Diversity Initiatives: How They’re Working and What Can You Do to Improve

Meagher & Geer attorney, Colleen McGarry, will serve on a panel at the 2016 Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA) Mid-Winter Conference on January 30, 2016. In this session titled, Diversity Initiatives: How They’re Working and What Can You Do to Improve, the panel will explore diversity issues facing legal employers from a diverse associate’s viewpoint. The panel will also provide practical suggestions for mid to small size firms to use in crafting a diversity policy, and recruiting and retaining diverse attorneys. To learn more about this conference please visit the MDLA website.

Colleen is an associate attorney in our Mass Tort/Toxic Tort and Litigation practice groups. She focuses her litigation practice on general liability, products liability and mass toxic torts, with an emphasis on asbestos personal injury and wrongful death cases. She handles such cases in Arizona, Minnesota, and North Dakota, where she represents large and small companies who are manufacturers, distributors, suppliers, and contractors.

Colleen manages tort and products liability cases in both state and federal court and is responsible for all aspects of litigation, including taking and defending depositions, attending hearings, drafting dispositive and non-dispositive motions, responsive pleadings, and discovery, and managing the overall strategy for discovery. She has also led on-site document productions, inspections, and document reviews both within Minnesota and nationwide. Colleen’s experience ranges from small value personal injury and wrongful death suits to multi-million dollar cases. Colleen has proven she is essential to her client’s and firm’s defense in cases, based on her hard work and drive to provide the best results in any case her clients have, regardless of the jurisdiction and type of case.

Colleen has also carved out a niche in her practice, and handles cases involving individuals with transactional and pre-litigation matters including property disputes, personal income tax issues, minor settlements, and estate planning.

Along with maintaining a very busy practice, Colleen is also very active serving the community and her colleagues in the Bar. Colleen is excited to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, a prestigious board that has a great impact in our community. Her contributions to the Bar include her current positions serving on the Diversity Committee of the Minnesota State Bar Association – New Lawyers Section, the Vice Co-Chair of the Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Diversity Committee, and a board member of the Minnesota Lavender Bar Association. Colleen also serves as the Chair of Meagher & Geer’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.