Education: University of Oregon Law School
Degree: JD
Year: 1994
Honors: Order of the Coif, Oregon Law Review, Operations Editor 1992-1994

Key Practice Experience

• National coordinating counsel in defense of personal injury and wrongful death claims against a manufacturer in trace benzene actions across the United States
• Defense of chemical and toxic exposure cases
• Local counsel for pharmaceutical manufacturers in litigation involved in MDLs
• Defense counsel for major retailer in variety of actions
• Defense counsel for major automobile manufacturer in their breach of warranty matters
• Appellate briefing before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals

Key Industry Experience

• Chemical and Manufacturing
• Pharmaceuticals
• Retail
• Automotive and Trucking
• Security Systems

Representative Cases/Transactions

• Andrew Stoddard v. A.H. Bennett et al. (Ramsey County Circuit Court – jury trial January 2012) (won a defendant verdict as trial counsel in a 2-week jury trial involving claims by plaintiff that he developed mesothelioma as a result of exposure to defendants’ products)
• Kleinaitis v. 3M (Madison County Circuit Court – jury trial August 2010) (won defense verdict as lead trial counsel in 2-week jury trial involving personal injury claims as a result of alleged benzene exposure)
• Slidell, Inc. v. Millennium Inorganic Chemicals, Inc., 460 F.3d 1047 (8th Cir. 2006) (won defense verdict as trial counsel in 7-week jury trial including claims of breach of contract, theft of trade secrets, and promissory estoppel)
• Thompson v. Hirano Tecseed Co., Ltd., 456 F.3d 805 (8th Cir. 2006) (defended foreign manufacturer who designed a complex laminator to a buyer’s specs)
• U.S. ex rel. Kinney v. Stoltz, 327 F.3d 671 (8th Cir. 2003) (successfully defended Hennepin County Medical Center in qui tam action brought pursuant to the False Claims Act)
• · Jefferson County School Dist. v. Lead Industries Ass’n, Inc., 223 F. Supp. 2d 771 (S.D. Miss. 2002) (successfully removed action to federal court on the basis of the fraudulent joinder of 28 co-defendants — case was ultimately dismissed)

Professional Recognitions/Honors

• Named one of the nation’s top product liability attorneys by Legal Media Group
• Repeatedly named in Minnesota Rising Stars by Law & Politics magazine
• Nominated by in-house counsel and peers to appear in the Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law-second edition-as one of the outstanding practitioners in the field.

Selected Publications/Presentations

• Speaker at DRI Product Liability Conference, Las Vegas, NV, April 2012, “Mother May I?  How You Can Ethically Influence the Internet to Anticipate Jury Misconduct”
• Speaker at Hennepin County CLE, Minneapolis, MN, October 2010, “Product Liability: The Defense Perspective”
• Speaker at DRI Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., October 2007, “Privilege or No Privilege; When are Communications with Third Parties Privileged?”
• Keynote Speaker at Iowa Defense Counsel Association Products Practice Seminar, Des Moines, IA, April 2007, “Recent Developments in Product Liability Law”
• Speaker at DRI’s Product Liability Conference, New Orleans, LA, February 2007, “Jeopardy: Where Your Clients Face New Perils – a Year in Review”
• Moderator at DRI’s Product Liability Conference Young Lawyer Breakout Panel, Las Vegas, NV, February 2006
• Speaker at Minnesota Defense Lawyers’ Annual Meeting, August 2003, Duluth, MN, “Conflicts of Law in Wrongful Death Cases”
• Speaker at DRI’s Product Liability Conference, Las Vegas, NV, February 2003, “Oh Bother: The Increasing Use of Public Nuisance Counts in Products Liability Cases”
• Speaker at DRI’s Product Liability Conference, Los Angeles, CA, February 2003, “Face Off: Putting a New Face on Bifurcation”

Professional Associations

• DRI (Steering Committee Coordinator for Substantive Law Groups for Product Liability Committee; Program Chair for the 2009 Product Liability Conference; Women in the Law Committee)
• Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Hennepin County Bar Association

Community Involvement

• Vice President of Board of Isuroon, a Somali women’s health and wellness support group
• Elections judge

Bar Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
• U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
• Minnesota Supreme Court
• Oregon Supreme Court

Other Education

• B.A., Psychology, Carleton College
• Clerked for Oregon Court of Appeals