Date: September 7, 2011
Contact: Kelly Griffith, Marketing Manager
Phone:
(612) 492-7514
Email: kgriffith@fredlaw.com
For Immediate Release
Fredrikson & Byron Attorneys Selected as Top Women in Finance
Minneapolis, MN September 7, 2011 – – Fredrikson & Byron attorneys Karen Grandstrand and Mary Ranum are recipients of Finance and Commerce’s 2011 Top Women in Finance award, an honor recognizing the efforts of women who are making notable contributions to their professions and communities. As a second-time honoree, Grandstrand is appointed to the Top Women in Finance Circle of Excellence, an award recognizing the achievements of women who have twice been honored as Top Women in Finance. Both women, along with the other honorees, will be recognized on November 10 at a dinner and awards presentation at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis.
Grandstrand, a shareholder in Fredrikson & Byron’s Minneapolis Office and Chair of the firm’s Bank and Finance Group, is a nationally recognized financial services regulatory attorney, financial industry advisor and dealmaker. Grandstrand co-chairs the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA) Banking Law Committee, is Vice President of the MSBA Business Law Section and is a frequent speaker on banking and financial services. She also co-chairs the Annual Banking Law Institute. Prior to joining Fredrikson, she had a 14-year career with the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis where she was the Senior Vice President of the Banking Supervision and Risk Management Departments.
Ranum is a certified Real Property Law Specialist and has been elected to the American College of Mortgage Attorneys. She has been a member of the Real Estate and Bank & Finance Practice Groups at Fredrikson & Byron since 1984, and was the Chair of the firm’s Real Estate Practice Group from 2000 – 2011. Ranum works with a broad range of clients including lending institutions, major retailers, health care providers and real estate developers on acquisitions, financings and leasing. She represents lenders and borrowers in connection with significant financing transactions and nonprofit borrowers in connection with tax-exempt bond financing, including educational institutions and health care organizations.
Ranum is Fredrikson & Byron’s first female board chair, responsible for leading the strategy of a large, multi-office business with more than 500 employees. She is one of the few women locally or nationally who are part of leadership teams in large law firms. Ranum was elected chair of the board in October 2010, after completing six years of service on the board of directors.
Fredrikson & Byron is a 240 attorney law firm based in Minneapolis, with offices in Bismarck, Des Moines, Fargo, Monterrey, Mexico, and Shanghai, China. We’ve built a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet” by bringing business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking to our work with clients, and by operating as business advisors and strategic partners as well as legal counselors. The firm’s primary areas of practice include advertising, banking, corporate, corporate governance, employment and labor, energy and renewable energy, government relations, healthcare, intellectual property, international, life sciences, litigation, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, securities, and tax. 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.