Stephanie M. Laws
Partner
Overview
Stephanie Laws is a practical problem solver who represents businesses in product liability and complex civil litigation in federal and state courts nationwide. She also conducts internal investigations and helps companies respond to government enforcement actions. Stephanie’s product liability bandwidth spans multiple industries, with particular focus on defense of FDA-regulated products. She is an experienced litigator who has handled cases from fact investigation through jury verdict. She has significant experience managing large-scale document collections and productions as well as e-discovery issues, both in one-off cases and across coordinated portfolios. Stephanie leverages insights from multiple client secondments to develop efficient legal strategies that are custom tailored to fit business needs.
Stephanie is also deeply engaged with pro bono work. She partnered with Maslon attorney Steve Schleicher in his role as special prosecutor for the state of Minnesota in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, providing integral support to the state’s use-of-force case. Stephanie also serves on Maslon’s Pro Bono Committee and maintains an active practice, including representing victims of domestic violence seeking orders for protection against their abusers and representing asylum seekers, among other endeavors.
Prior to joining Maslon, Stephanie was a litigation defense attorney at two large national firms. Stephanie graduated cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 2012 and earned her bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Experience
- Successfully defended Polaroid against a $300 million breach of contract dispute brought by one of its former licensees, C&A Marketing, winning a complete defense verdict after a two-week jury trial in Hennepin County.
- Represented leading global medical device manufacturer in lawsuits involving variety of complex medical devices in state and federal courts across the country.
- Investigated major hospital system’s compliance with the Controlled Substances Act and reporting obligations to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
- Investigated hospital employee’s patient interactions to determine necessary adverse employment actions and reporting obligations under federal and state law.
- Investigated healthcare facility’s data security breach resulting in disclosure of Protected Health Information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
- Investigated a security company holding a multimillion-dollar contract at a major NFL venue on behalf of a worldwide venue management company.
- Sole outside counsel representing global leading medical device company in year-long internal audit involving large-scale document collection and production.
- Part of team that successfully defended medical transportation provider accused of conducting multimillion-dollar conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Gordon R. Golden, et al. v. Medtronic, Inc., et al., No. 17-CV-30568 (Colo. Dist. Ct.). Secured full dismissal of all claims involving pre-market approved medical device on preemption grounds—without any mandatory authority in Colorado state court.
- Waldo v. Eli Lilly & Co., No. Civ. S-13-0789, 2013 WL 5554623 (E.D. Cal. Oct. 8, 2013). Secured dismissal of majority of claims alleging birth defects were caused by pharmaceutical product, significantly reducing scope of discovery.
- Eklund v. Medtronic, Inc., et al., No. 27-CV-17-18038, Fourth Judicial District Court, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Successfully excluded plaintiff’s expert and won full summary judgment in a high-exposure product liability matter alleging a teenager’s medical device was defective and caused a motor vehicle accident that left him paraplegic.
Pro Bono
- Pro bono representation of low-income individuals seeking Orders for Protection against domestic partners.
- Pro bono representation of LGBTQ+ individuals fleeing persecution in their home countries.
Honors
Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2021-2025 (These awards recognize attorneys, who are earlier in their careers, for outstanding professional excellence in private practice in the United States.)
Invited to join the International Association of Defense Counsel, 2023
Up & Coming Attorney, Minnesota Lawyer, 2022
Recognized on Minnesota Super Lawyers® list, 2023-2024 (Minnesota Super Lawyers® is a designation given to only 5% of Minnesota attorneys each year, based on a selection process that includes the recommendation of peers in the legal profession.)
Recognized on Minnesota Rising Stars list as part of the Super Lawyers® selection process, 2018-2022 (Minnesota Rising Stars is a designation given to only 2.5% of Minnesota attorneys each year, based on a selection process that includes the recommendation of peers in the legal profession.)
Light of Justice Award, Texas Defender Service, 2018
Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota® list, 2019-2023 (The annual edition of the Top Women Attorneys in Minnesota list features attorneys selected for the previous year's Minnesota Super Lawyers® and Rising Stars lists.)
Recognized as a Top Lawyer, Minnesota Monthly, 2024 (The research for the Top Lawyers list, created by Professional Research Services, is based on an online peer-review survey sent to all attorneys in Minnesota.)
North Star Lawyer, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2017-2022 (North Star Lawyer is a designation that recognizes members who provide 50 hours or more of pro bono legal services in a calendar year.)
Pro Bono Award, for commitment to pro bono service, Maslon LLP, 2022