With political shake-ups, economic conditions, and private equity interest top of mind, the M&A landscape continues to evolve. Drawing upon his extensive experience in the market, Winthrop attorney Dean Willer shares his insights, alongside an esteemed panel of industry professionals, with the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal on current forces driving deal structuring and trends that may impact future transactions in the M&A space.

The full panel discussion is available here.

While larger financial institutions may be familiar with overdraft/NSF litigation, community banks have only recently become a target. Tony Moch, shareholder in Winthrop’s Community Banking practice, shared his thoughts with BankBeat in its publication: “Community Banks Targeted with Overdraft/NSF Lawsuits.” In his conversation with Sam Wilmes, Tony discussed the targeted social media advertising campaigns used to spark this litigation and helpful measures banks may consider as they review their overdraft/NSF policies for alignment with regulatory guidance.

Read more about Tony’s insights and this recent litigation trend.

Tom Boyd was recently profiled for Minnesota Lawyer‘s “Breaking the Ice” series. The Q&A format of the article talks about how a recent award for providing pro bono service is all the more meaningful because it came from the Hennepin County Bar Association (HCBA). The recognition Boyd received was a 2024 HCBA Excellence Award for Improving Access to Justice/Pro Bono Service. The organization is significant to him in part, Boyd said, because HCBA is the county bar his father joined in 1952.

It is a wonderful award because it recognizes that access to justice and pro bono service are essential obligations that members of our profession have as licensed attorneys,” Boyd said. “And I am humbled because there are so many lawyers and judges in this state who do so much to promote access to justice, and so many attorneys who provide outstanding pro bono work for clients who could not otherwise have representation.

 Read the full article here (subscription required).

Tami Diehm recently talked to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal on keeping calm under pressure. “We often say we don’t necessarily have the ability to predict what might be thrown at us in any given day, but we absolutely have the ability to control how we react to those situations,” says Diehm.

Listen to the episode for Diehm’s other nuggets of wisdom and details of her career journey from restaurant server to the top seat at her firm. Learn more about:

• What Diehm learned from her mother (14:29)
• Her “curvy path” to a law career (16:37)
• Stepping into a leadership role amid the uncertainties of Covid-19 (27:42)
• Why Diehm maintains her client practice alongside her management role (30:17)
• Giving herself grace when it comes to balancing work and family (32:40)
• The country Diehm would serve as an ambassador to, if she had the opportunity (36:09)

The Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Artificial intelligence has already made its presence known in the legal sphere. Lesser known is its presence in employment decisions such as recruitment and retention. Lisa Ellingson, attorney at Winthrop & Weinstine, explains how AI is already being used in these areas, unbeknownst to some users and some attorney employees in a recent feature by Minnesota Lawyer.

AI is already being used with respect to legal employment. “It’s not just for line workers or cashiers,” Ellingson explains. For instance, “Suited” is a talent screening platform that says it “fairly and accurately” assesses applicant’s professional potential.

Read the full article here.

A Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, jury ruled unanimously ruled in favor of Waumandee Bancshares Ltd. and Waumandee State Bank in a breach of a noncompete provision dispute with Lake Shore III Corp. and Hiawatha National Bank. The jury awarded just shy of $176,000 in damages to Waumandee last month after a three-week trial, which included nearly 30 witnesses. Waumandee Bancshares was represented by Aimée Dayhoff and Andrew Escher of Winthrop & Weinstine of Minneapolis.

Aimée Dayhoff was recently quoted in Minnesota Lawyer and the Wisconsin Legal Journal regarding her work on the case. Read the Minnesota Lawyer article and the Wisconsin Law Journal article.

Jessica Timmington Lindstrom, Winthrop Shareholder and President of the Minnesota Association for Guardianship and Conservatorship, was recently quoted by The Minnesota Star Tribune on the poignant topic of court-appointed guardians and concerns over the appointment process.

Read more about guardianship concerns in this article by Jessie Van Berkel here.

In May, Gov. Tim Walz signed the Minnesota Consumer Data Privacy Act (MNCDPA) into law, making it the nation’s 19th comprehensive data privacy law.

Lisa Ellingson recently sat down with Minnesota Lawyer to discuss the details of the MNCDPA. While the Act isn’t scheduled to take effect until July 31, 2025, there are many steps (and considerations) for Minnesota businesses to take now in order to ensure compliance with future requirements under the law. The full article can be found here.

Attorney Laura Pfeiffer shares her insight on office politics in a timely Star Tribune article, “New Civil Discourse Policies Meant to Stymie Polarizing Debates at Minnesota Workplaces.”

“When we get called, it’s usually not because there was only a political discussion. It was because a political discussion happened in a way that was unprofessional and heated. There was yelling or name calling or other disrespectful behavior. Or someone perceived it as threatening,” Pfeiffer said.

Read more about this topic and its potential workplace implications here.

Trina Sjoberg was recently named to Minnesota Lawyer’s POWER 30: Construction and Real Estate Law for 2024. POWER 30 highlights those whose mere presence on a case signifies the stakes, who have influenced the direction of the law, whose leadership in the community is pervasive and whose respect within the bar is undeniable.

Trina represents developers, owners, operators, investors and lenders in a broad range of real estate matters, including the sale, acquisition, financing and development of real estate. Her practice includes guiding the development of residential, commercial and mixed-use projects and master plan communities.

Read more about POWER 30 and Trina’s feature here.