Fredrikson & Byron shareholders Robert D. Aronson and Karen G. Schanfield will receive this year’s Sidney Barrows Lifetime Commitment Award. This honor is issued on an annual basis by the Twin Cities Cardozo Society, the affinity group of Jewish lawyers, jurists and law students advancing the philanthropic, social and educational mission of the St. Paul and Minneapolis Jewish Federations. This prestigious award is granted in recognition of the outstanding practice of law, record of integrity, love of learning and service to both the Jewish and the general communities. Aronson and Schanfield were recognized for their accomplishments at the Twin Cities Cardozo Society’s annual dinner on November 2, 2017.
Aronson is a member of Fredrikson’s Immigration Group leadership team. He is a nationally prominent immigration attorney with a particular focus on immigration matters for academic institutions, healthcare organizations, international physicians and IT professionals. He has authored over 70 articles and spoken at innumerable national and regional meetings, workshops and conferences. He was a Fulbright Fellow at the law schools of Harvard and Moscow State University; Editor-in-Chief of The Physician Immigration Book; legal advisor on the advisory body to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services in its study on appropriate immigration policy for international physicians; founder and first chair of the International Medical Graduate Taskforce; and recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Service Award of the Indiana University School of Law. In 2015, Aronson was the inaugural recipient of the Roberta Friedman Lifetime Achievement Award, issued in recognition of his contributions to the field of immigration law and policy for International Physicians. Aronson is a member of the Board of HIAS (formerly Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), the nation’s oldest refugee agency, providing protection, migration, advocacy and resettlement services to vulnerable refugee populations of all religions and ethnicities. Aronson’s commitment to the community over the years has included Board or leadership services to the Jewish Family and Children’s Services of Minneapolis; the Jewish Community Relations Council; Sabes JCC; University of Minnesota Hillel, Soviet Jewry Committee, Adath Jeshurun Congregation; and the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.
Schanfield has practiced labor and employment law for over 35 years and serves as co-chair of the firm’s Lateral Hiring Committee. She has a national practice that includes public and privately held entities, non-profit organizations, and governmental employers and has particular expertise in working with health care providers and universities. Schanfield has handled several high profile matters involving allegations of sexual harassment by high level public leaders, executive misconduct and whistleblower claims. Schanfield co-authored Thompson Reuters’ Minnesota Employment Law and Practice and edits its companion volume, Minnesota Employment Laws. She has written numerous articles on workplace topics and regularly presents at national and regional conferences. Schanfield was recognized by Best Lawyers® as the 2017 Management Labor Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Minneapolis as well as the 2016 Management Employment Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Minneapolis. She is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, a member of the American Employment Law Council and has been identified as a “Top Woman Lawyer” and “Top Labor and Employment Lawyer” by Minnesota Super Lawyers multiple times. Schanfield’s community service includes Board and other leadership positions with the St. Paul Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of Greater St. Paul and the Jewish Family Service of St. Paul. She has provided pro bono legal advice to the broader community throughout her career and has taught at the University of Minnesota Law School for several years.
Fredrikson & Byron is a 275-attorney law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Bismarck, Des Moines, Fargo, St. Paul, Monterrey, 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.