Dykema Opens Minneapolis Office with Addition of Top Corporate, Commercial and Intellectual Property Lawyers

Dykema, a leading national law firm, today announced that it is expanding its platform with a new office in Minneapolis, the firm’s first office in the state. The office, which is Dykema’s 12th nationwide, will be anchored by top corporate and commercial lawyer Joe Roach, who joins from Briggs and Morgan, and by top intellectual property lawyer Reed Heimbecher, formerly of St. Jude Medical. Dykema’s new office will be located in the Wells Fargo Center.

Minneapolis is a dynamic Midwestern city and one of the premier medical device centers in the country. The progressive business community is also home to numerous Fortune 500 companies including Target Corporation, UnitedHealth Group, 3M, US Bancorp, General Mills, and Xcel Energy, among others. Dykema’s new office will provide the “boots on the ground” for the firm’s sophisticated practices in the areas of financial services, energy, biotech, life sciences and medical devices. The firm looks to add several intellectual property, litigation and corporate lawyers to the new office over the coming weeks.

“Dykema has a long history of representing major industries rooted in Minneapolis, including counseling many financial institutions, medical device companies and energy facilities headquartered in the region,” said Peter Kellett, Dykema’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Joe and Reed bring decades of legal experience, successful practice group leadership, and respected community ties. Establishing a presence in Minneapolis at this time is a natural extension of our firm strategy to build our national platform with extremely talented and well-respected lawyers in key practice areas.”

The new lawyers bring practices that are highly complementary to Dykema nationally, while giving the firm an established presence in Minnesota, one of the largest legal markets in the country.

“As the legal industry and the needs of clients continue to evolve, I was looking for a platform with greater breadth and depth, and Dykema provides an ideal fit as a Midwest-based firm with a national presence,” said Roach, who will serve as Dykema's office managing member in Minneapolis. “I believe Dykema’s sophisticated practices, efficient platform and commitment to client service allows the firm to drive exceptional value to clients.”

“As an in-house lawyer for the past several years, I've worked with many law firms and believe Dykema provides a compelling value. The firm’s lawyers are uniquely skilled and understand their clients’ businesses beyond a purely legal focus. Additionally, the firm is unwavering in its institutional commitment and vigilance to client service. I am excited to join this impressive national team,” stated Heimbecher.

Advancing Dykema’s National Strategy

The Minneapolis announcement follows the firm’s expansion in recent years into Charlotte, North Carolina and Dallas, Texas, as well as continued growth in key markets including Detroit, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

As a premier firm with Midwestern roots, Dykema has developed a national footprint focused on serving Fortune 1000 and middle-market companies. Building on its roots and driven by the needs of its clients, the firm has extended its platform nationally by developing sophisticated practices in areas including automotive, consumer financial services, energy and electric distribution, international counsel, infrastructure finance, intellectual property and pharmaceutical/medical device litigation. With over 350 lawyers, Dykema continues to engage in strategic expansion discussions with leading attorneys who can add further depth to key practices.

About the Lawyers

Joseph Roach counsels clients on commercial lending, corporate law, commercial real estate, bankruptcy, regulatory and mergers and acquisitions matters. He joined the Briggs and Morgan Business Law Department as a shareholder in 2007. Prior to his legal career, Roach worked for more than 10 years in commercial banking, where he was directly involved in lending and loan workouts, and also served in various management positions.

Roach is admitted to practice in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa, and the respective federal district courts. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Tax Court, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th and 8th circuits. He received a B.B.A. in finance and a B.S. in economics from Iowa State University and a J.D. from Hamline School of Law.

Reed Heimbecher joins Dykema from St. Jude Medical, where he served as Vice President, Intellectual Property and Chief Patent Counsel for the Atrial Fibrillation Division. A registered patent lawyer practicing for more than two decades, Heimbecher joined St. Jude in 2005 after working for several years as outside counsel for a division of the company. Prior to making the move in-house, Heimbecher was the founding member of Heimbecher & Assoc. and previously headed Dorsey & Whitney’s patent practice group for Colorado, Montana and Utah.

Heimbecher is admitted to practice in Minnesota, Colorado and California, and in federal district courts in Colorado and California. He is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Federal Circuit. A frequent author and lecturer on IP matters, Heimbecher earned a B.S. in aerospace engineering from the University of Colorado and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.