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Our Firm


Welcome to Winthrop & Weinstine, where every day is dedicated to making a firm difference. Founded in 1979 by six attorneys who believed that law firms are first and foremost about clients, we've been a different kind of law firm from the beginning. The core value that defined us then is the same one that drives us today: Put people first.


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Laura A. Pfeiffer (Employment Law) & Timothy M. Barnett (Mergers & Acquisitions)
About Us
Putting people first is the living, tangible presence that drives who we hire, the way we interact with and represent clients, and how we exist within the larger community.
 
Winthrop & Weinstine is a full-service law firm that champions your legal interests in a timely, innovative and professional manner. Our firm energetically engages in every aspect of your legal matter and fully commits to assembling the best legal talent to counsel, advise and advance your interests. We hold close the values of excellence, integrity and community involvement. We succeed by helping our clients succeed.

The Twin Cities community is known for its robust business environment, and the people themselves are known for their creative, professional passion. Perhaps that's why we've always called it home. Through the years, Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., has created what its clients see as a responsive, service-driven law firm that passionately champions client issues, using innovation rather than outmoded tradition and creativity rather than standard formulas.

With 88 attorneys in our Minneapolis office, we have a diverse team that serves clients with high intensity, tight focus and deep understanding. Our attorneys are encouraged and allowed to develop their own individual practices while responding to the specific needs of their clients. It's how we adhere to our core value of putting people first: as a group, we focus on building strong relationships and discovering new ways to serve our clients' interests.
 
The clients we retain are truly the measure of our continued success, and they are the reason we strive to differentiate ourselves.
 

Firm Facts

Honors & Accolades
(click here to download)


Chambers USA

Best Lawyers®


Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal

BTI Consulting

ALM's Corporate Counsel/Incisive Media

CSC Global

Six attorneys are listed as “Top 40 Business Litigation Attorneys” in Minnesota Law & Politics. Winthrop & Weinstine has more attorneys listed than any other firm in Minnesota, representing 15 percent of the list.
 
Benchmark Litigation lists Winthrop & Weinstine as a “highly recommended” law firm for 2010. Attorneys Robert R. Weinstine & Brooks F. Poley are listed as “local litigation stars,” and Christianna L. Finnern & Justice Ericson Lindell are listed as “future stars.”

Thirteen of the firm’s younger lawyers have been named to the Rising Stars list for 2010 by Minnesota Law & Politics.

Shareholder Tiffany A. Blofield has been appointed to serve on the Federal Practice Committee of the
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Her term begins January 1, 2010.

The 2009 Wiblishauser Author’s Award was given to shareholder Christopher A. Camardello for his article, “Understanding Foreclosures on Real Property,” published in Bench & Bar.

Attorney Norman L. Jones was named as one of Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans by the Minnesota Jaycees.

Nineteen Winthrop & Weinstine attorneys representing clients in diverse practice areas were named to the Super Lawyers® list for 2009, with three listed in the Top 100. The designation is based on a survey of attorneys across Minnesota, conducted by Minnesota Law & Politics.
 
The firm was recognized in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal as one of “Best Places to Work” for medium-sized law firms in 2006, 2008 & 2009.
 
Winthrop & Weinstine was recommended in Chambers USA Guide to America’s Leading Business Lawyers as one of the top law firms in Minnesota. In 2009, five of our attorneys were recommended in Chambers USA for General Commercial Litigation, Appellate Litigation, Real Estate, and Corporate/M&A.
 
Fourteen Winthrop & Weinstine attorneys have been selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America ® 2009 (Copyright 2008 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.). In addition, the firm was ranked #1 in Banking Law, #1 in Bankruptcy and Creditor-Debtor Rights Law, and #1 in Government Relations Law.
 
Five Winthrop & Weinstine attorneys were named to Minnesota Law & Politics’ “Top 40 Business Litigation Attorneys” list for 2009. The "Top 40" reflects the top attorneys in Minnesota based on the Super Lawyers® list.
 
The BTI Client Service All-Star Team for 2009 includes shareholder David E. Moran.  He is one of only 176 lawyers from across the globe to receive this recognition.
 
Winthrop & Weinstine has been ranked as one of the top law firm trademark filers in the CSC® Trademark Insider® report for the year 2008.
 
Finance and Commerce selected shareholder Michele D. Vallaincourt as an honoree for the 2008 Top Women in Finance.  Michele is chair of the Emerging Companies practice group.
 
Minnesota Lawyer has recognized Jeffrey J. Koerselman, Clayton W. Chan and Tammera R. Diehm as “Up & Coming Attorneys,” in 2009, 2008 and 2007, respectively.
 
The firm was named a 2008 Go-To Law Firm® by ALM’s Corporate Counsel® magazine in the area of intellectual property.

