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Kimberly A. Svendsen

Everyone deserves an opportunity to be heard and a fierce advocate to make sure the system treats th...

Contact: P /612.604.6834E /[email protected]

Education

UCLA School of Law, J.D., Order of the Coif, 2004

University of North Dakota, B.F.A., summa cum laude, Theatre Arts, Minor in Religion, 1999

Bar Admissions

California, 2005
U.S. District Court, C.D. Cal., 2005
U.S. District Court, N.D. Cal., 2006
U.S. District Court, D. Minn., 2007
Minnesota, 2023

My Approach

I became an attorney to help people navigate difficult situations and to ensure they receive fair treatment in the legal system. Having spent nearly 20 years as a prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Justice, I’ve dedicated my career to helping clients address complex legal issues and achieve favorable outcomes. Through this experience, I’ve developed a strong understanding of the inner workings of various government agencies (including the IRS, the SEC, FINRA, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services), and I am able to leverage this experience on behalf of my clients.

My clients also benefit from my decades of hands-on federal trial experience, which equips me to provide strategic, informed, and effective advocacy through complex (and often challenging) legal matters. Outside the courtroom, I am experienced in government investigations, Civil Investigative Demands (CIDs), and before governmental and regulatory bodies, and leverage my familiarity with these processes on behalf of my clients. I work with my clients to present a clear, accurate explanation of the facts and to ensure that they’ve been fully heard.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, attending theater and dance performances, and traveling. To date, some of my favorite destinations have been Morocco and Egypt.

Practice Areas

Practicing Regulatory Audits, Investigations & Enforcement Actions

My Experience

Throughout my time at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, I investigated and prosecuted countless cases covering a wide range of substantive areas, including complex cybercrime, domestic and international terrorism, investment and securities fraud, healthcare fraud, and other white collar criminal matters. I also briefed and argued numerous cases before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Today, I draw upon this experience when representing individuals and organizations across a wide range of industries before state and federal regulators, agencies, and in connection with regulatory oversight and investigations.

Representative Matters

• Served as co-counsel in a month-long jury trial of a hedge fund manager who placed investor funds in the Petters Company and lied to investors about purported safety features of the fund.
• Served as co-counsel in a two-week jury trial of a former oil company president and his business partner who committed securities fraud by manipulating the price of shares in an oil transloading company using a reverse merger and an embedded derivative.
• Served as lead counsel in a week-long jury trial of a former Minneapolis Police Department officer who conspired with his father, who was the CEO of a non-profit, to steal funds intended to provide job training to underprivileged youth via a no-show job.
• Served as lead counsel in a week-long jury trial of a defendant who defrauded investors by falsely claiming he would use their funds to develop and operate a wind energy project.
• Served as co-counsel in a week-long jury trial of a fund manager who defrauded investors and his bank of more than $25 million.
• Served as co-counsel in a week-long jury trial of a bookkeeper who embezzled nearly a million dollars from two separate employers.
• Tried three criminal tax fraud cases to jury verdict in federal court.
•  Tried cases involving false statements to the grand jury, felon in possession of a firearm, and child pornography to jury verdict in federal court.
• Supervised the Fraud and Public Corruption Section of the Criminal Division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, 2018-2022
• Served as the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property (CHIP) Coordinator

Also experienced in

Appellate

Attorney General Investigations & Enforcement Actions

Business & Commercial Litigation

Fraud & Abuse Audits and Investigations

Health Licensing Board Defense

Intellectual Property Litigation

Regulated Industries

Securities Litigation

Shareholder Disputes

State & Federal Regulatory Compliance

Associations & Memberships

American College of Trial Lawyers

Minnesota State Committee, 2023-present
Fellow

University of St. Thomas School of Law

Adjunct Professor (White Collar Crime and Corporate Compliance), 2018-2021

Federal Bar Association

Minnesota Chapter
White Collar Crime Practice Group, Co-Chair, 2021-2023