Alana K. Bassin

Alana Bassin is a trial attorney representing Fortune 500 companies in product liability, medical device, commercial litigation and general liability defense. She has defended individual and mass tort actions across the country involving high-exposure catastrophic injury and wrongful death cases.

Her extensive litigation experience includes defending medical devices, energy and industrial equipment, electrical and building components, chemical products and medical negligence cases. Alana served as lead counsel for a medical supply manufacturer in a mass tort involving alleged contaminated products. She represented the company amidst a recall, an FDA raid and an unprecedented media campaign resulting in numerous wrongful death claims. She is currently national counsel for company that has medical device products used for spinal fusions, as well as a manufacturer of men's health products and devices.

Alana serves as national counsel for a global energy powerhouse, where she first-chaired a multi-million dollar catastrophic injury gas explosion case alleging non-compliance with OSHA regulations. She also defended a chemical manufacturer in a wrongful death case before a jury in Texas. She has also first chaired several wrongful death medical negligence cases and has tried several commercial matters involving the Lanham Act and False Claims Act.

Alana frequently speaks on the professional development of women in the legal community.

Her representative experience includes:

Lead counsel in medical device and pharmaceutical cases, including mass torts, related to ambulation devices, defibrillators, heart pumps, dialysis cases, hearing aids, skin and hair products, implantable catheters, spinal fusion products and men's health implants
National product liability counsel for a global energy powerhouse
National representation of a Fortune 100 company for building products, climate control solutions, HVAC and security systems
Defense counsel for a large chemical, cleaner and pesticide company on the national level
Lead counsel for a major long-term care providers and other medical care companies

Bar Admissions

Minnesota, 1996
North Dakota, 1996

Court Admissions

U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court District of North Dakota

Education

University of North Dakota School of Law, J.D., 1996

with distinction
Regional Moot Court Competition
Board of Editors, North Dakota Law Review
Queen's University, Bachelor of Commerce, 1993

with honors
Queen's University, B.A., 1993

Memberships

Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity
—Fellow, 2011
Defense Research Institute
ABA Litigation Section, Trial Practice Subcommittee, 2008 - 2011
—Co-Chair of Program Development
—Vice Chair, 2011
ABA Litigation Section, Women Advocate Subcommittee, 2007 - 2008
—Past Co-Chair of Work Life Balance
WomenWinning
—Board of Directors, 2013 - 2016
Care Providers of Minnesota
North Dakota State Board of Law Examiners
Minnesota State Bar Association

Distinctions

Minnesota Lawyer
—"Attorney of the Year," 2015
The Legal 500
—Named in Litigation: Product Liability Defense, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices, 2014 - 2015
Benchmark Litigation
—Local Litigation Star, 2016
—"Future Star," 2014 - 2015
Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
—40 Under 40, 2010
Super Lawyers Magazine
—"Top Woman Attorney in Minnesota," 2015
—Minnesota Super Lawyers, 2014 – 2017
—Minnesota Rising Stars, 2001 – 2010

Recent Verdicts & Case Studies

CASE RESULTS DEPEND UPON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH CASE. CASE RESULTS DO NOT GUARANTEE OR PREDICT A SIMILAR RESULT IN ANY FUTURE CASE.

Case	Date	Practice	Industry
Siemens Not Liable for Texas Gas Plant Explosion	Nov 10, 2014		Agricultural, Construction and Industrial Equipment
Long-Term Care Facility Arbitration Ends	Aug 31, 2013	General Liability Litigation	Healthcare
Successful Opposition to Dismiss and Enforce Arbitration Agreement	Nov 01, 2011
Arbitration of Wrongful Death Case	Dec 30, 2010		Healthcare
Smothers v. Ecolab Inc.	Mar 01, 2004	Product Liability Litigation	Chemicals, Cleaners and Pesticides

