Experience. As a private attorney, Lori Swanson brings insightful and effective representation to businesses, organizations, and individuals in their important legal matters.
She draws on two decades of unmatched legal experience at the highest levels of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to advise businesses and organizations, litigate cases, give sound counsel, address regulatory and compliance challenges, respond to and get out front of government investigations, and solve legal problems. As Attorney General, she provided legal representation to the Minnesota Departments of Commerce, Human Services, and Health, the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, and 100 other state agencies, boards, and commissions. She also enforced State consumer protection, nonprofit, health, antitrust, insurance, and other civil laws involving a host of industries.
Ms. Swanson was elected the first female Attorney General of the State of Minnesota in 2006. Her popularity with the public was demonstrated by being reelected in 2010 and 2014 by wide margins, earning the highest number of votes for state office. As Attorney General, she earned a national reputation for taking on tough, cutting-edge, and complex fights…and winning. Seewww.loriswanson.com. She brings this same level of passion, dedication, and tenacity to representing her clients today.
From 2002 to 2006, Ms. Swanson served as Solicitor General of the State of Minnesota, where she oversaw thousands of litigation matters. From 1999 to 2002 she served as Minnesota Deputy Attorney General. In these roles, Swanson was responsible for the office’s consumer protection, nonprofit/charities regulation, antitrust, and health care work. She also oversaw the office’s legal representation of the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Department of Health. Prior to that, she was an attorney in private practice at a boutique law firm focused on civil litigation and regulatory compliance.
In 2004, Ms. Swanson was appointed to the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., was elevated to Vice Chair in 2005, and was appointed as Chair of the Federal Reserve Board Consumer Advisory Council in 2006. In these roles, she provided advice to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors on financial, regulatory, and consumer protection matters.
As Attorney General, Ms. Swanson served on the State Board of Investment, which oversaw $97 billion of state retirement assets, and the State Executive Council. She has 20 years’ experience enforcing the laws pertaining to best practices for governance of nonprofit organizations. With her executive and board experience, Ms. Swanson understands the needs of busy executives and organizations for pragmatic and efficient legal advice.
Ms. Swanson graduated magna cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law and with distinction with a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2014, the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism presented to Ms. Swanson the Distinguished Service Award.
Honors and Awards. In 2012, the national publication Health Leaders magazine named Ms. Swanson one of 20 Americans making a difference in healthcare. Ms. Swanson was named one of the top ten attorneys in America in 2009 by Lawyers USA. The National Consumer Law Center presented her with the Robert Drinan “Champion of Justice” award for her consumer protection work. She was awarded the Pro Patria Award by a project of the U.S. Department of Defense for her support of National Guard and Reserve members serving overseas.
Ms. Swanson is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Litigation Chops. As a “hands-on” Attorney General, Ms. Swanson earned a national reputation as an aggressive, winning litigator. Seewww.loriswanson.com. She shut down the largest consumer credit arbitration company in the country, alleging that it stacked the deck against consumers and in favor of credit card companies due to hidden financial ties with the largest collection outfit in the country. She recovered tens of millions of dollars in refund offers for senior citizens who were sold high-fee, long-term annuities that sometimes exceeded their life expectancies. She banned from Minnesota a publicly-traded company that imbedded bill collectors in hospital emergency rooms. She recovered the third largest natural resource damage settlement in the country’s history from a Fortune 100 company that disposed of chemicals in the drinking water. She obtained a favorable verdict against a for-profit college that duped young people into pursuing criminal justice degrees even though it was not accredited to train police officers in Minnesota. She held hearings into the takeover of the University of Minnesota Hospitals by an out-of-state company, after which the transaction was dropped. She stopped numerous charities from soliciting donations in Minnesota as a result of their deceitful promises. Ms. Swanson brings this same zeal to her representation of her private sector clients.
Former Attorney General Lori Swanson
Experience. As a private attorney, Lori Swanson brings insightful and effective representation to businesses, organizations, and individuals in their important legal matters.
