Bill Pentelovitch Named Special Legal Advisor to the Executive Director and Board Chair of the ACLU of Minnesota

Bill Pentelovitch, a former partner and now of counsel attorney for Maslon, has been named special legal advisor to the leadership of the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota (ACLU-MN) on a pro bono basis. In that capacity, he advises Executive Director Deepinder Singh Mayell and Board Chair Lariss Maldonado.

Bill began his volunteer service with the ACLU-MN as a pro bono lawyer more than three decades ago. He served as a board member from 2008 to 2021, including terms as president and board chair. He has also served as a board member of the ACLU of Minnesota Foundation (2015-present) and as chair of that board (2017-2019). In addition, he has represented the organization over the decades as amicus curiae in a range of matters, including whether parents had standing to assert that the legislature was failing to fulfill its constitutional duties regarding educating children; whether the provisions of the Affordable Care Act regarding contraception were unconstitutional; and whether Minnesota’s same day voting registration procedures were proper.

"Bill’s service to the ACLU of Minnesota has been unparalleled, between his time on the board and his hundreds of hours of pro bono work," said Maldonado. "We have been lucky to have him as a distinguished trial lawyer in our corner. And now we are honored that he has agreed to serve as special counsel to advise leadership at this pivotal time."

For more information, go to: ACLU of Minnesota.

Bill spent nearly five decades as a business trial lawyer at Maslon. He now focuses his professional efforts on serving as an arbitrator and a mediator, and works as a commercial and employment panelist of the American Arbitration Association. He is also a member and panel chair of the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board and serves on the board of directors of MacPhail Center for Music.

Bill has tried hundreds of business disputes before judges, juries, or arbitrators, and he also has argued dozens of appeals in state and federal courts. He practiced nationally in the areas of non-compete, trade secret, and unfair competition litigation, and he has tried and won intellectual property licensing and royalty disputes collectively involving over $1 billion. In addition, Bill has been a leading trial lawyer in Minnesota in the area of ownership and governance disputes in closely held corporations, limited liability companies, and partnerships.