Overview
Melodie serves as outside general corporate and securities counsel to public and private companies at all stages of development.
She has over 25 years of experience in corporate representation including securities regulation, corporate governance, equity and debt capital market transactions, mergers and acquisitions, and business planning.
Melodie is chair of Fredrikson & Byron’s Public Companies Group and co-chair of its Corporate Governance Group. 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. She is also active in the management at Fredrikson & Byron, having served on many firm committees, including her current service as a member of its elected Compensation Committee and chair of its Corporate Division.
In addition to her work with clients and management responsibilities at Fredrikson, Melodie is active in the corporate governance community. She currently serves on the board of the National Association of Corporate Directors, Minnesota Chapter, and participates in Minnesota Women Corporate Directors. She also teaches Corporate Governance with John Stout as an adjunct professor at the University of St. Thomas School of Law.
Services
Experience
- 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.
- Bell Microproducts, Inc.
- Bio-Techne Corporation
- Envoy Medical Corporation
- Magnetation, LLC
- MakeMusic, Inc.
- Medtronic, PLC
- MTS Systems, Inc.
- Tacora Resources, LLC
- Titan Machinery, Inc.
Credentials
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
Recognition
- Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business
- Lawyer of the Year in Minneapolis Securities/Capital Markets Law, The Best Lawyers in America, 2014
- The Best Lawyers in America, Securities/Capital Markets Law, 2009-present
- Top Women in Finance, Finance & Commerce, 2006
Civic & Professional
Professional Activities
- American Bar Association
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- National Association of Corporate Directors
- Women Corporate Directors
- St. Thomas School of Law, Adjunct Professor, Corporate Governance
- State Board of Accountancy, Member, 2005-2010
News & Insights
Publications & Presentations
Featured Guest, “Selected Lessons from The Director’s Handbook -- Situations Commonly Encountered in the Boardroom: Episode 1: Compensation Committee Trends,” To The Extent That… Podcast Series, ABA Business Law Section, February 16, 2021
Contributing Author, “A Field Guide to 101 Situations Commonly Encountered in the Boardroom,” American Bar Association’s Director’s Handbook
Contributing Author, “The Art and Science of Securities Laws,” An Inside the Minds series