Minneapolis-Based National Litigation Firm Foley & Mansfield
Names Six New Partners

        Minneapolis, MN (March 6, 2006) - The national litigation firm of Foley & Mansfield has named six new partners.  Lori A. Cataldo, Jeffrey D. DeCarlo, Jana Marie Fried, Chris L. Goodman, Michael W. Newport, and Lisa A. Wallen are the firm’s newest partners.  Cataldo is located in the San Francisco office; DeCarlo and Fried are located in Miami; Goodman is in Minneapolis; Newport is located in St. Louis; and Wallen is in the Detroit office.

        Cataldo has extensive experience in asbestos and silica litigation and also represents clients in construction defect litigation.  Her trial experience includes successful mesothelioma defense verdicts and appeals.  Cataldo graduated cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota.  She is admitted to practice in California and Minnesota and is a member of the Defense Research Institute.

        DeCarlo practices complex commercial litigation, including intellectual property law, construction and employment law as well as insurance coverage litigation, and products liability.  He has extensive business litigation and employment law experience, having represented companies and individuals in business disputes and wrongful termination suits involving Title VII, ADA, ADEA, § 1981 and the Florida Civil Rights Act.  DeCarlo graduated cum laude from the University of Miami, School of Law and is admitted to practice in Florida.

        Fried focuses her practice on product liability and toxic torts with an emphasis on asbestos and silica cases.  She also represents clients in construction litigation, commercial disputes, and general liability defense.  Fried is a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Trial Lawyers Section of the Florida Bar, and the Defense Research Institute.  She graduated from the University of Miami School of Law and is admitted to practice in Florida.

        Goodman has a broad civil litigation practice with special emphasis on product liability and insurance litigation.  He represents manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, contractors, and subcontractors in a variety of product liability actions.  Goodman has been named a Rising Star in Minnesota for two years in a row, is a member of the American and Minnesota State Bar Associations and the Defense Research Institute.  He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School.

        Michael W. Newport has 26 years of legal experience in law firms and as in-house counsel.  At Foley & Mansfield, he focuses his practice on litigation in the areas of toxic tort and mass litigation, construction law, and employment law.  He also practices in the area of corporate transactions and is a mediator for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and the Circuit Court of the City of St. Louis.  Newport is a member of the Illinois, Missouri, and Metropolitan St. Louis Bar Associations.  He graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

        Wallen practices in the areas of product liability, construction law, environmental-spill defect work, and general defense litigation.  She has a background in federal administrative law and disability matters and works with Social Security disability claims.  Wallen is a member of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives, the Michigan Bar Association, and the Defense Research Institute.  She graduated from Wayne State University Law School.

        Founded in 1989, Foley & Mansfield is fast becoming one of the nation’s leading litigation law firms.  Its attorneys serve clients ranging in size from multi-million dollar corporations to small businesses and their owners in a wide range of civil litigation matters, including commercial litigation, construction law, employment litigation, environmental and pollution claims, insurance coverage matters, intellectual property, probate and trust, and product liability litigation, as well as commercial transactions and bankruptcy.  The firm is headquartered in Minneapolis and has additional offices in Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, St. Louis and San Francisco.