Harleigh E. Brown, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

Shareholder, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.

What are the biggest challenges you currently see in the M&A world?

Since 2022, the M&A market has been hampered by the Federal Reserve’s efforts to combat inflation, which has resulted in a higher cost of capital, geopolitical concerns and general concerns about the U.S. economy. With three rate cuts in 2024 and many economists forecasting a soft-landing for the U.S. economy, I’m bullish on M&A in 2025.

How do you manage work/life balance?

Work/life balance for lawyers — and particularly M&A lawyers — is always a challenge. At Fredrikson, we focus on building internal client teams, so that we can be responsive to our clients’ needs but also allow our individual lawyers time away with family and friends. Being an M&A lawyer is stressful, so taking time away from the practice is necessary.

What is one thing you would change about Minnesota if you could?

I’ve lived in the Upper Midwest my whole life, so I wouldn’t want to mess with what I think is a pretty good thing. That said — could we do something about the mosquitoes?

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I collect game used sports memorabilia — with a focus on the Minnesota Twins and MN Wild forward, Kirill Kaprizov. I’ve been collecting in earnest for a little over 15 years. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt to track down and purchase or trade for rare items along with the history associated with such items. It’s fun to preserve and research the history of the items. I’ve also met a lot of wonderful people in the hobby over the years.