The firm has four "Forty Under 40" honorees as named by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
 

Vision
We are a full-service entrepreneurial commercial law firm of highly motivated individuals, dedicated, as a team, to advancing the best interests of our clients and our community through the timely delivery of legal services of exceptional quality, innovative character and unsurpassed value.

Philosophy
The philosophy of Winthrop & Weinstine is comprised of four elements: client and community service, professional excellence, teamwork and life balance, and integrity.
 
In serving our clients, we represent them as we would want to be represented ourselves. We work diligently to fully understand their needs and serve their best interests. At the same time, we conduct ourselves in a way to positively impact the quality of life in our community.
 
We're committed to professional excellence through many avenues. We work to continually improve the timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, and quality of our services in order to exceed the expectations of our clients. In our daily work, superior judgment, leadership, creativity and personal responsibility are encouraged and rewarded.
 
Teamwork at Winthrop & Weinstine is achieved by working together energetically and creatively, as we strive to support each other in our challenges and celebrate our successes. We respect personal backgrounds and styles, and always conduct ourselves in a way that reflects positively on the firm. We recognize the importance of striking an appropriate balance between personal and professional interests and responsibilities, and strive not only to excel but also to have fun.
 
The final cornerstone of our philosophy is integrity, and this value extends to the representation of our clients, our dealings with other professionals and our interactions with one another in the firm. We consistently align our behavior with the values we consider essential and of first importance: integrity, excellence, service, honesty, respect and teamwork.
 
Pro Bono
Committee Members       Examples      Resources

The firm's overall commitment to community service encompasses pro bono representation and participation in professional organizations. Most of the attorneys in our firm have at various times in their careers provided pro bono or volunteer legal services. The firm's policy on this subject is to be wholly supportive of these individual choices. As with all other kinds of community service, Winthrop & Weinstine will make support services, including secretarial, word processing, library and other resources, available to enable our attorneys to fulfill their interests in pro bono activities.

The firm in general is disinclined to clutter the landscape with red tape or any form of bureaucratic restriction on an attorney's pursuit of professional excellence and matters of conscience. Instead, we emphasize our commitment to all types of community service and encourage our attorneys to engage in these activities, including pro bono activities. The firm has established a Pro Bono Committee for the purpose of working with each attorney to ensure that all commitments to the firm and its pro bono clients, as well as to the community at large, can be fulfilled to the greatest satisfaction of all concerned.

Because we believe pro bono work provides a significant and valuable contribution to the community, Winthrop & Weinstine has implemented a compensation system that recognizes and provides credit for pro bono work when determining billable hour-based compensation bonuses.

We recognize that pro bono work provides a great opportunity for professional development and experience, as well as personal fulfillment and satisfaction. The skills, accomplishments and professional development of our attorneys are considered in total as part of the annual evaluation process. In addition to the credit for billable hour-based bonuses, to the extent that an individual's skills are enhanced or perfected through pro bono work, Winthrop & Weinstine will also recognize and reward such professional development as part of the overall evaluation process.

Committee Members
Tom Boyd
Tammera R. Diehm
John Knapp
Paul Markwardt

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Resources
Report on Pro Bono Appellate Programs

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Diversity
Diversity Committee      Diversity in Action      Links

Quote from Chair, Clayton W. Chan
"Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., is committed to embracing diversity at all levels of the workplace. Building a diverse team of talented individuals, each with their own unique backgrounds and experiences, allows us to continue to advance the best interests of our clients and our community by providing legal services of exceptional quality, innovative character and unsurpassed value.”

Statement of Purpose
Diversity is a central value of Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. We are committed to building a diverse workforce of talented individuals who will help us continue to put people first, build strong relationships, and discover new ways to serve our clients' interests.

Our Goals:

  • Continue to build a diverse team of talented individuals, each with their own unique backgrounds and experiences
  • Provide educational opportunities to enrich our knowledge and appreciation of diversity
  • Establish relationships and business connections that take advantage of the diverse community in which we live
  • Become a strong and connected member of the greater Twin Cities Community
Diversity Committee
The Diversity Committee was formed in 2005. Chaired by Clayton W. Chan, the committee is comprised of shareholders, associates and administrative management, and are charged with developing and implementing the firm’s diversity strategy. The Committee Members are:
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Diversity in Action
Attorneys and staff at Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A. are involved in a number of initiatives, activities and organizations, working to promote diversity in the legal community:
  • Member of Twin Cities Diversity in Practice Committee – a non-profit member association comprised of law firms and corporate law departments. The Committee works to support the efforts of its members to attract, recruit, advance and retain attorneys of color in the Twin Cities legal community, as well as to promote Minneapolis/St. Paul as a great place for attorneys of color to develop personally and professionally.
  • Formed a Diversity Committee to implement a firm-wide diversity strategy
  • Sponsorship and partnership opportunities, including Top Women in Finance, Hispanic Bar Association, Peony Festival, Minnesota American Indian Bar Association, Minnesota Minority Recruitment Conference
  • Encourage nominations for awards honoring diversity
  • Sponsorship and participation in charitable events and community involvement
  • Mentoring of Twin Cities law school students
  • Inclusion of ‘Discovering Diversity’ column in monthly Firm Newsletter
  • Offer domestic partner health benefits
  • MSBA's Minnesota Minority Clerkship Program
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Links
Professional Organizations:

