The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal (MSPBJ) has published a “Table of Experts” panel discussion on the topic of Women in Law, featuring Hellmuth & Johnson class action litigation attorney Anne Regan.
When asked initiatives you’ve seen to help diversify the pool of attorneys who lead and manage class action and multidistrict litigation cases, Regan responded, “Our practice is one of those few areas where the courts have a say in who is appointed to lead a case. Under Rule 23, and the rules that are also applied to the multidistrict litigation, the courts frequently issue case management orders where they say they want to have a diverse group of applicants, whether it’s race, gender, age, as well as a representative slice of the legal profession. So, in the past 10 years, that’s been a focus of the federal judiciary. On the defense side, there’s been a big push for companies adopting the Mansfield rule or similar DEI initiatives. They want a diverse group of attorneys representing them. So that’s really changed too on the defense side.”
Regan was asked how Hellmuth & Johnson supports women obtaining leadership roles, she responded, “Hellmuth & Johnson has been very supportive of me and our class action practice since I came here in 2016. I’m part of the first generation of class action litigators here, and I lead the practice area. We’ve had a lot of success to date, including being appointed lead counsel in multiple class actions and to leadership roles in multidistrict litigation. As long as we’re making educated, solid decisions about how we invest our time, my partners are very supportive. We’re all very aware of the risks of contingency litigation, and we want to make sure we are making wise investments in time and talent and doing well by our clients.”