Breaking the Ice: Pro bono tax prep ‘fun’ for Ballard Spahr partner

Listen to this article

Newly elected Ballard Spahr partner Katie LaGrange thinks “income taxes are fun.” She also likes helping people.

That’s why LaGrange has devoted more than 350 hours to helping people prepare their tax returns through her volunteer efforts with Prepare + Prosper. The St. Paul-based nonprofit offers free tax preparation and financial services to low- and moderate-income individuals.

For the past nine years, LaGrange has spent four hours a week for about 12 weeks of the tax season at Prepare + Prosper.

“Everyone I work with understands that I’m doing that at that time and is really supportive,” said LaGrange, who focuses her practice on commercial finance. “Ballard Spahr has a deep commitment to pro bono.”

LaGrange was among 10 attorneys who joined the firm’s partnership in January.

“I’m so proud that I was elected to the partnership at an AmLaw 100 firm,” said LaGrange, who had no lawyers in her family. “As a mom of two small boys, I’m most proud that when someone says ‘my lawyer’ they could think of it as a woman.”

Name: Katie LaGrange

Title: Partner, Ballard Spahr, Minneapolis

Education: B.S., sport management and marketing, Seton Hall University; J.D., Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Q: Best way to start a conversation with you?

A: Talking about sports. My husband went to Indiana, so we’re big Indiana football fans, and Indiana is the national champion. Sports, kids, restaurants.

Q: Why law school?

A: When I graduated college in 2008, I started in sales in New Jersey. I worked for Life Time Fitness in health club sales, then went into business-to-business IT sales. I got more interested in the contracts customers were signing, so I thought maybe the law would be a good place for me. I also wanted to move back to Minnesota. I thought I’d apply to law school, and if I got into school in Minnesota, I could start a career and a life there.

Q: What are you reading?

A: I’m listening to “1984” by George Orwell. I was seeing quotes popping up, and it had been a long time since I’d read it.

Q: Pet peeve?

A: Not changing the subject line of an email to make it easily searchable. If you have 100 emails with the subject line “insurance certificates,” it becomes almost impossible to find the insurance certificates or whatever the topic should have been. I change it when I respond, to make the subject line relevant to the transaction.

Q: Best part of your work?

A: Closing deals. There’s an adrenaline rush. I think of it like a team sport. Most transactions follow the same blueprint, but they have nuances that make them unique. I like learning about different industries, different businesses, and everyone coming together and closing a deal, and everyone comes out a winner.

Q: Most challenging?

A: Expectations are always high, so whatever else is going on, the work needs to get done, and done at a high level.

Q: Favorite activity away from work?

A: Time with my family. Most of the things I do outside of work revolve around my kids. Sports, volunteering at school, just playing. I started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu because my son does it, to have something where to relate to with him for years to come.

Q: Where would you take someone visiting your hometown?

A: I grew up in and now live in the beautiful city of Bloomington, Minnesota. I’d probably take them to some of our 9,000 acres of parks, most likely Richardson Nature Center or the Hyland Park area. After that, I’d take them for ice cream at Scoops.

Q: Legal figure you admire?

A: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, for her lasting impact.

Q: Misconception about your work?

A: When I tell people I’m an attorney, they assume I go to court. They say, “Prosecution or defense?” and it’s really so far from either of those things.

Q: Favorite book, movie or TV show about lawyers?

A: “Legally Blonde.” It’s fun and proves that substance and style can really coexist.