New Lommen Abdo Law Firm Will Combine Litigation, Business and National Entertainment Strengths
The new year is bringing together two long-standing Midwest-based law firms to create a new firm whose combined talents deepen its collective practice areas and sharpen its competitive edge – all to the benefit of their clients locally, nationally and internationally. Lommen Abdo will open its doors January 1, 2006, combining Lommen, Nelson, Cole & Stageberg, P.A. with Abdo, Abdo, Broady & Satorius, P.A. The official name will be "Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King & Stageberg, P.A." The firm will be marketed as "Lommen Abdo." The five-member Abdo firm will relocate to the offices of the 27-lawyer Lommen Nelson firm on the 20th floor of the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis. The firm also has offices in Hudson, Wisconsin.
Lommen Nelson’s reputation for complex litigation and appeals will combine with the respected practices of the Abdo firm in business transactions and disputes, artist advocacy and entertainment law, to give two already high-profile firms – with almost 155 years of combined practice – even more capacity for client service, competitive resources and leverage in the marketplace. Both firms have previously offered a wide array of legal services and the combination of the two firms will augment the litigation and business practices of each firm.
"Both legal entities are coming at this from positions of strength," Lommen Nelson President Phillip A. Cole says. "The Lommen Abdo name was selected because we want to emphasize both the expanded litigation and the expanded corporate resources of the two firms that are linked together in the new firm."
Complementary Combination
"There have been a lot of law firm mergers, but what makes this combination of firms unique is the glove-like fit of complementary areas of practice," adds Robert P. Abdo, President of the Abdo firm. "Neither firm needed to merge. However, the combination of the two provides greater benefits to the clients of each firm by deepening the resources that are now available when the client’s need arises. It’s a winning combination of two successful firms that will immediately expand their combined business presence and litigation practices."
Lommen Abdo will remain the Midwest’s largest entertainment law firm with its nationally recognized practice led by Daniel M. Satorius and Kenneth J. Abdo, both of whom have national reputations and have led national professional associations. Dan Satorius has served on several regional and national boards in the independent film industry, including the Independent Film Projects Board of Directors for Minnesota and New York. Ken Abdo recently served as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries and was the first Chair to hail from the Midwest. In October, he presided over the ABA’s recent annual meetings in Los Angeles and New York.
"For our existing clients, the transition will be seamless, without any noticeable change other than a substantial increase in firepower and the availability of broader experience in all practice areas," Ken Abdo notes. "Lommen Abdo will debut on the national music scene as the exclusive law firm sponsor and presenter of the continuing legal education seminars at the South by Southwest Music Conference in Austin, Texas in March 2006." Both Ken Abdo and Dan Satorius will be featured lecturers.
Lommen Abdo Practice Areas and Management Structure
The combined firm’s practice areas include artist advocacy and entertainment law, commercial transactions, business and corporate, the selection and creation of the best type of entities for business clients, mergers and acquisitions, securities, contracts, real estate, privacy issues, taxation, employment, environmental/land use, finance, intellectual property and technology, commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, wrongful death, products liability, mass torts and class actions, anti-trust, insurance coverage, appeals, mediation and arbitration, and estate and succession planning.
Phil Cole serves as President of the new firm, while Bob Abdo will join the board of directors and serve as a Vice President. Bob Abdo will also co-chair the firm’s Corporate Practice Section with Roger V. Stageberg, a former president of the Minnesota State Bar Association. Ken Abdo, Keith Broady and Dan Satorius will also serve as Vice Presidents. Dan Satorius and Ken Abdo will co-chair the Entertainment & Intellectual Property Section.
About Lommen, Nelson, Cole & Stageberg
Lommen Nelson has its roots in the 1940s. It has taken on leadership roles in national anti-trust, mass tort, vaccine and legal malpractice litigation matters. Once known as an insurance defense firm, over the past three decades, its litigation focus has shifted to include commercial litigation, medical malpractice, wrongful death and other complex litigation and appeals. The firm has also expanded its corporate practice in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, tax and estate planning practice. It has also expanded the business practice of its Hudson office, which was opened over 20 years ago. Through the years, Lommen Nelson has continued to successfully reposition its overall practice with several strategic mergers and lateral hires.
Lommen Nelson’s corporate clients include entrepreneurs and mid-size local, regional, national and international businesses, many of which are family-owned or closely held, including companies such as Kulkoni, Inc., Vertin Companies, Catalog Marketing Services, Inc. and ZipSort, Inc. Litigation clients include businesses; construction companies and real estate developers; other lawyers sued for negligence or involved in licensing matters; executives involved in non-compete or separation disputes; people injured through medical negligence, auto accidents, or defective products; those harmed by anti-trust or securities violations; and creditors caught in bankruptcy disputes.
It is an active participant in the International Lawyers Network, an association of 85 high-quality, full-service law firms with over 4,500 lawyers worldwide. The Network provides clients with easily accessible legal services in 61 countries on six continents.
About Abdo, Abdo, Broady & Satorius
Founded in 1936 by E. John Abdo, who is survived by his lawyer-sons Bob and Ken Abdo, the Abdo firm has evolved from a general civil practice to a locally and nationally recognized business, entertainment law and business litigation firm. Business clients have included: Time Warner, Inc., Hubbard Broadcasting, ADT Security Services, Crown Bank and Associated Bank.