Events:

Community Organizations:

Community Commitment
Committee Members       In Action

Chair, Brian W. Kensicki
Brian Kensicki, in addition to the time he puts in as a shareholder counseling clients in the area of corporate law, chairs the Community Commitment Committee. Brian strives to make a difference by volunteering in the community. “People think that one person can't make a difference, but you really can,” says Brian. “It doesn't need to be on a large scale, it can be making a difference to one person, family or community. That's what drives me and our committee. Besides, it feels good to give back.”
 
Statement of Purpose
Winthrop & Weinstine P.A., is not only committed to our clients, but also to the community in which we live in and work. We strive to make a difference in the community by volunteering our time and energy. Winthrop & Weinstine attorneys and staff participate in a variety of community-building activities and programs such as food drives and youth mentoring. Winthrop & Weinstine and its employees also contribute monetary donations to various charities and organizations.

Our Goals:

  • To serve the greater Twin Cities community by volunteering our time to projects that have the most impact and put people first.
  • Build strong relationships with our community and community partners to improve the quality of living.
Committee Members
Chaired by Brian W. Kensicki, the committee is comprised of shareholders, associates and administrative management and staff members.  The committee researches and selects community projects firm employees can participate in. The Committee Members are:
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In Action
Attorneys and staff at Winthrop & Weinstine, P.A., are involved in a variety of projects and activities that give back to the community in which we live and work in.

Click on the headings to be directed to their Web site.

Second Harvest Heartland
The firm partners with Second Harvest Heartland, the Upper Midwest's largest hunger relief organization, twice a year to collect food donations for deserving families. The food bank distributes large food donations to its 950 member agency programs in a 59-county region of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. The firm makes the food drive a competition among floors; in 2008, the firm surpassed 2007's collections by 20%. 
 
Feed My Starving Children
Feed My Starving Children is a Minnesota-based global hunger relief organization. Winthrop & Weinstine volunteers package a specially  formulated, highly nutritious meal pack for starving children for delivery all over the world.
Family Fun Factory – Homework ‘n' Hoops Carnival
The event is the kick-off to a year-long mentoring/homework program for students ages 8-12. The intent of the Homework ‘n' Hoops carnival is to make education fun. Volunteers work in pairs to help facilitate the activities to maximize the fun and the impact. Activities include word games, math games, science activities and recreational games.
Bus Shelter
The firm partners with Metro Transit to adopt a bus shelter. Volunteers ensure the bus shelter remains clean and clear of graffiti throughout the year.
Pajama Drive
The firm holds a drive for new pajamas for children currently living in a Minnesota crisis shelter, many who are waiting and hoping to be adopted. The Minnesota Chapter of the Pajama Program partners with approximately 42 shelters in the state of Minnesota. In 2008, the firm donated 130 pairs of pajamas, plus monetary contributions.
 
United Way/Community Shares
Each firm employee has the option of pledging a portion of their earnings to a charity or charities of their choice.
 
STEP-UP Program
Winthrop & Weinstine employs a high school student for the summer from the STEP-UP program, sponsored by the city of Minneapolis. The student gains real-world work experience, and the organization gains a motivated Minneapolis youth. The STEP-UP program provides students with comprehensive workforce-readiness training certified by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce that enables them to make positive and meaningful contributions to organizations.
Ronald McDonald House
Winthrop & Weinstine volunteers plan and serve meals at the Ronald McDonald House four times a year. The Cooks for Kids meal program is invaluable to the 48 families that stay there, and volunteers are what make it a success. The meals provided offer families financial relief, the opportunity to share a meal and build a sense of community, or the chance to simply reconnect with their own family members.
Suit Drive
Robert Half International (RHI) hosts a suit drive benefiting Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to women transitioning from unemployment to self-sufficiency. This organization addresses the “catch-22” for people who are out of work: without a job, they lack the means to purchase professional attire, yet they need appropriate clothing to obtain employment. The organization accepts new or nearly new women's suits (pants and skirts), blouses, shoes and accessories, including handbags and jewelry.

Helping Business Succeed by Putting People First

 
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