Elsa Bullard and Emily Bodtke Zambrana Named “Up & Coming Attorneys” by Minnesota Lawyer

Faegre Drinker partner Elsa Bullard and associate Emily Bodtke Zambrana have been named 2020 “Up & Coming Attorneys” by Minnesota Lawyer.

The “Up & Coming Attorney” recognition is given to distinguished lawyers within their first 10 years of practice. Criteria for selection include professional accomplishment, leadership, service to the community and service to the profession.

Bullard, a partner in the firm’s business litigation practice, leads clients through matters involving environmental litigation, defense of consumer claims and contract disputes. She is an active member of the Minneapolis community, serving on the boards of the Minnesota Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Minnesota Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research. Bullard also dedicates a significant portion of her practice to pro bono efforts, most recently serving as the coleader of a pro bono litigation team that for many years has been defending a death row inmate in Alabama in his post-conviction appeal and federal habeas corpus petition after a murder conviction.

Zambrana, an associate in the firm’s product liability & mass torts practice, defends food and agribusiness companies and medical device manufacturers in litigation. As a member of the firm’s nationally ranked product liability practice, she represents clients in a wide variety of litigation matters, including consumer fraud, toxic tort, personal injury, and contract disputes. Zambrana has been involved in several key pro bono projects, including as a team member that obtained asylum on behalf of an immigration client after remand from the Board of Immigration Appeals. She has also volunteered with the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Clinic and the VLN Housing Court Project.

“Up & Coming Attorneys” will be honored during a virtual awards event on September 9, 2020. The Minnesota Lawyer will also honor “Unsung Legal Heroes” at the ceremony, a group that comprises support staff, marketers, educators and others in supporting roles. Faegre Drinker’s “Unsung Legal Heroes” this year include Molly C. Gulbrandson, senior paralegal, Yvonne Miller, senior director of human resources, and Rachel Zacharias, financial systems analyst.

See the full list of “Up & Coming Attorneys” and “Unsung Legal Heroes.”