Derek Dixon

Zimmerman Reed is excited to welcome Katja D. Lange as an associate attorney in our Minneapolis office. Katja will be joining our Consumer Protection and Public Client practices.

Katja earned her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School and B.S. in Political Science and Economics from Northeastern University. She serves as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, where she coaches a Moot Court Competition Team. Prior to joining Zimmerman Reed, she clerked for Chief Judge Jennifer L. Frisch of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

We’re proud to share that ZR Managing Partner June Pineda Hoidal was named Lawyer of the Year in Minneapolis for Mass Tort Litigation / Class Actions in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers in America. This is an honor given to just one attorney per practice area in each metropolitan region.

We’re also celebrating five additional ZR attorneys who were recognized in the 2026 Edition of Best Lawyers in America, an acknowledgment of their exceptional work and steadfast dedication to our clients. Honored for their excellence in Class Action, Antitrust, Public Client, and Mass Tort Litigation, we congratulate:

• Gordon Rudd
• Brian Gudmundson
• David Cialkowski
• Behdad Sadeghi
• Carolyn Glass Anderson 

ZR’s Nare Kupelian was also named to the 2026 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list. This distinction recognizes early-career attorneys demonstrating exceptional promise and dedication in the legal field.

For over 40 years, Best Lawyers has been regarded as one of the most respected peer-review honors in the legal profession. These accolades are determined through confidential evaluations by leading attorneys nationwide.

To learn more, visit bestlawyers.com. 

We’re proud to share that ZR Managing Partner, Caleb Marker, has been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers list. This honor reflects the firm’s long standing commitment to fighting for fair and equitable pay for women, challenging the misclassification of gig drivers as independent contractors, and championing critical employee rights.

Read more about this recognition on Lawdragon’s website.

Zimmerman Reed is proud to celebrate  its attorneys who have been selected as 2025 Super Lawyers and Rising Star Honorees. Additionally, David Cialkowski and June Hoidal were named to the list of Top 100 Minnesota Super Lawyers, and June was further honored among the Top 50 Women Minnesota Super Lawyers.

Super Lawyers honorees:

• Gordon Rudd
• June Pineda Hoidal
• Caleb Marker
• Brian Gudmundson
• David Cialkowski
• Behdad Sadeghi
• Carolyn Glass Anderson
• Jeff Westerman

Rising Star honorees:

• Michael Laird
• Chuck Toomajian III
• Rachel Tack
• Molly Billion
• Zach Freese

To learn more about the Super Lawyers and Rising Stars and see the full lists, visit here.

Zimmerman Reed is excited to welcome three outstanding law students to our 2025 Summer Associate program. These individuals will gain hands-on experience across our practice areas while collaborating with attorneys in our Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Phoenix offices.

Join us in welcoming our 2025 summer associate class:

Akeem Anderson – Akeem is currently pursuing his J.D. at the University of Minnesota Law School and is also earning a Ph.D. in American Studies. Akeem earned his B.A. in African Diaspora Studies from Dartmouth College.

Pablo Manon Mateos – Pablo is a J.D. candidate at Harvard Law School, where he serves as Executive Technical Editor of the Harvard Civil Rights–Civil Liberties Law Review and  Co-President of the Harvard Plaintiffs’ Law Association.

Gabriel Rivin – Gabriel is a law student at the USC Gould School of Law. A cum laude graduate of the University of Michigan, he holds a B.A. in English.

We’re thrilled to welcome Akeem, Pablo, and Gabriel to the firm and look forward to the perspectives and contributions they will bring.

Zimmerman Reed is delighted to welcome Zain Shirazi as the newest attorney in our Minneapolis office.

Zain brings a rare blend of courtroom experience, policy acumen, and commitment to justice. Most recently, he served as Senior Counsel to Vice Chair Jocelyn Samuels at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where he helped shape national policy on workplace discrimination, advised on litigation strategy, and guided the Commission’s legal thinking on emerging issues at the intersection of artificial intelligence, civil rights, and DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility).

Before his federal service, Zain was an Assistant Public Defender in Maryland, where he first or second chaired more than 15 jury trials and 100 bench trials. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Virginia A. Phillips of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California and began his legal career as an associate at Jenner & Block LLP. Zain is a graduate of UCLA School of Law, where he was a member of the UCLA Law Review and specialized in Critical Race Studies.

Zain’s experience was recently highlighted in The New Yorker’s piece, “We Are Considering You As Being Terminated,” which details how he began his mission to promote equity through the law.  Zain’s passion for defending the rights of workers and individuals makes him a perfect addition to ZR.

