As the daylight hours grow shorter and the busy holiday season is underway, we appreciate you taking a few minutes of your day to catch up on the latest news from the Faegre Drinker alumni network!

We encourage you to subscribe to Alumni News & Events, share what’s new with you in our LinkedIn alumni group, or email us at alumni@faegredrinker.com. Let us know what you think of this latest edition and how we can better serve your needs as alumni. Our inbox is always open.

Our People

In the Spotlight with Derek Empie and Lindsay Orr Foy

Neither of this edition’s featured alumni grew up expecting to become attorneys, but their experiences during non-legal college internships sent them on a pair of fascinating career paths. Read our spotlights to learn how sports media started Derek Empie’s legal journey and how Lindsay Orr Foy still maintains ties to her musical beginnings.

Alumni News & Moves

Whether they left us yesterday or several years ago, they’re never truly gone — we take pride in keeping in touch with all of you and highlighting your updates and accomplishments. It’s an honor to be part of your stories as our firm alumni continue thriving in their communities and the legal (or not!) professions. See what your fellow alumni have been up to since our last newsletter.

New Faces

We are glad to welcome several new colleagues to the Faegre Drinker family:

• Jonathan Boughrum | Partner, Business Litigation, Philadelphia
• Olivia Clavio | Counsel, Intellectual Property, Indianapolis
• Dan Coppel | Partner, Corporate, London
• Brooke Dunn* | Counsel, Corporate, Indianapolis
• Freddy Fonseca | Counsel, Insurance, Los Angeles
• Kassendra Galindo* | Partner, Corporate, Minneapolis
• Alec Harris | Partner, Business Litigation, Denver
• David Herman | Counsel, Business Litigation, Philadelphia
• Katherine Ladd | Partner, Business Litigation, Philadelphia
• Carrie Sarhangi Love | Partner, Business Litigation, Philadelphia
• Randy Peak | Partner, Health Care, Dallas
• David Rose | Counsel, Health Care, Dallas
• Paul Rosenthal | Partner, Business Litigation, Florham Park
• Richard Scheff | Partner, Business Litigation, Philadelphia
• Joy Sharp | Counsel, Government & Regulatory, Washington, D.C.

*We are thrilled to welcome Brooke and Kassendra back to the firm.

Alumni Events

Washington, D.C.

On October 11, local alumni, current attorneys, and consulting and operations professionals gathered at Officina on the Wharf in Washington, D.C., for a fall alumni reception. Attendees enjoyed a fun evening full of good food and drinks and great conversation. Guests appreciated the beautiful fall evening and opportunity to reconnect with former colleagues, mingle with industry peers and expand their networks while taking in wonderful views of DC. Enjoy some photos from the event.

Minneapolis, MN

On September 19, alumni and firm lawyers gathered for breakfast prior to the start of the M&A Conference in Minneapolis. Attendees enjoyed connecting before the full-day conference.

On September 26, retired partners from the Minneapolis office enjoyed lunch at the firm and the opportunity to hear firm updates from Chair Gina Kastel. It is always nice to gather this group of the leaders who helped make the firm what it is today. Here are a few photos from both events.

Future Alumni Communications, Resources and Benefits

No More Guessing – Opt In Requirement

We officially migrated our email distribution system which requires that you actively opt in through our subscription center to receive your alumni-related communications, benefits and resources (including invitations to alumni social and networking events; the latest alumni newsletters, alumni news and moves, in-house job opportunities with clients, alumni and other friends of the firm; complimentary CLEs; membership to exclusive industry knowledge-sharing groups; access to an exclusive alumni portal; and more). We are judicious about when and how many alumni emails we send and do our best to only send those that are relevant, useful and valuable. If you have not yet ‘subscribed’ to alumni news and events, please visit our online subscription center, and check the box for “Alumni News & Events” after inputting your contact information. Then, add our new sending email addresses, news@faegredrinkerupdates.com and events@faegredrinkerevents.com, to your safe sender list to ensure receipt of our emails.

What Else Is Happening?

General Firm News

Faegre Drinker Selected as ‘Outstanding Achievements in Data Analytics’ Finalist for 2023 Tekne Awards

The Minnesota Technology Association hosts the Tekne Awards to recognize pioneers in Minnesota’s evolving and tech-driven economy. Faegre Drinker has been selected as a finalist in the “Business impact” category for its customized, real-time automated client diversity and inclusion dashboards. The firm will be recognized for “Outstanding Achievements in Data Analytics” in a formal ceremony on November 16. Read more about the Tekne Awards and the firm’s D&I dashboards.