Recent News, Events and Blogs

Name / Date / Type	Practice	Industry
Bowman and Brooke Announces New Executive and Management Committee Members February 15, 2017 News	Product Liability Litigation
Bowman and Brooke Announces 2016 Managing and Co-Managing Partners March 24, 2016 Articles	Product Liability Litigation
Minnesota Lawyer's Attorneys of the Year: Alana Bassin February 23, 2016 Media Mention	Product Liability Litigation
Alana Bassin Honored as a Minnesota Lawyer "2015 Attorney of the Year" December 7, 2015 News	Product Liability Litigation
Minneapolis Attorneys Recognized By Super Lawyers Magazine July 7, 2015 News

Speaking Engagements

"Of Mutual Benefit: Enhancing In-House and Outside Counsel Relationships," MN Women Lawyers Conference, May 2015
"Attorney-Client Privilege Post Valukas – Effective Legal Advice In the Wake of The GM Valukas Internal Report," Client, March 2015
"FDA Raids, Recalls and Media - Crisis Management,” Client Presentation, June 2014
"Crisis Management: A Guide to What you Need to Know,” Client Presentation, March 2014
"Lean in, Lean Out: Balancing Work, Family Life and Self," Law Women's Caucus, University of North Dakota Law School, April 2014
"Trying Your First Case," ABA, Section of Litigation, Annual Conference, April 2014
"On the Frontline of Public Perceptions: What Can the Industry do to Counteract Negative Press," ACI Long Term Care, January 2014
"Top Ten Charting Mistakes That Will Get You Sued," Care Providers of Minnesota, November 2013
"Women in the Boardroom: A Panel Discussion on Finding the Right Board for You," Panelist, Minnesota Women Lawyers, Minneapolis, MN, November 20, 2013
“Product Liability Primer,” Client, October 2013
“Federal Marshal is in the Lobby, Now What?” Medical Device Client Seminar, April 2013
“The Reasons Why Nursing Homes Get Sued in 2012,” Care Providers of Minnesota Conference, Speaker, November 2012
"The Art of Closing Argument," Panel Moderator, ABA Litigation Section Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., 2012
"Women and the Practice of Law: How to Have it All," The Canadian Bar Association, Saskatchewan Branch, Retaining Women in the Law Conference, March 2012
"101: The Reasons Why Nursing Homes Get Sued," Care Providers of Minnesota Conference, November, 2011
"Key Preparation for Corporate Witnesses and Executive Testimony," Client Seminar, Minneapolis, MN, November, 2010
"Claims, Defenses, Exhibits And How A Chart Can Help or Hurt!" Care Providers of MN, 2010
"Tackling Tough Issues at Trial," ABA Litigation Section Annual Conference, Washington, D.C., 2009
"What To Do After An Adverse Event," Care Providers, Minnesota Long Term Care Organization, 2009
"Communicating Effectively with Jurors: Generation X and Y," Client Seminar, 2008

Publications

"Expert Witnesses," Chapter in Trying Your First Case - A Practitioner's Guide, 2014
"Striking a Balance in Law and Life," Chapter from The Woman Advocate, 2nd Edition, 2010
"Does Sorry Work for the Long-Term Care Provider?" (with Shane V. Bohnen), Andrews Nursing Home Reporter, 2009.
"Tackling Tough Issues at Trial," Verdict, Summer 2009
"Gender and Generational Issues Across Borders," Verdict, Vol. 23, No. 1, Winter, 2009
"Flight of Female Lawyers in Canada Mirrors US Exodus," Of Counsel, January, 2009
"Marketing and Business Development for Senior Associates," The Woman Advocate, Fall, 2008
"Gender and Generational Issues Across Borders," The Woman Advocate, Summer, 2008
"Why Packing a Pistol Perpetuates Patriarchy," Hastings Women's Law Journal, Vol. 8, No. 2, Fall, 1997
"Modifying the Time, Place and Manner Analysis for Free Speech Injunctions: The United States Supreme Court creates a heightened scrutiny to review content neutral injunctions imposed against antiabortion protest," Madsen v. Women's Health Center, Inc., 114 S. Ct. 2516 (1994), 71 N.D.L.REV. 4, 1995