Couden and Lee Named Up & Coming Lawyers

The Wisconsin Law Journal has named Foley attorneys Carmen N. Couden and Matthew D. Lee as 2012 “Up & Coming Lawyers.” Attorneys selected for this honor are recognized by the publication for contributing to their communities and making significant impacts on the legal profession and their own law firms early in their careers.

Couden, senior counsel in Foley’s Milwaukee office, regularly advises clients on high-level labor and employment matters, and is well-versed in complex statutes including the Family & Medical Leave Act, the Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Rights Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. She is a dedicated proponent of volunteer legal services, and has donated considerable time as pro bono litigation counsel in domestic violence injunction hearings and civil rights cases. Couden also works to advance gender and ethnic diversity in the law by participating in career advancement mentoring programs with the Association of Women Lawyers, and regularly mentors associates on career success as a member of Foley’s Hispanic Affinity Group.

With nearly half of his practice committed to bankruptcy and foreclosure litigation, Lee, an associate in Foley’s Madison office, has steadily become a prominent figure in reorganization law in Wisconsin. He also has experience in commercial disputes, including 10 just compensation proceedings that involved eminent domain disputes over a gas utility client’s condemnation of land in Eastern Wisconsin to construct a gas pipeline. In addition, Lee maintains a strong commitment to community involvement and providing assistance to incoming members of the local legal profession. He currently co-chairs the United Way of Dane County fundraising effort for Foley’s Madison office, and plays a major role in the Madison office’s summer associate program as co-coordinator of assignments and evaluations.