Three University of St. Thomas School of Law alumni have been selected by Minnesota Lawyer as 2018 Attorneys of the Year. John Darda ’07, Alyssa Troje ’10 and Jeff Storms ’06 were among this year’s honorees who were recognized at a ceremony on February 13. Award recipients are chosen for their leadership in the law profession, involvement in major cases or other newsworthy events, excellence in corporate or transactional services and public service.
Alyssa Troje
Darda and Troje, along with several other attorneys, were honored in the group category for their work on the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis Bankruptcy reorganization. Seven firms collaborated on the complex case that provided financial compensation to clergy sexual abuse survivors. Darda is a lawyer at Maslon LLP. Throughout the bankruptcy case Troje was practicing at DeWitt LLP. She is now a senior associate at Fredrikson and Byron, P.A.
John Darda
Storms, along with his colleague Jeff Montpetit of the firm SiebenCarey, received recognition in the teams category for their work on a wrongful death claim against Hennepin County. Storms is a partner with Newmark Storms Dworak LLP.
Also among the attorneys honored this year for their achievements were several individuals who volunteer with the law school’s Mentor Externship Program. This program pairs J.D. students with a local legal professional working in the student's area of interest to help them gain work experience, develop relationships and navigate the legal field.
Jeff Storms
The St. Thomas mentors recognized include Troje, Teresa Nelson (ACLU of Minnesota), Paul W. Godfrey (Minnesota State Bar Association) and Daniel R. Shulman (Gray Plant Mooty). Erik F. Hansen (Burns & Hansen, P.A.), who is also a mentor, was a member of the selection panel for this year’s awards.
Learn more about the 2018 Attorneys of the Year awards ceremony and all of this year’s honorees at minnlawyer.com.
