MINNEAPOLIS, July 18, 2016 – Cozen O’Connor is pleased to announce that it has expanded its Midwest presence with the addition of two international transactional partners, both of whom will reside in the firm’s Minneapolis office. Steven Dickinson joins Cozen O’Connor’s Business Law Department and will serve as co-chair of the firm’s International Practice Group. Barbara Müller also joins the firm’s Business Law Department. Their addition to Cozen O’Connor expands the firm’s international offering for U.S. companies investing or operating in other countries as well as international companies investing or operating in the United States. Both lawyers come to Cozen O’Connor from the Minneapolis office of Fredrikson & Bryon, P.A., where Mr. Dickinson chaired the firm’s cross-border mergers and acquisitions practice and was a former co-chair of its China practice.
Mr. Dickinson’s practice focuses on domestic and international mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, contract negotiations and other business transactions. He is widely regarded for his experience representing Asian and European companies making investments in, and participating in joint ventures in, the United States, as well as representing U.S. companies establishing or investing in businesses in other countries, including China. Mr. Dickinson also handles operational issues associated with business abroad, including international tax planning, financing and intellectual property matters, among others.
Ms. Müller focuses her practice on international finance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate formation, governance and renewable energies. Due to her law degrees in Germany and the United States, she is uniquely qualified to work with U.S. companies acquiring German companies, as well as German companies expanding to the United States. Ms. Müller also serves as the Honorary Consul of the Federal Republic of Germany for Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and three counties in Western Wisconsin. In that role, she works to promote German-U.S. relations in her district and assists U.S. and German citizens in a variety of legal and consular issues.
“Many Fortune 500 and large private companies across every major industry are headquartered in the Twin Cities,” said Michael J. Heller, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cozen O’Connor. “We have been strategic and opportunistic in an effort to build a deep bench to support our Midwest clients, and those clients seeking to do business in the Midwest region of the country. The addition of Steve and Barb is consistent with this strategy — and they will significantly strengthen our presence in Minneapolis.”
“Steve and Barb are exceptional transactional lawyers who will add depth to our already sophisticated domestic and international capabilities. Our clients will truly benefit from their skills and experience,” said Thomas G. Wallrich, office managing partner of the firm’s Minneapolis office. “They have immersed themselves in the business and the legal community in Minneapolis, and are highly regarded in the region for their counsel on complex global transactions. We are thrilled to have them join Cozen O'Connor.”
Cozen O’Connor opened its Minneapolis office in 2013 when it brought on transactional lawyers and litigators from law firm Hinshaw & Culbertson. In June 2015, Cozen O’Connor acquired 58 lawyers from Meckler Bulger Tilson in Chicago, and in October 2015, real estate attorney Steve Katkov joined the Minneapolis office. With the addition of Mr. Dickinson and Ms. Müller, the Minneapolis office will be home to 14 transactional and litigation lawyers.
Mr. Dickinson received his J.D. from University of Iowa in 1979. Ms. Müller completed her German law education in 1990 and received her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law in 1998.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970 and ranked among the top 100 law firms in America, Cozen O’Connor has more than 925 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor services its clients’ needs through 26 offices across two continents.
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