LGN Associate Develyn Mistriotti Spearheads MLK Day Donation Drive

This MLK Day, LGN Associate Develyn Mistriotti spearheaded the firm’s efforts to gather supplies for the Twin Cities’ unhoused population. LGN partnered with The HOPE Program, a local nonprofit, to gather much-needed supplies including food, winter clothing, and propane tanks which provide space heater energy. 

The HOPE Program is a nonprofit organization that serves people with mental illness in the Minneapolis and Saint Paul metro area. Founded in 2014, there are programs to help the homeless, residential programs, treatment services, case management, in-home health services, and help for homeless Veterans.

LGN Associate Stephen Owen Presents CLE Titled Job Descriptions, Applications & Postings – What Can and Must an Employer Do and Say?

On January 25, 2023, LGN attorney Stephen M. Owen gave a CLE Presentation through Minnesota Continuing Legal Education titled, Job Descriptions, Applications & Postings – What Can and Must an Employer Do and Say? The presentation focused on the best practices employers should follow in the context of job postings, recruitment, job descriptions, and job applications.

LGN Associate Derek Waller to Present a CLE at MN Lavendar Bar Association Annual Conference

At the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association annual conference on Saturday, February 11, 2023, hosted at the University of Minneosta Law School, LGN associate Derek Waller will present a CLE entitled “Mental Health Parity and LGBTQ Health.” The presentation will discuss the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, its requirements for health insurance coverage of mental health and substance use treatment, and recent trends in enforcement of the Act, with a focus on how the law affects LGBTQ communities. Access to mental health and substance use treatment is especially critical for LGBTQ individuals, who are disproportionately likely to experience a mental health condition.

Details about the conference are available here: https://mnlavbar.org/22nd-annual-mlba-conference/#!event-register/2023/2/11/22nd-annual-mlba-conference

Learn more about LGN’s health care practice area here.

LGN Attorneys Rachel Kitze Collins and Laura Matson Co-Author Article Discussing West Virginia v. EPA

LGN Attorneys Rachel Kitze Collins and Laura Matson, who both practice in the firm’s environmental litigation group, recently co-authored an article discussing the United States Supreme Court’s recent decision in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency and the implications for climate regulation in the United States. The article was published in Minnesota Women Lawyer’s With Equal Right publication and can be read here

Congratulations to Rachel Kitze Collins and Jessica N. Servais, LGN’s Newest Partners

Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P. is proud to announce that Rachel Kitze Collins and Jessica N. Servais have been named partners at our firm.

Rachel Kitze Collins practices in the firm’s environmentalbusiness, political law, and employment groups, representing numerous public entities, businesses, and plaintiffs in complex, high-profile litigation involving environmental, constitutional, political, contract, and employment law, in federal and state court. Ms. Kitze Collins currently serves as Co-President of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Chapter of the American Constitution Society and as a current Council Member and past Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law Section. Ms. Kitze Collins was named an ‘Up & Coming Attorney’ by Minnesota Lawyer in 2019, and has been named a Minnesota Rising Star from 2017-2021 by Super Lawyers.  She has also been recognized by North Star Lawyer for her pro bono work.

Ms. Kitze Collins is a 2014 summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. While in law school, Ms. Kitze Collins served as a Note and Comment Editor for the Minnesota Law Review and a Clinic Director for the Environmental Sustainability Clinic. Ms. Kitze Collins clerked for the Honorable James B. Loken of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit before joining Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P.

Jessica N. Servais is a member of the firm’s class action practice. Ms. Servais represents businesses, institutions, and consumers in complex litigation with an emphasis on antitrust cases involving domestic and international cartels as well as pharmaceuticals antitrust litigation. Throughout her career, Ms. Servais has served in key roles on lead and co-lead class counsel litigation teams and has extensive experience in the adversarial process including directing discovery, motion practice, witness examination, expert management, and class certification.

Ms. Servais graduated from Macalester College, magna cum laude, and the University of Minnesota Law School. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Michael J. Davis, United States District Court, District of Minnesota.

LGN Attorney Presents at Federal Bar Association’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section Webinar

On January 6, 2023, LGN attorney Stephen M. Owen presented at a webinar hosted by the Federal Bar Association’s Antitrust and Trade Regulation Section. Stephen analyzed the top civil antitrust developments of 2022, which included cases in the contexts of food products, sports, and pharmaceuticals, among others. In doing so, Stephen also provided predictions for antitrust developments in 2023.

LGN Group recognized by Minnesota Lawyer as one of its 2022 Attorneys of the Year Honorees

Congratulations to Lockridge Grindal Nauen P.L.L.P. Associate Arielle Wagner and LGN Partners Kate Baxter-Kauf and Kristen G. Marttila, who were recognized as a Group Honoree by Minnesota Lawyer for their work on the matter State of Minnesota v. Stevenson. The team successfully litigated a pro bono criminal appeal by a client who was unlawfully detained by police. In August 2022, the Minnesota Court of Appeals ruled that a sheriff’s deputy unconstitutionally expanded the scope of a traffic stop by opening the door of our client’s lawfully parked car without an individualized, reasonable, and articulable justification, and reversed the district court’s denial of the motion to suppress evidence obtained after the car door was opened. The team considers this a victory for individual rights and is proud that this case will help protect Minnesotans from unconstitutional searches in the future.

This case is the most recent example of the approximately one dozen appeals LGN attorneys have handled as Special Assistant Public Defenders in conjunction with the Minnesota Board of Public Defense Appellate Public Defender’s Office and the Minnesota State Bar Associate Appellate Practice Section.  LGN Partner Kristen Marttila serves as the firm’s pro bono committee chair, while Partner Kate Baxter-Kauf oversees the criminal appellate pro bono defense practice.

LGN Adopts a Family Through Ramsey County’s Family Sponsorship Program

LGN was proud to once again adopt a family this holiday season through Ramsey County’s Family Sponsorship Program. The Family Sponsorship Program matches community sponsors with Ramsey County families in need and gives sponsors the opportunity to personally shop and wrap gifts for their matched family.

This year, the firm collected gifts and donations for a family of five in our community. We were glad to have the opportunity to help brighten the holiday season for this family!

LGN Partner Susan Ellingstad Co-Authors Article in Bench + Bar

Susan Ellingstad

LGN Partner Susan Ellingstad recently co-authored an article in Bench + Bar about how Minnesota’s newly-legal TCH edibles interact with Minnesota employment laws. Employers must take the Drug and Alcohol Testing in the Workplace Act (DATWA) and the Lawful Consumable Products Act (LCPA) into account when drug testing prospective or current employees. 

Read the full article at this link.

LGN Partner Rob Shelquist Quoted in Fox 9 News Story

Robert Shelquist

LGN Partner Rob Shelquist was recently quoted in a Fox 9 News story discussing the alarming rise of Kia and Hyundai thefts in Minnesota. There have been a total of nine federal lawsuits filed against either Kia, Hyundai, or both in Minnesota, including one filed by Rob and the firm. 

Read more on the Fox 9 website.