Long nights as an Army officer in Vietnam afforded John Degnan time to affirm his decision to apply to law school.

Brandon Thompson, partner at Ciresi Conlins, says his family has motivated him to “fight for the little guy” in his medical malpractice work.

Byron Starns in 1973 became deputy attorney general for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and lead trial lawyer in U.S. v. Reserve Mining.

Dan McDonald began working at Merchant & Gould during his first year of law school and never left.

Yvonne Flaherty, partner at Lockridge Grindal Nauen, wants everyone to have access to the courts — especially those injured by defective drugs and medical devices.

Alyssa Hirschfeld, principal at Gray Plant Mooty, says her mergers-and-acquisitions practice is the most exciting area of the law.

Sheila Engelmeier said the motivation to start Engelmeier & Umanah came in part from “being tired of tall buildings with a bunch of people that were very focused on money.”

Anne Honsa attributes her success to meticulous preparation and case management. She also avoids drama.

High-profile work stems from the Meagher & Geer partner’s expertise in representing insurance companies in commercial litigation.

Knoll brings to her work an “incredibly competitive” streak.