Melodie R. Rose

A veteran of the firm for more than 30 years, Melodie serves as president of Fredrikson & Byron as well as a member of the Board of Directors and Compensation Committee.

In her legal practice, Melodie has more than three decades of experience in corporate representation, including securities regulation, corporate governance, equity and debt capital market transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and business planning. Melodie advises Fortune 500, mid-cap, small-cap and start-up companies in a broad range of industries as well as underwriters, placement agents, and venture firms as outside corporate and securities counsel to public and private companies at all stages of development. During her career, Melodie served in many roles including most recently as Co-Chair of Fredrikson’s Corporate Governance and Public Companies / Capital Markets Groups.

In addition to her work with clients and management responsibilities at Fredrikson, Melodie is active in the national and local corporate governance communities. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota chapter of the National Association of Corporate Directors and participates in Minnesota Women Corporate Directors. She teaches Corporate Governance as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law and serves on its Board of Governors. Melodie is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Business Partnership. She was elected as a Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel, an organization of leading corporate governance lawyers from the U.S. and Canada.

• Represented public companies as outside counsel in their general corporate, securities and governance needs and coordination of all legal services.
• Represented Boards of Directors and its committees on a variety of corporate and governance matters including risk assessment, sustainability, investigations, evaluations, regulatory compliance, and the legal implications of business strategies and decisions.
• Represented companies and underwriters in all aspects of capital formation, including public and private securities offerings for issuers and underwriters in equity and debt offerings.
• Represented buyers and sellers in investments and mergers, acquisitions and dispositions of businesses.

Education

• University of Michigan Law School, J.D., 1990
• University of North Dakota, B.B.A., Management/Accounting, 1987, magna cum laude

Admissions

• Minnesota, 1990
• U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, 1991

• Women in Business Honoree, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, 2025
• Best Lawyers in America, Securities / Capital Markets Law, 2009-2025
• Fellow, American College of Governance Counsel, 2024
• Directorship 100™ Governance Professional Honoree, National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD), 2024
• Honored Guest, Taste of the Twin Cities, 2024
• Power Shift 25, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, 2024
• Notable Woman in Law, Twin Cities Business, 2023
• Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
• Lawyer of the Year in Minneapolis for Securities / Capital Markets Law, Best Lawyers, 2014
• Top Women in Finance, Finance & Commerce, 2006

Professional Activities

• American Bar Association
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Hennepin County Bar Association
• Minnesota Business Partnership Board of Directors
• National Association of Corporate Directors, Minnesota Chapter Board of Directors
• Women Corporate Directors
• St. Thomas School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Corporate Governance
• St Thomas School of Law Board of Governors
• State Board of Accountancy, Member, 2005-2010