We’re proud to share that Zimmerman Reed partners Brian Gudmundson and Dave Cialkowski have been named to the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Global Plaintiff Lawyers. This annual list honors the most accomplished and influential plaintiff lawyers worldwide—advocates who are leading the fight for justice in areas ranging from consumer rights and antitrust to data privacy and mass torts.

Brian and Dave’s selection reflects their leadership and unwavering commitment to standing up for individuals, businesses, and communities harmed by misconduct.

You can read more about the recognition on Lawdragon’s website.

Zimmerman Reed is proud to congratulate Caleb Marker and Jeff Westerman for being named 2025 Southern California Super Lawyers.

This honor demonstrates the high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement that Caleb and Jeff have attained. Super Lawyers selection is reserved for outstanding lawyers identified through a multiphase selection process, including peer nominations and independent research. Candidates are evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. To learn more about the Super Lawyers selection process, click here.

At our firm, the pursuit of justice is more than a principle—it’s a commitment woven into our mission. Few days resonate with our mission as deeply as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a time to reflect on the profound impact of his fight for equal rights, desegregation, and justice for all. But this day can and should be more than a moment of reflection—it’s an opportunity to take action, make a difference, and continue Dr. King’s legacy. Here are a few meaningful ways to honor his life and carry his mission forward:

1. Learn and Educate Yourself – Dive deeper into the history of the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King’s vital contributions. Attend local events, explore museums, read books, and watch documentaries that bring this pivotal time in history to life. Education is a powerful tool for understanding the past and shaping a better future.
2. Support Local Organizations – Take action in your own community by supporting organizations dedicated to promoting civil rights. Volunteer your time, attend MLK Day events, or make a donation to causes that advance equality and justice. Even small acts of support can make a big impact.
3. Commit Beyond the Day – Honoring Dr. King’s legacy shouldn’t end when the day is over. Commit to integrating his teachings into your daily life. Speak out against injustices, challenge biases, and work to address racism and inequality in your community. Change starts with continuous effort.

As Dr. King famously said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Let’s honor his life by taking these words to heart—not just today, but every day. Together, we can build a more just and equitable world.

Zimmerman Reed is pleased to announce that Ryan J. Ellersick and Rachel K. Tack have been named Partners of the firm, effective January 1, 2025. “Ryan and Rachel have both demonstrated exceptional skill, leadership, and dedication during their time at ZR, and we’re proud to welcome them to the firm’s Partnership,” said Managing Partner Gordon Rudd. “We’re excited to support them in their new roles as they build on their successes and continue to deliver outstanding results for our clients.”

Ryan joined ZR in 2023, practicing in the firm’s consumer protection, antitrust, and privacy groups. Ryan is currently litigating multiple data privacy cases against large healthcare providers and retailers. He is also pursuing numerous cases involving false and deceptive advertising for health and wellness products and mobile apps targeting children. Ryan joined the firm after serving 10 years at the U.S. Department of Justice. At DOJ, he began as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Arizona, investigating and prosecuting over 300 cases and trying eight jury trials to verdict. He also served as a Trial Attorney with DOJ in the Public Integrity Section, where he conducted a three-week jury trial against a former member of Congress for fraud and other misconduct. Before leaving DOJ, Ryan was Chief of the Financial Crimes & Public Corruption Section. He oversaw investigations and prosecutions into white-collar offenses including mail and wire fraud, COVID fraud, tax offenses, securities fraud, cryptocurrency scams, and public corruption.

Rachel joined ZR in 2020 and focuses her practice on consumer protection and privacy litigation. Rachel is currently litigating a series of cases against large defendant companies for greenwashing and false and deceptive advertising claims, including companies making representations related to their impact on the environment and the health and safety of their products. She is also pursuing several data privacy cases against healthcare providers and retailers for their use of website tracking technologies and their failure to secure consumer data. During her time at ZR, Rachel has litigated against large vehicle manufacturers for allegedly failing to disclose life threatening defects in certain vehicles and several insurance companies for allegedly refusing to pay legitimate COVID-19 business loss claims. Federal district courts have appointed Rachel to serve on Plaintiffs’ Executive Committees to oversee various litigations and advocate on behalf of tens of millions of data breach victims and a Superior Court in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts appointed Rachel as Interim Co-Lead Counsel to manage litigation on behalf of consumers alleging violations of their privacy through defendant’s use of online tracking technologies.