Date: July 11, 2006
Contact: Kelly Griffith, Marketing Manager
Phone: (612) 492-7514
Email: kgriffith@fredlaw.com

For Immediate Release

Commissioner Kevin Goodno To Join Fredrikson & Byron To Launch New Government Relations Practice

                      
Minneapolis, MN July 11, 2006 – –  Fredrikson & Byron, P.A. announced today that Kevin Goodno, Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, will join the firm as an Officer.  Goodno will lead Fredrikson’s new government relations practice.

Goodno, with other firm attorneys, will form Fredrikson’s new Government Relations Group.  The group will provide a comprehensive range of services to clients, including legislative drafting and tracking, governmental lobbying at all levels, strategy creation regarding governmental relations, and election law.  “Fredrikson & Byron has been interested for some time in providing government relations services to our clients,” said John Koneck, President of Fredrikson. “We are pleased to have someone of Kevin’s caliber -- with strong connections to state and local governments, agencies and key decision makers -- join us to build the practice.   Our clients facing government relations issues will benefit from his knowledge and experience in state and local government.”

Goodno has extensive experience in state and local government with particular focus on health care and tax policy.  Appointed commissioner of Minnesota’s largest agency, the Department of Human Services, by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Goodno led the department, with an annual budget of $8.5 billion and 6,900 employees since January 2003.  As Commissioner, he served on the Governor’s Health Cabinet to develop ways to inform, partner and create efficiency in the health care industry.  In addition, he served as co-chair of the Minnesota Mental Health Action Group, the Advisory Council to End Long-Term Homelessness, and was a member of the Governor’s Drive to Excellence Sub-Cabinet.  Before joining the Department of Human Services, Goodno served in the Minnesota House of Representatives for twelve years representing the Moorhead area.  He held various leadership positions, including chairman of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee.  Goodno’s private sector experience includes practicing law with a Moorhead law firm and owning and operating a retail business in Moorhead.  Goodno is a graduate of Concordia College of Moorhead, and William Mitchell College of Law.  He is a former Moorhead City Council member. 

Fredrikson & Byron is a 200-attorney law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Iowa, London and Monterrey, Mexico.  The firm's primary areas of practice include banking, corporate, litigation, employment, health care, intellectual property, international, real estate, securities, and tax.  The firm serves a broad range of clients, including multinational corporations, public companies, privately-held businesses, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and family businesses.  Fredrikson attorneys also work with individuals on estate planning, family law, and immigration matters.  It is the exclusive Minnesota law firm member of the World Services Group, a worldwide network of professional service providers.  More information about the firm is available at www.fredlaw.com.