Fredrikson & Byron Announces New Shareholders

Fredrikson & Byron has elected 14 new shareholders: Nancy S. Anton, Kyle A. Barlow, Daniel P. Deveny, Tyler J. Gludt, Justin G. Hughes, Bryan J. Morben, Mark D. Salsbury, Levi J. Smith, Matthew L. Stortz, Asmah Tareen, Courtney A. H. Thompson, Ashley R. Thronson, Marcus J. Tibesar and Brandon R. Underwood.

Nancy S. Anton works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Employment & Labor, Internal Investigations and Non-Competes Groups. Anton has more than 20 years of experience advising clients on employment laws in the workplace. She delivers sound, strategic and practical advice to her clients in the healthcare, financial services, energy and manufacturing industries. Anton works with private and public companies, government and nonprofit organizations of all sizes, both nationally and internationally. She is also heavily involved in performing employment due diligence for private equity clients and companies engaged in mergers and acquisitions.

Kyle A. Barlow works in the Fargo office and is a member of the Trusts & Estates Group. Barlow helps individuals and families plan for and achieve their estate planning goals. He focuses on estate tax minimization, wealth transfer, and asset protection for clients, many of whom are farmers, ranchers, or professionals. Barlow relies on his education, plus his small-town work ethic and experiences to help clients develop no-nonsense plans to conquer their estate planning and business succession issues. He has helped clients develop and implement plans to pass the family business on to the next generation.

Daniel P. Deveny works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Condemnation & Eminent Domain, Litigation and Property Tax Appeals Groups. Deveny assists clients throughout the litigation process in several areas of law. In the area of eminent domain, Deveny works for and appears on behalf of both condemning authorities and landowners in court, jury, and commissioner proceedings on all manner of takings issues. As a litigator, Deveny broadly represents clients in a variety of real estate and general commercial contexts. Deveny also works with clients in challenging property tax assessments to achieve fair valuations, particularly for industrial, retail, and other commercial property types.

Tyler J. Gludt works in the Bismarck office and is a member of the Oil & Gas and Debt Finance Groups. Gludt’s practice focuses on a variety of transactional matters related to the energy industry including financings and secured transactions, asset and real property sales and acquisitions, surface use and lease agreements, corporate formation, title review and advising clients on local, state, and federal regulatory and permitting matters. Prior to joining Fredrikson, Gludt served as a judge advocate in the United States Marine Corps and was a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

Justin G. Hughes works in the Bismarck office and is a member of the Oil & Gas and Real Estate Groups. Hughes helps clients with legal issues involving surface and subsurface real estate transactions. Hughes’ oil and gas practice focuses on title examination and curative work. Hughes’ real estate practice involves nearly every aspect of commercial and residential development and ownership including the preparation and negotiation of purchase and sale documents, leases and easements and representation before governmental bodies associated with subdivision, zoning and related issues. In addition to real estate, Hughes assists clients with estate administration (probate) and various corporate matters.

Bryan J. Morben works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Employment & Labor, Non-Competes and Litigation Groups. Morben is an experienced litigator who counsels and defends employers on a wide range of workplace issues, including discrimination claims, sexual harassment claims, wrongful termination claims, whistleblower/retaliation claims, individual and collective action wage claims, non-compete and non-disclosure disputes and more. Morben also has a rare expertise in representing clients involved in labor and union disputes (including grievances, unfair labor practice charges and CBA negotiations), as well as ERISA litigation matters.

Mark D. Salsbury works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Business & Tax Planning, Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions Groups. Salsbury’s practice focuses on tax planning for merger and acquisition transactions, with a particular emphasis on private equity. Salsbury has over 26 years of experience in tax and M&A. Using his knowledge and experience in tax, Salsbury provides creative, smart and practical solutions to achieve client objectives in M&A transactions.

Levi J. Smith works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Bank & Finance, Debt Finance and Food & Agribusiness and Cooperatives groups. Smith represents lenders and borrowers in all aspects of commercial and real estate finance transactions and has significant experience with private equity financing matters. Smith has led all types of loan transactions, including acquisition financings, real estate loans, senior and mezzanine loans, and secured and unsecured loans. Smith also represents cooperatives and other agribusinesses in a variety of legal matters, including corporate governance issues and financing transactions.

Matthew L. Stortz works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions, Business & Tax Planning and Corporate Governance Groups. Stortz advises business owners and executives on mergers and acquisitions, succession planning, joint ventures, strategic partnerships and other significant transactional matters. He also provides outside general counsel services to privately-held companies and their principals. Stortz was recently recognized in The Best Lawyers in America: Ones to Watch^© 2022 for Mergers and Acquisitions Law.

Asmah Tareen works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Technology & Data, Intellectual Property and Life Sciences Groups. Tareen helps clients implement strategies to develop, protect, acquire and commercialize technology products and services. Tareen works extensively with clients in the medical device, life sciences, software, IT, retail, renewable energy and agricultural industries. With over 20 years of experience, she applies insight to create efficient and practical solutions to help clients achieve their goals. Tareen contributes significantly to firm management including by chairing the Firm’s Business Continuity Team and serving on the Firm’s Recruiting and Hiring Committee.

Courtney A. H. Thompson works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Advertising, Marketing & Trademark, Anti-Counterfeiting and Corporate Sustainability & Social Responsibility Groups. Thompson provides great value, efficiency and service to her clients, focusing her practice at the intersection of business transactions and intellectual property protection. She regularly provides strategic advice and brand management services to her clients while protecting and enforcing intellectual property assets domestically and internationally. She has strong relationships with foreign counsel around the world, allowing her to assist clients with global filing strategies in an efficient and cost-effective manner in key jurisdictions.

Ashley R. Thronson works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Employment & Labor, Employment & Labor Litigation and Litigation Groups. Thronson partners with businesses to help prevent, address and resolve workplace issues. She helps companies of all sizes navigate—and stay compliant with—the maze of employment laws and related matters and represents and defends clients in all aspects of employment-related litigation and administrative matters. She also helps employers strategically enforce and protect their own contractual and related rights. Thronson works with businesses throughout the country and is licensed in both Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Marcus J. Tibesar works in the Minneapolis office and is a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions and Private Equity Groups. Tibesar serves as the lead on complex transactions including negotiating deal structure, letter of intent items and the purchase agreement. He supervises deal team members and subject matter experts through all phases of due diligence. He counsels clients from start-up to succession planning, add-on acquisitions or the sale of their business. His transaction experience includes the sale of a public company, cross-border and domestic mergers and acquisitions, venture capital financing transactions and regularly represents private equity funds and their portfolio companies.

Brandon R. Underwood works in the Des Moines office and is a member of the Construction, Employment & Labor Litigation and Litigation Groups. Underwood is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer. He serves owners, developers, and contractors on public and private construction projects to resolve disputes in mediation, arbitration and litigation. His experience includes mechanic’s liens, bid protests, defects, delays, negligence and DBE compliance. Underwood also represents employers and individuals in employment litigation involving sex discrimination, age discrimination, race discrimination, ADA violations and tortious interference.

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.