Overview
Rachel Cardwell is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer who focuses on high-stakes trade secret and noncompete litigation, as well as other business torts and contractual disputes. She regularly represents clients in their most challenging cases in state and federal courts across the country.
As part of her practice, Rachel advises Fortune 100 and private company clients in a wide variety of industries on sensitive domestic and international internal investigations and prelitigation counseling issues, with strong experience in multijurisdictional matters involving the Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA). She also has experience in franchise litigation, consumer fraud class actions, arbitration and mediation.
Rachel is adept at working collaboratively with clients and case teams on both sides of the “v” and leveraging this experience regardless of the side on which a client finds itself. Her teams have scored recent wins on behalf of large clients, too. For example, Rachel and her colleagues recently secured a multimillion-dollar jury verdict in favor of a Fortune 100 company on claims of tortious interference with contracts protecting trade secrets and confidential information.
Rachel co-chairs Faegre Drinker’s Associates Committee and is an active member of the Junior League of Dallas. She began her career in Faegre Drinker’s Minneapolis office before returning to her home state of Texas in 2020.
Personal Interests
Rachel spends her free time hiking, spoiling her dog, traveling to foreign countries and scouring Dallas for the best tacos.
Related Legal Services
Credentials
Bar Admissions
Minnesota
Texas
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Education
University of Minnesota Law School
J.D. cum laude, Minnesota Journal of International Law (staff member) (2018)
The University of Texas at Arlington
M.A. in Political Science (2015)
The University of Texas at Arlington
B.A. in History Pre-Law, summa cum laude (2013)
Insights & Events
Honors
- Faegre Drinker — Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2020
- Faegre Baker Daniels — Pro Bono Honor Roll, 2018-19