The Minnesota Law Review, the law journal of the University of Minnesota Law School, has named attorney Allen I. Saeks among its distinguished alumni of the year.

Each year at its annual banquet, the Board of Editors of the Minnesota Law Review recognizes law journal alumni who have made extraordinary contributions to the profession and to the greater good of society.

Saeks, who is senior counsel at Leonard, Street and Deinard, was nominated by his colleagues and fellow alumni of the University of Minnesota Law School.

"Allen has been a leader in the Minnesota legal community for more than 50 years," said colleague and fellow University of Minnesota Law School alumna Jane Godfrey, also an attorney at Leonard, Street and Deinard. "He is well known for his service to the community, professionalism and tenacious representation of clients in commercial and business litigation."

A Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) Board Certified Civil Trial Specialist, Saeks is the past chair of Leonard, Street and Deinard's commercial litigation practice group and was legal counsel to the firm for eight years. His substantial experience in bankruptcy litigation arises out of his handling of various real estate developments and creditor claims arising from Ponzi schemes, including the defense of Ponzi scheme clawback claims.

Recently, Saeks represented a prominent family in complex shareholder litigation in Minnesota federal court and, in a Florida federal court, obtained a judgment for more than $26 million against a real estate developer. He has also represented defendants in complex hostile takeover litigation and has successfully defended major financial institutions and their officers.

Saeks has served as a Special Master for the Hennepin County District Court and as an AAA arbitrator. He has for many years been recognized for excellence in the legal profession by his peers and in legal publications, including The Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers®, Who's Who in American Law and Who's Who in America.

Among his professional achievements, Saeks:

• Served for 17 years as a board member for The Fund for the Legal Aid Society, chaired the board from 1997-98, and was named to the Emeritus Board of The Fund in 2009.
• Initiated, as president of the Hennepin County Bar Association in 1983, programs to reduce delays in the trial calendar and to better educate the public on legal procedures.
• Was actively involved in the development of the MSBA's Children and the Law program, which was awarded the top National Award of Merit for Excellence by the American Bar Association in 1971.
• Worked in the 1990s with a coalition of minority groups to enact the Minnesota Civil Anti-Bias Hate Crime law, which for the first time provided civil remedies for victims of bias crimes. He later worked with the Anti-Defamation League and the Ramsey County Attorney in support of the constitutionality of a Saint Paul hate crime ordinance before the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Co-founded in 1970 the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG), which assists consumers and the indigent on housing and other public interest issues.
• Served as chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Advisory Counsel from 1976-1978.
• Recently served as chair for the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee to Evaluate the Disciplinary System, was one of the co-founders of the Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society and now serves on the Minnesota Law Review Alumni Advisory Board.