Introduction

Leah is a shareholder in Fredrikson & Byron’s Commercial Litigation Group. Leah’s practice includes all areas of complex commercial litigation, including class actions, with a focus on banking and financial services litigation, shareholder disputes, legal malpractice defense, and trusts and estates litigation. Leah also advises clients on risk-management and litigation avoidance strategies in complex contract and consumer transactions. Leah appears in state and federal courts throughout the country. Prior to joining Fredrikson & Byron, Leah served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Richard H. Kyle of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

Leah is an Officer of the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and is currently serving as co-vice president for legal education. She is a former co-chair of the Chapter’s communications committee and former co-vice president for monthly meetings.

Leah is also on the Board of Directors of the Seward Co-op, a natural foods co-op in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis that has over $20 million in annual sales. Seward Coop was awarded the Small Business Success Story Award from the Twin Cities Business Magazine in 2010 for its growth, innovation, and success during an economic downturn.

Education

• University of Minnesota, J.D., 2004, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif
• Carleton College, B.A., 1999, magna cum laude

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota, 2004
• United States District Court, District of Minnesota, 2005

Practice Areas

• Litigation
• Banking & Financial Services Litigation
• Shareholder Disputes
• Trusts & Estates Litigation

Representative Experience

• Defended accounting firm against professional malpractice claims, obtaining dismissal of all claims on summary judgment.
• Defended a Bank against breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims by a former customer associated with a participation agreement and complex loan transaction. The case was dismissed on summary judgment, and the decision upheld at the court of appeals. 
• Represented the general partner of a limited partnership in a putative class action by the limited partners. The plaintiffs’ motion for class certification was denied, and the case was resolved on favorable terms.
• Represented a mail/rebate-processing company against its former customer in a breach of contract action. Obtained a favorable award of damages after an arbitration of the matter. 
• Defended several public company clients in shareholder class actions lawsuits, including expedited pre-closing/merger proceedings. 

Selected Publications & Presentations

• Presenter, “Key Developments that Every Banker Should Know,” Fredrikson & Byron Bank & Finance Seminar, September 22, 2011
• “Guaranties, Garnishments and Overdraft Fees:  Case Law Continues to Emerge,” co-authored with Beau Hurtig, FredNEWS: Bank & Finance, June 2011
• Speaker, Effective Legal Writing As Seen From the Other Side of the Bench, Fredrikson University, 2011
• Speaker, Minnesota Contracts Deskbook, 2010 Update, MSBA CLE

Professional Activities

• Officer, Federal Bar Association (Minnesota Chapter)
• Council Member, Consumer Litigation Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association

Judicial Clerkship

• The Honorable Richard H. Kyle, United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, 2004-2006

Community Involvement

• Director, Seward Co-op