2023 Top Women in Law: Keiko Sugisaka

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Maslon LLP

Keiko Sugisaka doesn’t have to leave her desk to meet with her largest and most important client: her firm.

As the chair of Maslon and a partner, she’s responsible for leading the group of nearly 140 attorneys and staff at the firm, as well as handling her litigation clients’ needs. The responsibilities might seem daunting, but she keeps it all in perspective.

“My parents really instilled a strong work ethic in me and my sisters,” she said. “My mom was interned as a child with other Japanese-Americans during World War II, but she didn’t let that experience make her bitter or prevent her from becoming successful. She also taught me the importance of family and how to prioritize. You have to pick your battles. If you try to do it all, especially all at once, it’s too exhausting.”

Throughout her career Sugisaka has worked on cases as varied as patent infringement, the Interstate 35W bridge collapse and a pro bono case that started in 1997 when she was a new associate that stayed with her for decades.

“My client was a young mom who was fleeing Liberia which was in a civil war at the time,” she said. “I had to get her and her two children asylum and handle other legal issues over the years and then apply for permanent residency and then citizenship.”

“She finally became a U.S. citizen in 2022. It was awesome. I’m so proud of the life she’s built here.”

Maslon’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is personal, but also firmwide. The firm holds Mansfield Certification Plus status which indicates that it not only considers at least 30% women, underrepresented racial and ethnic lawyers, LGBTQ+ lawyers, and lawyers with disabilities for top leadership roles, partner promotions, clients pitches, and senior lateral positions, but has also achieved this representation goal in a number of these areas.

Keeping the firm on a successful path and continuing interesting client work is important to her moving forward.

“As one of the few independent, Minnesota-based firms remaining in the Twin Cities, we are positioning ourselves for continued success for the long-term,” she said.