Susan M. Holden - Press
Minnesota Lawyer names 15 as Attorneys of the Year for ’05
January 2, 2006 - Minnesota Lawyer
Every year the editors of Minnesota Lawyer recognize 15 lawyers as the “Attorneys of the Year.” We make this choice after closely examining nominations submitted by judges, lawyers and other members of the legal community and after a thorough review of the last year in legal news. The criteria for selection includes:
- procuring a successful result in an important case or business transaction;
- exercising leadership in the profession;
- participating in newsworthy events in the legal community;
- performing significant service for the bar or general public; and/or
- excellence in providing in-house legal services.
We received many excellent nominations this year and had a difficult choice. The 15 honorees we selected have distinguished themselves in diverse disciplines representative of the wide range of services provided by lawyers. Each of these individuals stood out from the crowd in 2005 in a way worthy of recognition.
The following individuals (listed alphabetically) are the 2005 Minnesota Lawyer Attorneys of the Year:
- Lisa Montpetit Brabbit, assistant dean for external relations and programs at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, for her tireless work on the school’s award-winning mentor program;
- Steven D. DeRuyter, Leonard, Street and Deinhard, for transactional work on the billion-dollar merger of Midwest Wireless and Alltel Corp.;
- John H. Faricy Jr., Faricy & Roen, PA, who procured a $52.5M jury verdict in Ramsey County for a construction firm against its insurer for failing to defend the firm against hundreds of asbestos-related claims;
- Minneapolis attorney Wilbur W. Fluegel, for his work on a number of successful trials and appeals and his leadership in the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association;
- Samuel D. Heins, Heins, Mills & Olson PLC, who procured a multi-billion-dollar settlement for investors in a class action against Time Warner;
- David F. Herr, Maslon Edelman Borman & Brand, LLP, for his unceasing efforts on court rule changes;
- Susan M. Holden, Seiben, Grose, Von Holtum & Carey, for her leadership on a number of key initiatives as the president of the Minnesota State Bar Association;
- William F. Klumpp Jr., Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, for his work as a prosecutor, including his handling of the much-publicized Rocori High School shooting case and his work on other juvenile-crime matters;
- James W.A. Ladner, St. Jude Medical, for excellence in in-house legal services;
- Konstandinos (Gus) Nicklow, Meshbesher & Spence, who procured an $18M jury verdict in Hennepin County for a juvenile who was sexually abused;
- Shamus P. O’Meara, Johnson & Condon, PA, for his work representing school districts, including procuring a $3.85M recovery for one district;
- Steven R. Schwegman, Quinlivan & Hughes, for his leadership in the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association and for his success in representing defendants in a number of cases;
- Minneapolis attorney Kerry L. Scott for her work as a part-time public defender, including representing a juvenile client who successfully fought adult certification in a much-publicized murder case;
- Jeffrey S. Sheridan, Strandemo, Sheridan & Dulas, for his advocacy in twice successfully challenging the state’s implied consent laws; and
- Marianne D. Short, Dorsey & Whitney, for her successful advocacy of Medica in a high-profile lawsuit brought by the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office.
The honorees will be profiled in a Feb. 27 special section in Minnesota Lawyer. They will also be recognized at a special awards dinner on Feb. 22 at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis. The keynote speaker at the dinner event will be retiring Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz. For further information, please contact John Sarles at (612) 584-1534 or by e-mail at john-sarles@finance-commerce.com.
