Date: May 13, 2008
Contact: Kelly Griffith, Marketing Manager
Phone:
(612) 492-7514
Email: kgriffith@fredlaw.com
For Immediate Release
Fredrikson & Byron Attorney Crystal Patterson Named to ‘40 Under Forty’ by the Business Journal
Minneapolis, MN May 13, 2008 – – The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal selected Fredrikson & Byron shareholder Crystal Patterson as a 2008 ‘40 Under Forty’ honoree. Forty accomplished professionals in the fields of business, government and non-profits under the age of 40 were selected from a field of nominees. Selection criteria included professional accomplishments, demonstrated leadership, and community contributions. Crystal will be recognized for her achievement at an awards event on May 15 at The Minneapolis Club.
Crystal is a shareholder in Fredrikson & Byron’s Litigation Group, where she represents individuals and companies in litigation involving complex business transactions. Her trusts and estates litigation practice focuses on representing individuals and companies in all types of disputes related to the management and disposition of assets through trusts, wills and other testamentary instruments, as well as establishing guardianships and conservatorships.
Early in her career, Crystal developed an expertise in disputes involving trusts, estates, and related matters. Seeing an increase in the amount of work in this area - associated with the transfer of wealth by the aging Baby Boomer generation - Crystal identified an opportunity to further expand her expertise and practice. While still an associate with the firm, she proposed the formation of a practice group that would blend the firm’s trial practice and estate planning expertise to meet the needs of those involved in such disputes. The firm agreed, and Crystal has served for the past two years as the chair of the firm’s Trusts and Estates Litigation Group, where today over 20 lawyers combine their knowledge and experience to deliver this unique counsel to clients.
Dave Marshall, a shareholder at Fredrikson & Byron and co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Group, stated “Crystal possesses a savvy beyond her years, and was able to take on great responsibility at a junior stage in her career.”
Another key factor in Crystal’s nomination was her passion for mentoring. Crystal grew up in the small town of Menahga, Minnesota. The first member of her family to attend college, she relied heavily on the guidance of others to find her academic path, a reason she feels it’s so important to give back and share her experiences with others.
To date, Crystal has formally mentored five law students through a University of St. Thomas program, one law student through the University of North Dakota School of Law’s program, as well as five Fredrikson & Byron associates through a firm program. Crystal also supervises one associate. She has an open-door policy for young lawyers and paralegals at the firm, where they can ask questions at any time. Crystal often spends up to an hour each day answering questions and giving advice to younger attorneys and paralegals to help ensure their success.
Crystal has a young daughter and is learning to juggle the additional demands on her busy schedule and the challenges working mothers face. Being a parent has not, however, dimmed her enthusiasm for mentoring. Mentoring is a time-consuming activity, but one that stays high on Crystal’s list of priorities. As she notes, “Mentoring allows me to have a real impact on students and more junior lawyers and staff, one person at a time. One of my greatest professional joys has been watching one of my informal “mentees” work her way from support staff, to case assistant, to paralegal, and now law student. Coaching and cheering her on as she obtained success on each rung of the professional ladder has been such a satisfying experience for both of us.”
Crystal also gives back to the community through her involvement in organizations, such as the Minnesota Justice Foundation, which links law students with pro bono and public service opportunities throughout Minnesota. She has been a board member since 2001 and the chair of the organization’s Board Development Committee for the past two years Crystal regularly provides pro bono legal services to individual clients and helps staff the Volunteer Lawyers Network Legal Access Point Clinic – a free “walk-in” legal advice clinic in the Hennepin County Government Center.
Fredrikson & Byron is a 225-plus attorney law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Bismarck, Des Moines, London, Monterrey, Mexico, and Shanghai. The firm’s primary areas of practice include banking, corporate, employment, franchise, government relations, healthcare, intellectual property, international, litigation, real estate, securities, tax, and energy. We serve a broad range of clients, including multinational corporations, public companies, privately-held businesses, entrepreneurs, government agencies, and family businesses. Fredrikson & Byron’s attorneys also work with individuals on estate planning, family law, and immigration matters. We are the exclusive Minnesota law firm member of the World Services Group, a worldwide network of professional service providers. More information about the firm is available at www.fredlaw.com.