Welcome to ILN-terviews, a series of profiles of ILN member firm attorneys, designed to give a unique insight into the lawyers who make up our Network. For our latest interview, we chose ILN member, Margie Bodas of Lommen, Abdo, Cole, King & Stageberg, P.A. in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

In one sentence, how would you describe your practice?
I help creditors who find themselves at odds with a bankruptcy trustee work through the bankruptcy system.

Who would be your typical client?
A mortgage lender, a title insurance company, businesses who receive preference claims.  

What would you like clients and potential clients to know about you?
My knowledge and experience make me very effective and efficient in handling client matters.

What has been your most challenging case? Why?
The most challenging — or maybe most frustrating — was a couple decades ago when I was doing a lot of workers’ compensation work. A man was injured while working as a millright and could not go back to the heavy work and the bending and twisting. He wanted to be retrained in turf management to work at a golf course. Turf management is also very heavy work with lots of bending and twisting. We litigated the case and I lost. The guy got a job with an Arnold Palmer golf course and the employer had to pay him wage loss benefits because, even after being retrained, he was not making as much as he did as a millright. The outcome did not seem to serve either party in the long run.

What has been your proudest moment as a lawyer?
A great moment for me — and our firm — was obtaining a very large settlement in a RICO claim against a rent-to-own business on claims of usury. We were able to refund a lot of money to people who really couldn’t afford the interest rates charged.

What do you do when you’re not practicing law?
Travel, photography, garden, home renovation, read.

What would surprise people most about you?
I was a journalist before becoming a lawyer. I interviewed President Carter once.

What has been your most memorable ILN experience?
The webinars have been a great resource — not only for the information they provide but for their ability to bring the lawyers here together with other ILN lawyers across the world.

What career would you have chosen if you weren’t a lawyer?
I was a journalist before becoming a lawyer and loved it. I choose law school over the seminary, but would also like to explore that avenue. And I’d like to work in a garden shop when I retire.

If a movie were made of your life, who would you want to play you?
Kathy Bates.

How would you like to be remembered?
She sought out ways to serve others . She shared her joys (and hardships) of life with her friends and family.