3Mhead of global legal operations, Tom Boardman, is leaving the Maplewood, Minnesota manufacturer for a job at the Minneapolis office of Indianapolis based firm Barnes & Thornburg, writes the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal.  At 3M, Boardman oversaw the Office of General Counsel’s 90 attorneys and a budget exceeding $100 million, says the Journal, but now after 36 years with the company, Boardman will join Barnes’ growing IP practice group where he will focus on strategic litigation management.

One of the 100 largest law firms in the United States, Barnes & Thornburg has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington, D.C.  The firm’s main areas of practice include litigation, intellectual property, labor and employment, white collar crime, business law, governmental services and finance, energy, telecommunications, transportation and utilities, environmental, healthcare, creditors’ rights and construction law.