Fredrikson & Byron Announces New Shareholders

Fredrikson & Byron has elected 15 new shareholders: Katherine A. Charipar, Michael R. Cummings, Tracy L. Deutmeyer, Jennifer L. Hodge Burkett, Mercedes McFarland Jackson, Lynn S. Linné, Kiel C. McElveen, Pari I. McGarraugh, Alissa N. Mitchell, Kendra D. Simmons, Ryan M. Spanheimer, Erik A. Splett, Anupama D. Sreekanth, Jeffrey J. Steinle and Kyle W. Ubl.

Katherine A. Charipar works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Trusts & Estates Group. Charipar works closely with individuals and families to develop a comprehensive estate plan that accomplishes their personal, professional and philanthropic goals. She helps U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens minimize their income, gift, estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes and assists business owners with their business succession planning. She also guides fiduciaries through the estate and trust administration process and assists clients involved in gift and estate tax controversies.

Michael R. Cummings works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Energy Group. Cummings assists clients in the energy and natural resources industry on permitting and environmental matters. He also assists commercial and industrial clients with environmental transactional and regulatory matters. Cummings has significant experience representing clients in the renewable and traditional energy industries.

Tracy L. Deutmeyer works in the Des Moines office and is a member of the Advertising, Marketing, & Trademark Group. Deutmeyer has over 18 years of experience in trademark and copyright law. She works closely with clients on protecting and enhancing their intellectual assets around the globe. Deutmeyer manages the complex global trademark portfolios for clients across a wide variety of industries and provides practical guidance for developing and implementing intellectual property protection strategies.

Jennifer L. Hodge Burkett works in the Des Moines office and is a member of the Real Estate Group. Hodge Burkett has over 18 years of experience in real estate and corporate law. She advises clients on commercial real estate transactions, including acquisition, construction, development and leasing of retail, office, industrial and agricultural property. She assists pipeline companies, wind developers, solar developers, wireless service providers and telecom clients with title review and corrective work, leasing and easement agreements to obtain project site control.

Mercedes McFarland Jackson works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Bank & Finance, Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups. Jackson specializes in debt finance transactions and advises clients on compliance matters under financing and corporate governance documents. She has represented corporate borrowers, private equity groups and financial institutions in connection with secured and unsecured commercial lending transactions, including acquisition financings, senior, second-lien and mezzanine financings, secured bond offerings, debt restructurings and debtor-in-possession financings.

Lynn S. Linné works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Tax Disputes and Litigation Group. Linné’s practice encompasses all types of state and local tax disputes, including property tax appeals, sales and use taxes, corporate income and franchise taxes, and individual income taxes. She regularly guides her clients through audits and administrative appeals with the Minnesota Department of Revenue and represents clients in appeals before the Minnesota Tax Court and Minnesota Supreme Court.

Kiel C. McElveen works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. McElveen assists clients with strategic matters involving mergers and acquisitions, financing transactions and complex intellectual property transactions. With his focus on his clients’ goals, he works with companies to address corporate governance matters as well as other general corporate and business needs. His clients range from emerging companies to established corporations and private equity firms.

Pari I. McGarraugh works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Health Law and Litigation Groups. McGarraugh's healthcare clients encompass a wide variety of players in the health care field including hospitals, clinics, device manufacturers, and disability services and long-term care providers. McGarraugh defends against internal and external allegations of noncompliance and provides practical, effective and industry-appropriate solutions throughout the dispute resolution process, including in state, federal and administrative courts, and in alternative dispute resolution settings.

Alissa N. Mitchell works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Real Estate Group. Mitchell guides and provides practical advice to her clients on a broad range of commercial real estate transactions, including financing, purchase and sale agreements, and leasing of retail, office and industrial property, and land use. Her clients range from local and national developers, landlords, tenants and lenders to private equity companies. She also has state and appellate level litigation experience relating to foreclosures, evictions and real property title issues.

Kendra D. Simmons works in the Des Moines office and is a member of the Employment & Labor Group. Simmons represents employers and businesses in many different industries at all stages of litigation and advises them outside of formal legal proceedings. Her practice focuses on employment advice and litigation, but her general business litigation background allows her to serve the wide-ranging legal needs of businesses and employers. She has successfully advised and litigated matters involving non-competes and other restrictive covenants, employment leave, drug and alcohol testing, discrimination, harassment and retaliation.

Ryan M. Spanheimer works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Patents Group. Spanheimer works with clients to protect and defend their innovations through the strategic use of patents. He focuses on acquiring patent rights that optimize the value of his clients’ inventions and evaluating patents of competitors so that informed business decisions can be made. Clients value his ability to understand complex inventions across diverse technologies, synthesize legal issues in the context of those technologies and come up with patent solutions tailored to clients’ business objectives.

Erik A. Splett works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Group. Splett provides practical, timely and cost-efficient advice to his clients on a wide range of business matters throughout all stages of the business cycle. Splett has closed more than 100 cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, restructuring and complex intellectual property transactions in diverse industries including software and technology, retail and life sciences. He is proud to consistently provide timely business guidance and stellar client service to his clients.

Anupama D. Sreekanth works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Litigation Group. Sreekanth is a determined advocate, providing proactive, effective strategies for her clients’ healthcare and business litigation needs. Sreekanth’s practice is focused on defending clients in the healthcare industry in matters involving medical malpractice, privacy, products liability and internal investigations. She also represents clients in manufacturing and other industries in a wide range of complex commercial litigation, including breach of contract, Article 2 UCC, shareholder, business tort and trade secret disputes.

Jeffrey J. Steinle works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions and Securities Groups. Steinle advises medical technology and other life science companies executing M&A, financing, joint venture, licensing and commercial transactions. He serves as outside general counsel to life science companies and advises digital health companies on issues related to the growing use of artificial intelligence, advanced algorithms and data in medical technology. Steinle supports socio-economic and healthcare issues by serving on the boards of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation, Pillsbury United Communities and the South Dakota Biotech Association.

Kyle W. Ubl works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Litigation, Real Estate and Construction Groups. Ubl assists clients in a wide spectrum of litigation matters, ranging from real estate and construction litigation to disputes between family members, shareholders and business partners. He also has litigated government contracting disputes and matters involving the oil and gas and banking and financial services sectors. He has been designated as a “Rising Star” by Minnesota Super Lawyers. Prior to joining Fredrikson, Ubl served as a law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

Fredrikson & Byron is a 300-attorney law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Bismarck, Des Moines, Fargo, Mankato, St. Paul, Saltillo, Mexico, and Shanghai, China. Fredrikson & Byron has a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet.” Our attorneys bring business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking to work with clients, and operate as business advisors and strategic partners, as well as legal counselors. More information about the firm is available at www.fredlaw.com. Follow us on LinkedIn and on Twitter @FredriksonLaw.