Minnesota Lawyer Names Maslon a Best Women-Led Law Firm

Maslon is pleased to announce its inclusion in Minnesota Lawyer’s inaugural list of Best Women-Led Law Firms. The 2024 list recognizes growing law firms with a record of supporting women in the profession, strong employee morale, as well as deep and consistent community engagement.

Maslon’s commitment to hiring and promoting women is woven into the fabric of the firm. In its earliest days, Maslon was among the first firms in the Twin Cities to elect women to its partnership. In 2003, Maslon became the first of the largest Twin Cities law firms to elect a woman to its seniormost leadership position, and in 2021 with the election of current Board Chair Keiko Sugisaka, the first to elect a BIPOC woman to that role. Today, women make up nearly one-third of Maslon’s partnership and half of the firm’s leadership.

“When we look back on more than 60 years of history, we see that having women and other diverse professionals in leadership has fundamentally improved our approach to problem solving, our support of work-life balance, our culture, and our ability to recruit and develop top tier talent,” said Sugisaka.

Maslon’s product is its people, and as a result, the firm has always held that there is no better investment than the one made in its attorneys and staff. This includes creating opportunities for up-and-coming women lawyers to develop their expertise and take leading roles in high-stakes deals and trials, and doing right by the firm’s professional staff—the vast majority of which are women—by providing flexible work schedules, excellent benefits, and financial security.

The firm’s support of women in the profession has also had a ripple effect in the Twin Cities legal and business communities. Maslon attorneys are active in groups like Minnesota Women Lawyers, Twin Cities Diversity in Practice, and Women Presidents Organization, and have served on state and federal judicial selection panels.

Maslon’s women attorneys have also improved access to legal services and to the legal profession itself. Since 2007, Maslon Partner Susan Link has directed—and the firm has played a leading role in supporting—the Minnesota State Bar Association's Wills for Heroes program, which provides pro bono estate planning services to first responders and their families. In 2016, Maslon supported one of its successful female litigators to found UPLIFT Legal Institute for Teens, a free after-school mock trial program serving middle and high school students who reflect the rich diversity of the Twin Cities.

Click here to learn more about Maslon’s inclusion in “In the Lead: Minnesota Lawyer Best Women-Led Law Firms.”