Legal Services / Fractional General Counsel / Mediation / Arbitration
ABOUT US
Four attorneys. Over 103 years of combined experience.
Through 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 alternative dispute resolution, 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.
Practical Solutions for the Real World.​​
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.​
Why We're Different
We've Sat in Your Seat
Our attorneys have been General Counsel. We've managed budgets, reported to boards, and made the calls when the answer wasn't clear. We bring that judgment to every engagement.
Business First
We don't just identify risks; we help you weigh them against business objectives. Our job is to help you move forward, not to create obstacles.
Breadth Without Bureaucracy
You get a team with experience across dozens of practice areas, without the overhead and coordination challenges of a large firm.
We Speak Your Language
We've worked in manufacturing, food and agriculture, consumer products, franchising, energy, and technology. We understand supply chains, regulatory agencies, and what keeps operators up at night.
Meet Our Team
Amanda P. Athayde
Founding Partner
Mediator, Arbitrator
(Rule 114 Qualified Neutral)
Amanda founded Deer Hill Legal and Mediation after serving as General Counsel for three public and private companies: Regis Corporation, Loram Maintenance, and LiveWire EV (a Harley-Davidson spinoff). Before moving in-house, she practiced at Taft (formerly Briggs & Morgan) and held senior legal and business roles at Cargill and Polaris.
Her practice spans corporate transactions, business operations, real estate, franchise and dealer matters, manufacturing, and M&A. Clients and colleagues describe her as a creative problem solver, a voice of truth, and a thoughtful listener.
Amanda holds a J.D. and an MBA in Finance from the University of Minnesota, and a B.A. from American University. She is licensed in Minnesota and Wisconsin and is a licensed real estate broker in Minnesota.
Lori J. Marco
Partner and Mediator
Lori joins Deer Hill after a twenty-year career at Hormel Foods Corporation, where she rose to Senior Vice President of External Affairs and General Counsel. In that role, she led the company's legal, regulatory affairs, legislative affairs, corporate communications, and sustainability teams.
Before her promotion to the executive leadership team, Lori spent seven years handling antitrust, intellectual property, environmental, and food law matters. She was recruited to Hormel from Taft (formerly Briggs & Morgan).
Lori's deep understanding of business operations, particularly in food and agriculture, combined with her risk management expertise, makes her an invaluable resource for companies navigating legal, regulatory, and external relations challenges.
Lori holds a J.D. and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Minnesota. She is licensed in Minnesota and Iowa and is a registered patent attorney.
Susan Olson
Counsel
Sue joins Deer Hill after a twenty-seven-year career at Hormel Foods Corporation, where she led the contracts team for over twenty years. She managed complex commercial agreements across supply chain, sales, private label, ingredient procurement, IT (software, hardware, and SaaS), and livestock purchasing.
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. Her systems cut contract turnaround time by 60 percent.
Sue holds a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law and a B.A. from Mankato State University. She is licensed in Minnesota.
Lori C. Kinkade
Principal (N-EQ) and Mediator
Lori joins Deer Hill after an eighteen-year career at David’s Bridal, Inc., where she led the legal team as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel. In this role, she provided global legal guidance across organizational risk and compliance, corporate governance, marketing, e-commerce, privacy, store operations, product regulations, customer service, and labor and employment matters - including management-side advisory work and litigation management.
Prior to joining David’s Bridal, Lori held senior in-house counsel roles with both The May Department Stores and Macy’s, which included ten years as a multi-jurisdictional in-house employment litigator. Drawing on her experience as a litigator, she brings a nuanced understanding of the litigation process to the advice and counsel she provides her clients.
Lori earned her J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and she is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, Missouri and Illinois. Lori also serves as an officer and director on several non-profit boards.