Faegre Drinker Recognized for ‘Tipping the Scales’ by the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance

The Diversity & Flexibility Alliance collaborates with organizations to develop inclusive work cultures with a focus on cultivating diversity in leadership and fostering. Faegre Drinker was among 78 firms recognizes for having 50% or more women in their 2023 partner classes. Read more about the “Tipping the Scales” recognition.

Faegre Drinker Recognized in U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® 2024 ‘Best Law Firms’ Report

The firm has been recognized as a leading law firm in 226 practice categories across both national and regional sections, and earned the top honor of Tier 1 in 118 regional practice categories. The recognition is based on a thorough evaluation process that includes collecting feedback provided by firm clients and other professional references. Read more about our inclusion in “Best Law Firms.”

Gina Kastel Named a 2023 ‘Top Women in Law’ Honoree by Minnesota Lawyer

The Minnesota Lawyer award recognizes women who are leaders in their area of practice, and were selected based on principles such as leadership, professionalism and passion for change. Gina Kastel, chair of Faegre Drinker, shares her commitment to the firm and its people by making Faegre Drinker “a place where everybody can shine” in her feature profile. Read more about Gina’s nomination.

Pro Bono

Faegre Drinker Receives John Carroll Society Pro Bono Legal Service Award

Faegre Drinker was selected by the John Carroll Society as the recipient of its 2023 Pro Bono Legal Service Award. Each year, the Society awards individuals and one law firm for their commitment to pro bono work through the Catholic Charities Legal Network of the Archdiocese of Washington. The Society selected Faegre Drinker for its monthly conducting of second-stage client intake for Catholic Charities Legal Network. The firm was also recognized for recruiting additional volunteers so that the Legal Network could accept more intake appointments to serve potential clients.

Faegre Drinker Recognizes the National Celebration of Pro Bono

In October, the firm took the opportunity to shine a spotlight on the important pro bono work conducted by attorneys, paralegals and other legal professionals. Here is an inspiring video of our colleagues talking about their pro bono service.

Dawn Holicky Pruitt Receives ‘Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney of the Year’ From Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota

The Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota recognized corporate partner Dawn Holicky Pruitt with the 2023 “Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney of the Year” award for her work as an extraordinary pro bono volunteer who “has gone above and beyond to serve immigrant and refugee clients.” ILCM is a nonprofit agency that provides immigration legal assistance to low-income immigrants and refugees in Minnesota. ILCM also works to educate Minnesota communities and professionals about immigration matters and advocates for state and federal policies that respect the universal human rights of immigrants.

Great North Innocence Project Recognizes Faegre Drinker Team with 2023 Pro Bono Champions of the Year Award

A Faegre Drinker team received the 2023 Pro Bono Champions of the Year Award by the Great North Innocence Project (GNIP), which works to free wrongfully convicted individuals and prevent future wrongful convictions from occurring. Over the past two and a half years, the team has relentlessly advocated for justice for our client. The group was honored at GNIP’s Benefit for Innocence Gala in October.

Diversity & Inclusion

Faegre Drinker Receives Mansfield Certification Plus for Sixth Consecutive Year

Faegre Drinker is proud to once again achieve Mansfield Certification Plus, awarded by Diversity Lab. The firm has participated in the Mansfield Rule since its inception in 2017. The Mansfield Certification measures the structural changes and steps the firm has taken over the past year to ensure its paths to leadership are open and transparent to all qualified attorneys. This high level of transparency is part of a larger effort Faegre Drinker is undertaking through Mansfield to broaden the slate of talent considered for opportunities. The “Plus” designation indicates that the firm has not only taken steps to increase inclusivity in leadership but has also made measured progress in doing so. Only half of the Mansfield Certified firms achieved this honor this year.

Diversity Collective Retreat 2023

As a reflection of our core values, Faegre Drinker is committed to recruiting a diverse workforce, fostering an inclusive workplace and developing a pipeline of legal professionals with a wide range of perspectives. In support of these goals, each year we host an in-person retreat which has become a destination for career-critical, interactive substantive sessions with our Diversity Collective members and select sessions with firm leadership and clients. This year’s retreat in Chicago was an incredibly special time together with record attendance from our Diversity Collective members, clients and local firm alumni.

Faegre Drinker Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

On October 10, Faegre Drinker hosted our 2023 Hispanic Heritage recognition program featuring Jimmy Gurulé, Professor of Law and Faculty Director of the Exoneration Justice Clinic at University of Notre Dame Law School. Mr. Gurulé shared his perspectives on the challenges, lessons learned and key takeaways from his own experience in the legal profession.

Thank you for your continued support of Faegre Drinker. We hope you have a delightful holiday season and a great start to 2024!