
Posted January 6th, 2022 in Top Stories
Nilan Johnson Lewis Elects Two Attorneys to Shareholder
MINNEAPOLIS (January 6, 2022) – Nilan Johnson Lewis, an innovative and independent law firm in Minneapolis, announces today two new shareholder promotions; Courtney Blanchard of the Labor and Employment group and Mai Lee Yang of the Corporate and Transactional Services and Health Care groups.
“Courtney and Mai Lee have been vitally important to our team at Nilan Johnson Lewis and their appointment to shareholder will allow them to continue to grow their impact both for our clients and our team,” said Heidi Christianson, president of Nilan Johnson Lewis. “Their outstanding expertise and excellent service led us to elevating these two exemplary attorneys.”
Courtney Blanchard is a member of the Labor and Employment practice area where she represents and advises a variety of employers from nationwide companies to local Minnesota businesses and nonprofits. She has successfully litigated sophisticated wage-and-hour class cases, conducted sensitive workplace investigations and advised employers on complex employment issues. Blanchard specializes in working with employers to develop practical time-off policies, accounting for the ever-evolving landscape of sick and safe leave and paid family and medical leave. Throughout the pandemic, Blanchard has also counseled on vaccine and testing issues, workplace safety, and flexible workplace policies. Blanchard received her law degree from the William Mitchell College of Law and served as a law clerk to the Honorable Matthew E. Johnson at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Mai Lee Yang is a member of both the Health Care and Corporate & Transactional Services practice areas. Yang has provided counsel to large national and small health care plans, advising on Medicare, Medicaid, and commercial products, compliance programs, corporate governance, regulatory audits and managing regulatory issues. She has represented health care entities and providers regarding all aspects of their business including licensing, change of ownership, contract negotiations, and external and internal investigations. Yang also provides counsel to nonprofits on corporate structure, governance, and tax-exempt matters. She received her law degree from the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where she also received certificates for health law and health care compliance. Yang served as president of the Hmong American Bar Association in 2019 and 2020.
About Nilan Johnson Lewis
Founded in 1996 and proud to be an independent law firm, NJL has earned a reputation for being innovative, forward-thinking, and bringing deep expertise and a total partnership approach to serving clients. The firm is committed to diverse hiring, advancement, and retention of women, people of color, and those with different backgrounds and lifestyles. The firm focuses on five areas of law: labor and employment, product liability/mass tort litigation, business litigation, health care and corporate and transactional services.

Courtney Blanchard
Attorney & Co-Chair, Labor & Employment
