Kesha Tanabe is an experienced bankruptcy attorney. Prior to joining the Vogel Law Firm, she was a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the District of Minnesota from 2022-2025 and she sat by designation in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of South Dakota from 2022-2024. She is a board-certified Business Bankruptcy Specialist, she has served as a Subchapter V Bankruptcy Trustee in Region 12, and she has taught bankruptcy classes at several law schools. She enjoys mentoring young bankruptcy lawyers and law students, and she is a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy-related topics nationwide.

Admitted to Practice

• North Dakota, 2016
• Minnesota, 2007
• New York, 2006
• Business Bankruptcy, American Board of Certification, 2021

Published Works

• Judicial Profile Hon. Kesha L. Tanabe U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, District of Minnesota // The Federal Lawyer – Bankruptcy Law Winter 2024 Page 29-32
• Investiture of the Honorable Kesha Tanabe, Bar Talk, Federal Bar Association, December 2022

Memberships

• American Bankruptcy Institute, National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees

Honors and Awards

• Trailblazer Award, MNAPABA, 2024
• SuperLawyers
• North Star Lawyer
• Top Women Lawyers

Recent Speaking Engagements

Alabama State Bar Association, Destin, FL //
Annual Conference, Commercial Law Keynote Speaker

American Bankruptcy Institute (“ABI”) //
Duberstein Competition Moot Court Judge and Panelist, New York, NY
Central States Conference Faculty, Chicago, IL
ABI Midwest Faculty, Kansas City, MO
ABI Task Force on Business Bankruptcy, Expert Witness, Washington, D.C.
CPEX, Faculty

California Bankruptcy Series, Los Angeles, CA // 
Business Bankruptcy Workshop, Faculty

Cardozo School of Law, New York, NY // Commencement Speaker

Eighth Circuit Conference, Minneapolis, MN // Caselaw Update/Faculty

Federal Bar Association, Iowa Chapter // Case Law Update

Federal Judicial Center (“FJC”), Washington, D.C. // 
All Bankruptcy Judges Workshop, Faculty
New Judges Workshop, Faculty
Mid-Career Judges Workshop, Faculty

Harvard Law School Conference, Cambridge, MA // “Trailblazer” Award and Panelist

Jones Day, Washington, DC // Annual “Views from the Bench” Conference, Panelist

MN Asian Pacific Bar Association, Minneapolis // “Trailblazer Award” Recipient

MN Bankruptcy Institute, Minneapolis, MN // Caselaw Update, Faculty

National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, Nashville, TN // Annual Conference Faculty

National Association of Chapter 13 Trustees, Boston, MA // Annual Conference Faculty

National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges, Seattle, WA // Annual Conference, Faculty

National Press Club, Washington, DC // Panelist

North Dakota Ag Law Seminar, Fargo, ND // Caselaw Update, Faculty

U of M Law School, Minneapolis, MN ///Career Day Speaker

Wisconsin Bar Association, Wisconsin Dells, WI // Panelist/Faculty