A 1996 graduate of the University of Minnesota law school, Keiko Sugisaka worked as an intellectual property attorney and assistant attorney general before joining Maslon in 2007. A trial lawyer, Sugisaka leads the board that creates Maslon’s strategies and policies. In 2023, she says, she wants to “ensure the firm is a place where everyone feels valued and has the support and tools to succeed so we can attract, develop, and retain talent.” It’s rare to see a woman of color leading a law firm, and to change that reality, Sugisaka says, “requires intention, perseverance, bias interruption, and accountability from leadership.”

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