She draws on two decades of unmatched legal experience at the highest levels of the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office to advise businesses and organizations, litigate cases, give sound counsel, address regulatory and compliance challenges, respond to and get out front of government investigations, and solve legal problems. As Attorney General, she provided legal representation to the Minnesota Departments of Commerce, Human Services, and Health, the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, and 100 other state agencies, boards, and commissions. She also enforced State consumer protection, nonprofit, health, antitrust, insurance, and other civil laws involving a host of industries.
Ms. Swanson was elected the first female Attorney General of the State of Minnesota in 2006. Her popularity with the public was demonstrated by being reelected in 2010 and 2014 by wide margins, earning the highest number of votes for state office. As Attorney General, she earned a national reputation for taking on tough, cutting-edge, and complex fights…and winning. See www.loriswanson.com. She brings this same level of passion, dedication, and tenacity to representing her clients today.
From 2002 to 2006, Ms. Swanson served as Solicitor General of the State of Minnesota, where she oversaw thousands of litigation matters. From 1999 to 2002 she served as Minnesota Deputy Attorney General. In these roles, Swanson was responsible for the office’s consumer protection, nonprofit/charities regulation, antitrust, and health care work. She also oversaw the office’s legal representation of the Minnesota Department of Commerce and the Minnesota Department of Health. Prior to that, she was an attorney in private practice at a boutique law firm focused on civil litigation and regulatory compliance.
In 2004, Ms. Swanson was appointed to the Consumer Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors in Washington, D.C., was elevated to Vice Chair in 2005, and was appointed as Chair of the Federal Reserve Board Consumer Advisory Council in 2006. In these roles, she provided advice to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors on financial, regulatory, and consumer protection matters.
As Attorney General, Ms. Swanson served on the State Board of Investment, which oversaw $97 billion of state retirement assets, and the State Executive Council. She has 20 years’ experience enforcing the laws pertaining to best practices for governance of nonprofit organizations. With her executive and board experience, Ms. Swanson understands the needs of busy executives and organizations for pragmatic and efficient legal advice.
Ms. Swanson graduated magna cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law and with distinction with a degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2014, the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism presented to Ms. Swanson the Distinguished Service Award.
Honors and Awards. In 2012, the national publication Health Leaders magazine named Ms. Swanson one of 20 Americans making a difference in healthcare. Ms. Swanson was named one of the top ten attorneys in America in 2009 by Lawyers USA. The National Consumer Law Center presented her with the Robert Drinan “Champion of Justice” award for her consumer protection work. She was awarded the Pro Patria Award by a project of the U.S. Department of Defense for her support of National Guard and Reserve members serving overseas.
Ms. Swanson is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association.
Litigation Chops. As a “hands-on” Attorney General, Ms. Swanson earned a national reputation as an aggressive, winning litigator. See www.loriswanson.com. She shut down the largest consumer credit arbitration company in the country, alleging that it stacked the deck against consumers and in favor of credit card companies due to hidden financial ties with the largest collection outfit in the country. She recovered tens of millions of dollars in refund offers for senior citizens who were sold high-fee, long-term annuities that sometimes exceeded their life expectancies. She banned from Minnesota a publicly-traded company that imbedded bill collectors in hospital emergency rooms. She recovered the third largest natural resource damage settlement in the country’s history from a Fortune 100 company that disposed of chemicals in the drinking water. She obtained a favorable verdict against a for-profit college that duped young people into pursuing criminal justice degrees even though it was not accredited to train police officers in Minnesota. She held hearings into the takeover of the University of Minnesota Hospitals by an out-of-state company, after which the transaction was dropped. She stopped numerous charities from soliciting donations in Minnesota as a result of their deceitful promises. Ms. Swanson brings this same zeal to her representation of her private sector clients.
Contact. Ms. Swanson can be contacted at lswanson@swansonhatch.com or at (612) 315-3037.