2022 Up & Coming Attorneys: Stephanie M. Laws

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Maslon LLP Stephanie Laws represents clients in product liability and investigative matters, but her pro bono work might be even more impactful.

Laws joined Maslon LLP almost seven years ago. She was elected partner in 2021 and became co-chair of the firm’s tort and product liability practice group in 2022.

Laws has spent a decade defending companies against product liability claims, focusing on pharmaceuticals and medical devices. She conducts internal investigations across many industries, including for healthcare providers.

For example, in 2019, Laws applied those investigative skills on behalf of a medical device manufacturer. “The case was dismissed on a motion for summary judgment because of really excellent expert discovery,” she said.

For her pro bono work, Laws represents clients seeking asylum in the United States. “The most rewarding moment in my legal career is when I got to tell my first asylum client, an LGBT man who experienced persecution in Nigeria, that he could safely live here,” she said.

Laws also served on a team that successfully vacated the death sentence of Douglas Tyrone Armstrong, who was convicted of capital murder in Texas in 2006. Afterward, Laws helped with the habeas petition that challenged his conviction, which is pending. “It’s really challenging to successfully vacate a death sentence in Texas circuit case law,” she said.

Laws contributed significantly to another high-profile pro bono case: Derek Chauvin’s trial. Maslon partner Steven Schleicher served as special counsel on the prosecution team, and Laws donated hundreds of hours to conduct oppo research and prepare the outline Schleicher used to cross-examine the defense’s use-of-force expert. It was a pivotal moment that significantly undermined the defense’s use-of-force case.

“It was great to see our work product used so effectively,” Laws said. “Steve is fantastic, and I was honored that he asked me to work on that case with him.”

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