Christopher W. Madel

A partner and Chair of the firm’s Business Litigation department, Chris Madel is regularly sought after to represent corporations, law firms, and individuals in their most sensitive and grave matters.  He has represented corporations, law firms, and individuals in many delicate and high-profile investigations and lawsuits (civil and criminal), including trying numerous cases before juries and judges.  His substantive experience includes representing clients in substantial minority-shareholder disputes, billion-dollar claims in connection with major corporate acquisitions, alleged theft of trade secrets, computer hacking, corporate espionage, allegations of attorney malpractice and misconduct, as well as defending claims brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies relating to alleged regulatory violations and white-collar crimes.

Mr. Madel’s work has received praise from clients, the media, and even his adversaries.  By way of a few examples, in 2014, he led an internal investigation into the Minnesota Vikings’ release of its former punter, Chris Kluwe.  Both the Vikings and Mr. Kluwe’s counsel praised the resulting report.  In 2010, Mr. Madel led an internal investigation into allegations that the Fiesta Bowl (located in Phoenix, Arizona) had reimbursed employees for campaign contributions, that a prior investigation had covered-up criminal conduct, and that the Fiesta Bowl had made numerous other improper expenditures.  His investigation received widespread praise, including from the Arizona Attorney General, the Arizona Republic’s Editorial Board, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) Task Force formed to review the report, the NCAA’s President, and other media and legal commentators.  And finally, Mr. Madel and a former partner defended Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett against felony criminal charges.  Upon his acquittal of all charges after jury trial, Mr. Puckett told the gathered media that he “had the greatest lawyers in the world.”

Mr. Madel is well known as an aggressive, creative, and highly intelligent advocate for his clients.  A 2011 Minneapolis/St. Paul StarTribune article about Mr. Madel entitled, “He pursues fraud with tenacity of linebacker,” stated:  “What Madel cares about is fraud. Often, he’s working for people or companies accused of committing it or other crimes. But the Minneapolis attorney has also earned a growing national profile as the lawyer companies and organizations turn to when they think they’re being ripped off by their own senior executives.”

Mr. Madel has received numerous awards for his work. He is the first lawyer that The Minnesota Lawyer selected as “Attorney of the Year” for three consecutive years (2011, 2012, and 2013).  The National Trial Lawyers Association named him as a “Top 100 Trial Lawyer” in 2012, 2013, and 2014.  His peers have selected him as a “Super Lawyer” in every year since 2003.  And in late 2012, Mr. Madel appeared on the cover of the premier issue of Attorney at Law magazine in Minnesota.  The article regarding Mr. Madel concluded by stating, “Whether it’s seeing to it that justice is served or ensuring that his clients are acquitted, Christopher Madel represents either side of the table with integrity, staunch loyalty and legal expertise that continue to set the benchmark in local, regional and national cases.”