Leonard, Street and Deinard today announced that seven attorneys have joined the firm, expanding the scope and depth of services the firm offers in the areas of securities and class action, trust and estate planning, and product liability.

"Like most other firms, we have carefully and strategically navigated through the last couple of years," said Lowell Stortz, president of Leonard, Street and Deinard. "But we always take advantage of opportunities, and several presented themselves at once. We are pleased to have seven talented individuals joining us, and it's especially gratifying to have them here to help us launch a promising new year."

Stortz added that four of the new attorneys will join as shareholders, one as an associate and two as staff attorneys.
 

Securities and Class Action Practice

W. Anders Folk and Melanie Full have joined the firm, effective immediately, to serve the growing needs of clients facing SEC enforcements, internal investigations and insurance-related class actions. Folk will join as a shareholder and Full as an associate.

"Leonard, Street and Deinard has built a national reputation for legal excellence in the areas of SEC enforcement actions, internal investigations and insurance industry class action," said Michael Taylor, chair of the firm's Litigation Division, "and with the economy improving again, we are seeing a significant uptick in the number of these kinds of matters. The welcome addition of Anders and Melanie to the litigation team will allow us to tap into their national experience and ultimately help us further expand the scope of services we provide to clients facing litigation."

For the past five years, W. Anders Folk has successfully tried to verdict cases involving multiple defendants and cases involving complex frauds, money laundering and obstruction of justice in his role as Assistant U.S. Attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the District of Minnesota. Prior to that, Folk served as a Judge Advocate for the United States Marine Corps, where he served as defense lawyer and prosecutor in 16 jury trials and two bench trials, and where he was honored with the Defense Counsel of the Year award. In 2008 Folk was one of five recipients (and the only Assistant U.S. Attorney) awarded the Younger Federal Lawyer Award by the Federal Bar Association. In 2010 he was recognized as an Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer.

Melanie Full served as a litigation associate in the Los Angeles office of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, where she served in a variety of complex litigation matters, including internal investigations for Morgan Stanley, Deutsche Bank and several boards of directors regarding allegations of misuse of assets and allegations of employment discrimination. Full is a graduate of Colgate University and the University of Notre Dame Law School. As a law student, Full served as a law clerk in the Cook County (Chicago) State's Attorney's Office and managed several large international cases, applying U.N., E.U. and U.K. laws as well as regulatory jurisprudence of Italy, Egypt, Irag and Iran as a summer associate with Mischon de Reya solicitors in London.
 

Trust and Estate Planning Practice

Experienced trust and estate attorney Margaret A.T. Cronin has joined the firm as a shareholder. She is joined by staff attorneys Sharma Foley and Jenna Bettes. All positions are effective immediately.

"The firm's trust and estate planning group has grown significantly over the past several years to become one of the Twin Cities preeminent practices," said Tim Pabst, chair of Leonard, Street and Deinard's Business Division. "Margaret and her team provide an additional dimension to the services we can offer to our high-net-worth and family business clients."

Margaret A.T. Cronin began her professional career as a member of the firm from 1997 to 1999, left to enter the business world and then re-entered legal practice. She focuses on estate planning, estate administration, charitable planning and business succession planning. Most recently she served as a founding partner at Grandchamp Guyette Cronin, PLLC, in Wayzata.

New staff attorneys Sharma Foley and Jenna Bettes both practice in the areas of estate planning and estate administration. Foley, who received a certificate in intellectual property from Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and a Master of Laws in Estate Planning from the University of Miami School of Law, is licensed to practice in Arizona, Minnesota and Washington. Bettes, who is a member of Minnesota Women Lawyers, received a certificate in dispute resolution from the Dispute Resolution Institute and is a qualified neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice. She previously volunteered at Chrysalis/Tubman and the Minnesota Justice Foundation.
 

Product Liability Practice

Product liability litigators Wendy Canaday and Jeannine Lee have joined the firm as shareholders, effective immediately.

"The attorneys in Leonard, Street and Deinard's product liability practice have litigated a wide variety of matters involving wrongful death, catastrophic injury, and economic and commercial loss in state and federal courts in virtually every state in the country," said Michael Taylor, chair of the firm's Litigation Division. "The addition of Wendy and Jeannine will allow us to further expand the firm's reach representing clients facing product liability actions in Minnesota and nationally."

Wendy Canaday represents manufacturers of residential and commercial burglar and fire alarms, as well as stand-alone smoke detectors. She also defends cases against manufacturers of industrial machinery, small appliances, gas controls and other HVAC-related appliances, typically involving fires and explosions. Prior to joining the firm, she was a partner at Flynn, Gaskins & Bennett. She has been selected for inclusion multiple times in Super Lawyers®—Rising Stars.

Jeannine Lee also focuses her practice on business disputes and product liability defense. She serves as national counsel in product liability cases in Minnesota and across the country for manufacturers of products ranging from gas valves to pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining the firm, she was a founding partner of Flynn, Gaskins & Bennett. She has been selected for inclusion multiple times in Super Lawyers®, and in 2008 and 2009 was recognized as one of the Top 100 Women Super Lawyers® in Minnesota. She has been honored as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.