Maria Brekke has focused substantial time and effort providing legal services to people in need. Recently, she represented an asylum seeker and led a team of partners and paralegals to obtain a grant of asylum. Her passion for inclusivity and equity in the legal profession led her to co-create a New Lawyers Affinity Group for Minnesota Women Lawyers (MWL). The group provides support to associate attorneys in their first five years after law school, with special emphasis on relationship building and increasing professional satisfaction for women. Brekke joined Minneapolis-based Nilan Johnson Lewis in April after nearly three years with Bassford Remele.