Merchant & Gould is proud to announce that Lea Westman, an alumna of the University of St. Thomas School of Law, has received the Excellence in Professional Preparation Award. This prestigious award, presented by the 2025 St. Thomas Mission Awards Committee, recognizes outstanding contributions to legal education and advocacy.
"Lea's award for Excellence in Professional Preparation is a reflection of her commitment to giving back; to doing her part in preparing future lawyers to be excellent counselors and members of the legal community," said Heather Kliebenstein, Merchant & Gould Managing Partner. "We are appreciative of Lea’s work in teaching at St. Thomas to develop the next generation of legal leaders."
Westman served as an adjunct professor and coach of the AIPLA Giles Sutherland Rich and INTA Saul Lekowitz Moot Court Competitions. Under her guidance, the moot court team advanced to national competition for five consecutive years, two new IP advocacy programs were founded, and St. Thomas established an IP advisory board to continue growing its IP legacy. Her former students include patent attorneys, litigators, and judicial clerks.
