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LGN Welcomes the Firm’s Newest Associates
Lockridge Grindal Nauen is pleased to welcome the firm’s newest Associates.
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LGN Partner Kristen Marttila Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of COSAL
LGN Partner Kristen Marttila filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Committee to Support the Antitrust Laws (COSAL) in the District of Columbia’s appeal to the D.C. Court of Appeals in its monopoly complaint against Amazon.
COSAL argued that the district court misapplied Twombly and the Rule 8 standard when it held that because the District had not specifically identified the first-party or third-party sellers who were Amazon’s counterparts in its scheme to eliminate competition in the online sales market, the complaint was not sufficiently plausible to survive a motion to dismiss. The brief explained that, if allowed to stand, the district court’s ruling will jeopardize both public and private enforcement efforts against powerful monopolists like Amazon, whose sellers avoid confrontations with Amazon at all costs, out of fear for their livelihoods. The brief drew on COSAL members’ expertise representing plaintiffs in private antitrust actions to elaborate on the fear of retaliation that can deter those affected by anticompetitive conduct to come forward, and discussed evidence in the congressional record that such fears were particularly well-founded and well-documented with respect to Amazon.
Ms. Marttila chairs COSAL’s amicus committee. Also representing COSAL in this matter were Jessica Kahn, at Fine Kaplan and Black, and Vicky Sims, partner at Cuneo Gilbert & LaDuca and the amicus committee’s vice chair.
For more than thirty years, COSAL has promoted and supported the enactment, preservation, and enforcement of a strong body of antitrust laws in the United States, primarily through effective private enforcement. LGN is a founding member of COSAL and LGN lawyers have been instrumental in COSAL’s leadership and ongoing advocacy.
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LGN Celebrates Black History Month
Lockridge Grindal Nauen celebrates this February 1st as the beginning of Black History Month, and honors the immeasurable contributions and achievements Black Americans have made to our country and the world. At the same time, LGN acknowledges that every month is Black History Month, and Black history is an integral part of our country’s history every month. Carter G. Woodson, who founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, which established Black History Month, emphasized the importance of providing a theme of focus for Black History Month, since the intention has never been to dictate or limit exploration but to focus the public on important developments in Black history that merit emphasis. The Association has called on all of us to study the history of Black Americans’ efforts to establish safe spaces through the 2023 theme Black Resistance. More information and resources are available here. #BlackHistoryMonth
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 environmental, business, 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.
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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.
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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.