Lommen Abdo will also expand upon the Abdo firm’s entertainment law practice whose clients have included: Grammy® Award nominated recording artists such as Jonny Lang, Michelle Branch, and Garrison Keillor; established artists such as Bobby Caldwell, The Replacements, Soul Asylum, Semisonic, Prince’s record company - NPG Records; and rising stars such as Anna Nalick, Vienna Teng, and Keri Noble. Clients also include numerous award winning motion pictures and television programs and producers including projects achieving Academy Awards®, Peabody Awards®, Emmy Awards®, and Sundance Film Festival® awards and nominations, producers, publishers, distributors, authors, major market radio disc jockeys, TV anchors, program directors, managers, and other performers in the music, motion picture, television, book publishing, computer and interactive media industries.
Tradition of Community Service Will Continue
Participating in community and professional association activities has always been important to the lawyers of both firms. Many lawyers in the combined firm serve or have served as Mayors, on city councils, committees, school boards, non-profit boards, legal aid agencies, and as leaders of state and national bar associations. Providing pro bono services to the disadvantaged has also been a tradition of each of these firms, and that tradition will continue with the new Lommen Abdo.
Ken Abdo Selected National Chair of Recording Academy’s Entertainment Law Initiative
Ken Abdo, shareholder of Lommen Abdo, has been selected as National Chair of the Recording Academy’s Entertainment Law Initiative (ELI). The recording Academy is the presenter of the Grammy® Awards. ELI is a part of the Grammy® Foundation. ELI’s executive committee is comprised of the nation’s most prominent music lawyers. Each year, ELI hosts various legal education and advocacy programs across the country, including a national writing contest for law students for which an awards luncheon is held annually during Grammy week.
Ehrich Koch to Serve on Board of Advisors
Ehrich Koch, a litigation shareholder at Lommen Abdo, has accepted the invitation of the executive editor of Brownstone Publishers, Inc. (Fifth Ave., New York) to serve on the board of advisors for Brownstone’s newsletter for school curriculum directors. Ehrich has written articles for Brownstone’s publications. The premier issue of the newsletter for curriculum directors will include an article by Ehrich Koch on the teaching of science and Intelligent Design theory.
Lommen Abdo Client Wins Best in Fest
The feature film of Lommen Abdo client, Ali Selim, SWEET LAND, won the Audience Award at the 2006 Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival. The film played to a turn-them-away audience of over 700 people. The film is based on a short story about a Norwegian farmer and his mail-order bride in Northwest Minnesota in the years following WWII. SWEET LAND is beautifully filmed and wonderfully acted. It has won awards across the United States, including the Audience Awards for Best Narrative Film at the Hamptons and Sedona International Film Festivals and the Audience Awards for Best Narrative Film at the Florida, Vail and Wisconsin Film Festivals. Plans are being made for the theatrical distribution of the film. More information is available at www.sweetlandmovie.com.
Lommen Abdo Client Wins Academy of Country Music Award
Lommen Abdo client, songwriter and recording artist of Sugarland, Kristen Hall and Sugarland were recently nominated for a Grammy® and an Academy of Country Music Award. She, and the group, won the ACM award for “Top New Duo or Vocal Group.” More information is available at www.acmcountry.com.
Stacey DeKalb Advises on Noncompete Agreements in Business Journal
Stacey DeKalb, chair of Lommen Abdo’s Employment Practices, was featured in the May 12th Shop Talk column of the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, addressing the question: “Should business owners add a noncompete clause in their contracts with essential employees?” She advised: “Business owners should include noncompetition, nonsolicitation and confidentiality clauses in contracts with employees who are in positions to gain valuable knowledge and/or develop key relationships. Such employees can harm the business if they leave and compete using the knowledge and relationships they’ve developed. Tailor your noncompete clauses to preclude a former employee from working for a competitor for a period of time sufficient to fill the gap left by the separating employee. Do not weaken your position by requiring noncompete agreements with those employees who do not garner confidential information or key relationships with clients.”
Vaccine Brochure Sent to Minnesota and Wisconsin Doctors
Lommen Abdo recently provided information about vaccine injuries and the national no-fault compensation program to over 5,000 Minnesota and Wisconsin health care providers. Vaccine administration is part of the everyday preventive health care provided to patients. Having eradicated once devastating diseases such as polio and small pox, vaccines have also greatly reduced morbidity from other disease such as measles and rubella. In most cases, persons who receive a vaccine have little or no adverse effect from the vaccine. However, in rare situations, a patient may have a significant adverse reaction to the vaccination causing serious, permanent injury. When such a situation arises, the patient may be entitled to compensation for those injuries under the no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act (“the Act”). Sheila Bjorklund, a shareholder with Lommen Abdo, provides assistance to doctors, patients and other lawyers in handling vaccine injury cases and practices before the Federal Court of Claims. If you would like to receive one of the vaccine injury brochures, please contact Beth Ryan at 800-752-4297 or bethr@lommen.com.
Lommen Abdo Is Sponsor of New ABI Handbook
The Unsecured Trade Creditors Committee of the American Bankruptcy Institute has printed a new book, “Preference Defense Handbook,” written by Deborah Thorne, Jesus Batista, David Wheeler and Carrie Foster. The 104-page book pulls together sample cases organized by circuit to assist practitioners and credit professionals in evaluating the available defenses that may be asserted in a preference avoidance action. Lommen Abdo is one of the sponsoring firms and is included on the Sponsor Page at the front of the book. For more information about preference claims’ defenses, contact Deb Swenson or Margie Bodas at Lommen Abdo.
