Zane A. Umsted
Office: 612.349.2729 Fax: 612.235.3357 E-mail Blog Facebook Twitter
Legal Assistant: Sara Ion 612.349.2721
Zane Umsted is a civil rights and employment law attorney. He joined Madia Law in August 2017 after clerking for a federal judge.
Legal Experience
Zane attended the University of Iowa for his law school and undergraduate studies, where he received both degrees with High Distinction. In law school, Zane served as the Senior Note & Comment Editor of the Iowa Law Review. Committed to protecting constitutional rights, he also advocated for low-income persons charged with crimes while interning at state and federal public defender offices in North Carolina and Iowa.
Before joining Madia Law, Zane spent two years working as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Linda Reade at the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
Personal Background
An Iowa native, Zane and his wife Kaitlin now live in St. Paul. Zane is actively involved in the community, having volunteered with Big Brothers / Big Sisters and provided volunteer staffing at legal aid organizations and homeless shelters. Zane’s personal interests include NBA basketball, hiking, podcasts, and birding.

Education
Juris Doctor (J.D.), 2015
University of Iowa Law School, High Distinction
—Order of the Coif
—Merit Scholar
—Law Review
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), 2011
University of Iowa, High Distinction
—Old Gold Scholar
Practice Areas
- Employment Law
- Civil Rights & Constitutional Law
State & Court Admissions
- Minnesota Supreme Court
- North Carolina Supreme Court
- United States District Court – District of Minnesota
Professional Associations
Publications
“Deterring Racial Bias in Criminal Justice Through Sentencing,” 100 Iowa Law Review 431 (2014).