ABOUT
Deer Hill Legal and Mediation
DHLM is a corporate business law firm focused on providing business advice, in addition to arbitration and mediation services. Through ADR, part-time, fractional or hourly general counsel services, our law firm provides business-focused solutions to you and your clients. Our professionals have extensive experience, with expertise in fields including bankruptcy, creditor-debtor, business, manufacturing, commercial, food and agricultural supply chain, regulatory and sustainability concerns, products liability, complex litigation, construction, employment, general civil disputes, insurance, professional liability and malpractice, real estate, landlord/tenant, securities, and shareholder matters.
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We excel in understanding your unique business drivers and complexities. With our team's background in business, entrepreneurship, and multiple General Counsel roles, we are adept at crafting solutions that address critical concerns such as key supplier relationships, SEC and other regulatory compliance, financial considerations, and more.
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We are available to mediate globally and to arbitrate in Minnesota.
Our Team
Amanda Athayde
Founding Partner
Principal Mediator, Arbitrator (Rule 114 Qualified Neutral)
Amanda is an experienced business attorney with nearly two decades of experience in large law firms and in-house positions. She is the Founder of Deer Hill Legal and Mediation and specializes in providing innovative solutions to complex business disputes. Her breadth of corporate, real estate, franchise/dealer, manufacturing and M&A knowledge makes her an invaluable partner to her business clients. Amanda has worked for several prominent companies, including Taft (formerly Briggs & Morgan), Cargill, and Polaris, and has served as General Counsel for three public and private companies: Regis Corporation, Loram Maintenance, and LiveWire EV (a Harley-Davidson spinoff). She holds a J.D. and an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota, as well as a BA from American University in Washington, D.C. She is licensed to practice law in MN and WI and is also a licensed real estate broker in MN.
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Ms. Athayde has a reputation as a creative problem solver, a voice of truth, and a caring and thoughtful listener.
Lori J. Marco
Partner and Mediator
​Lori Marco joins Deer Hill Legal and Mediation after a twenty year career at Hormel Foods Corporation, where she was recruited from the large law firm, Taft (formerly Briggs and Morgan). After seven years of increasing responsibility, including antitrust, intellectual property, environmental law and food law, Lori was promoted to the executive leadership team as Senior Vice President of External Affairs & General Counsel. Her broad responsibilities included leading the regulatory affairs, legislative affairs, corporate communications & sustainability teams, in addition to leading all legal affairs for the company. Lori's deep understanding of business, especially in the food and agriculture space, and risk management make her an excellent resource for managing the legal, regulatory, external relations and practical needs of businesses. Lori holds a J.D. and a B.A. in biology from the University of Minnesota. She is licensed to practice in MN and IA, and is also a registered patent attorney.
Jason Barlett
Counsel
Jason Bartlett joins Deer Hill Legal and Mediation after a seventeen-year career at Hormel Foods Corporation. Jason is a trusted advisor to human resources professionals and business leaders regarding their complex labor and employment issues. Jason helps employers of all sizes navigate day-to-day employment law issues as they arise, including issues related to hiring, drug and alcohol testing, conducting back ground checks, discipline and termination decisions, leaves of absence, accommodations, performance management, and workplace investigations. Jason works with employers to keep their employee handbooks and policies compliant with new regulatory developments. Jason also represents employers in labor grievance arbitrations and defends employers in response to discrimination charges filed by state and federal administrative agencies. Jason holds a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and a B.A. from St. Cloud State University. MN licensed.
Susan Olson
Counsel
Sue Olson joins Deer Hill Legal and Mediation after a twenty-seven year career at Hormel Foods Corporation. Sue led the contracts team for over twenty years, with increasing levels of responsibility. She has a deep understanding of commercial contracting, and has managed complex supply chain contracts, as well as contracts for sales, private label agreements, ingredient purchases, direct and indirect procurement, IT contracts (software, hardware, and SaaS), and livestock procurement. Sue also served as a legal operations specialist, designing over 70 complex workflows that generated hundreds of contract variations with automated processing from intake through signature, thus optimizing contract workflows across organization while cutting turnaround time by 60 percent. Sue holds a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and a B.A. from Mankato State University. MN licensed.