MINNEAPOLIS – August 24, 2016 – Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., (www.winthrop.com) is pleased to announce that shareholder and firm Board member David Aafedt has again been re-elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Minnesota and North Dakota. Since 2010, David has held positions on the Finance Committee, Executive Committee and as Vice-Chairman of the Board. This will mark his fourth term as Chairman of the Board.

As Chair, David convenes and manages meetings of the full Board as well as all meetings of the Executive Committee; including acting as an ex-officio member of all committees. David is actively involved in the development of the BBB budget and acts as an ambassador for the organization, promoting its mission and values as well as the benefits of accreditation.

With over 6,400 locally Accredited Businesses, the BBB of Minnesota and North Dakota is a not-for-profit organization with a 22-member volunteer board of directors. Board members, who generally serve a three-year term, are business owners and executives representing a variety of industries, professions and company sizes, as well as organizational partners such as higher education. The BBB aims to be the leader in advancing marketplace trust by promoting ethical relationships between businesses and the public through voluntary self-regulation.

Prior to joining Winthrop & Weinstine in 2003, David served as an Assistant Attorney General with the Minnesota Attorney General’s office. His practice at the firm now mirrors his practice while at the Attorney General’s Office. He uses his extensive experience to advocate on behalf of his clients in a wide range of settings in all 50 states, including state and federal regulatory matters, business and consumer litigation, as well as state and federal audits, investigations, and market conduct examinations.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (August 23, 2016) – Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., is proud to announce the addition of five new attorneys to its growing benches in the Real Estate and Banking & Finance Practice groups. These new additions include associates Erik Didrikson, Joshua Noah and Stephen Ringquist, attorney Renay Leone, and Kristi Hayek, who will serve as of counsel.

Kristi A. Hayek, Of Counsel in the Banking & Finance group, represents emerging and established companies in a broad range of legal issues, including mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, corporate governance for general corporate clients and financial institutions. She previously served as in-house counsel in the corporate and securities group of Chicago-based General Growth Properties, a large real estate investment trust, where she advised the REIT and its subsidiaries and affiliates. Hayek is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Renay Leone, attorney in the Real Estate group, joined Winthrop & Weinstine with more than 35 years of real estate experience, including land negotiation, title, legal documentation and due diligence. Prior to joining the firm, Leone was a real estate planner with the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. Leone received her J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.

Erik J. Didrikson, associate in the Banking & Finance group, helps clients through every stage of the community bank lifecycle including advising them on regulatory matters, taking on investors or capital, and mergers and acquisitions. Prior to joining the firm, Didrikson was an associate at Fox Rothschild. He received his J.D. from the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Joshua N. Noah, associate in the Real Estate group, was previously with Winthrop & Weinstine as a summer associate in 2015 and is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School. Just prior to joining the firm, Noah served in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program and was treasurer of the Student Bar Association at the University of Wisconsin Law School. He was also involved with the Legal Assistance to Institutionalized Persons Program at the University of Wisconsin Law School’s Frank J. Remington Center.

Stephen M. Ringquist, associate in the Banking & Finance practice group, practices in the areas of banking, finance, securities law, broker-dealer regulation, and general corporate law, with a special focus on commercial lending. Prior to joining the firm, Ringquist worked in both financial services organizations as well as private law firms, where he developed deep technical and practical experience through a wide variety of business and banking transactions. Ringquist received his J.D. from Hamline University School of Law.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – August 15, 2016.  Twenty-six attorneys from Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2017.

Four of these attorneys were also recognized as “Lawyer of the Year” for their practices in Minneapolis:

David Aafedt for Administrative/Regulatory Law;
Stephen Baird for Trademark Law;
Tammera Diehm for Municipal Law; and
Eric Swanson for Energy Law.

The following Winthrop & Weinstine attorneys were recognized in Best Lawyers in America:

* denotes “Lawyer of the Year” recognition

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers® has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer-review evaluation. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”