Founded in 1948, Fredrikson  is a Minnesota-based law firm that prides itself on being “where law and business meet.” The firm has eight offices across the Midwest, along with two international locations in Mexico and China.

Business-Minded

Fredrikson & Byron attorneys offer business advice in conjunction with legal counsel in traditional legal areas including litigation, real estate, and intellectual property, to more consultative practices like government relations. Its litigation team is 80-plus lawyers strong and handles myriad matters, including antitrust, banking and financial services litigation, bankruptcy, commercial litigation, employment, franchise, government and regulatory, IP, securities, white collar, and more. The firm’s litigators also work in emerging areas of law, like artificial intelligence and electronic discovery.

On the transactional side, the firm has a busy M&A team, which according to the firm handles “billions in M&A and financing transactions each year.” Some of the firm’s M&A clients have included Thomson Reuters, Medtronic, MVC Capital, and Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto. The firm is also well regarded for its labor and employment work. Its lawyers assist clients with everything from discrimination to OSHA to wage and hour to employment agreements. They also work with clients on employee-reduction strategies, personnel policies and employee handbooks, training programs, and more.

The firm has a unique program for client feedback. Firm attorneys engage in informal client interviews and regular client check ins throughout a matter, and clients are provided formal reviews conducted by a member of the executive committee and the chief marketing officer. In addition to sharing feedback from formal reviews with the team serving the client, feedback from all reviews is aggregated and shared to help the firm identify trends and continually improve client service.

Culture with Intention

Fredrikson & Byron adheres to four main tenets in cultivating its culture: democratic management, entrepreneurial approach, stability, and balance. In terms of democratic management, the firm is managed by an elected board and provides associates with monthly financial updates. The firm embraces an entrepreneurial mindset in tackling career goals. According to the firm, its breadth of work and attorney experience provides stability. And the firm encourages lawyers to prioritize life outside of the office.