are heard and respected and that I can make sure that they know they have an advocate through what is often the worst experience of their lives. And the opportunities for mentorship of associates and skill building are immense.”
Rachel Kitze Collins, Partner
“I love having pro bono work as part of my practice because it gives me an opportunity to advocate for issues and clients that I’m passionate about, that don’t fit squarely within my billable practice. When I was a newer lawyer in particular, doing pro bono work also gave me the opportunity to practice new skills and taught me how to manage a case and client.”
Arielle S. Wagner, Associate
“Pro bono work is a way for me to use my skills to support those who might not otherwise find access to justice. It’s incredibly rewarding to resolve an issue and know that we’ve made a meaningful difference in someone’s life!”
Derek C. Waller, Associate
“The legal system can be complex and overwhelming, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to use my training and experience to help clients navigate the system. I believe lawyers have a responsibility to use their knowledge to help meet the high need for legal services, and I’m proud that LGN has prioritizes and supports pro bono work!”
You can learn more about LGN’s Pro Bono work HERE. More information about the North Star Lawyers program is available HERE. Congratulations to all recognized attorneys!
https://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpg00Megan Hoelscherhttps://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpgMegan Hoelscher2024-08-19 16:04:122024-10-20 20:51:50Baxter-Kauf, Kitze Collins, Wagner, and Waller Recognized as North Star Lawyers
We are pleased to announce that 5 Lockridge Grindal Nauen attorneys have been included in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as a definitive guide to legal excellence.
“For more than 40 years, the rigorous methodology of Best Lawyers has ensured the integrity and esteem of our legal recognitions,” said Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer. “It is with great pleasure that we continue to provide potential clients with the pinnacle measurement of credibility through our Best Lawyers awards as they search for counsel.”
A special congratulations to LGN Partner Yvonne Flaherty who was recognized by Best Lawyers as the 2025 “Lawyer of the Year” for Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs in Minneapolis. This is the second time Yvonne has earned this distinction.
We would like to congratulate all of the LGN lawyers named to 2025 The Best Lawyers in America list:
Charlie Nauen – Environmental Law and Litigation – Environmental
We would also like to congratulate Kristie LaSalle, based in our Boston office, for being named a Ones to Watch honoree. Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America recognizes associates and other lawyers who are earlier in their careers for their outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States. Kristie was recognized for her work in both the Antitrust Law, Litigation and Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions – Plaintiffs categories.
https://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpg00Megan Hoelscherhttps://www.locklaw.com/wp-content/uploads/LGN-SolidCircle-300x300.jpgMegan Hoelscher2024-08-15 15:40:192024-10-20 20:51:505 LGN Attorneys Honored in 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®
We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.
Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.
Essential Website Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.
Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refuseing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.
We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.
We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.
Google Analytics Cookies
These cookies collect information that is used either in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is being used or how effective our marketing campaigns are, or to help us customize our website and application for you in order to enhance your experience.
If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here:
Other external services
We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.
