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© 2012 Dorsey & Whitney LLP

     

  

  • Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers, 2011, 2012 
  • Named one of "America's Leading Business Lawyers" by Chambers USA (Litigation: General Commercial & Litigation: Appellate)
  • Fellow, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers
  • Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers
  • Named one of forty "Minnesotans on the Move" by Finance & Commerce
  • Received the 2009 Girl Scouts Women of Distinction award
  • Named a "Person to Watch in 2008" by Twin Cities Business Magazine
  • Selected for "Class of 2008" - ABA DirectWomen Board Institute
  • Minnesota Lawyer's 15 Attorneys of the Year for 2005 Award
  • "Women to Watch" Award in 2005 from The Business Journal
  • Corporate Woman of Achievement Award 2004, given by the National Association of Women Business Owners
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America (Appellate, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Antitrust,
    Litigation - Securities), 2008-2012
  • Named "Top 10 in Minnesota" (2010) and "Top 40 Business Litigation" (2003-present) by Super Lawyers
  • Named a Minnesota Super Lawyer, 2001-2011
  • Distinguished Alumna Award 2006 – Convent of the Visitation
  • Founders Award 2007 - Boston College Law School

  • Newton College of the Sacred Heart (B.A., 1973)
  • Boston College Law School (J.D., 1976)

  • Massachusetts
  • Minnesota
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • United States District Courts for Minnesota, Colorado, and North Dakota

Marianne D. Short

Managing Partner
Minneapolis
P: (612) 340-2833
F: (952) 516-5707
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Marianne D. Short, Managing Partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP since January 2007, has more than 30 years of courtroom experience as a trial lawyer and an appellate judge. She has served as trial and appellate counsel for a number of major companies in their most important litigation, including antitrust, securities, healthcare, products liability, and class action lawsuits. Marianne is a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers, and is certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a Civil Trial Specialist.  She also serves as co-Chair of the Firm's Appellate and Health Litigation practice groups.

Marianne joined Dorsey in 1977, after serving as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the State of Minnesota following graduation from Boston College Law School. From 1988-2000, she served as a Minnesota state appellate judge, authoring more than 900 opinions in virtually every area of civil and criminal law. After a nearly twelve year judicial career, Marianne returned to Dorsey as a partner in 2000.

Marianne currently serves on the Board of Trustees of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and is a member of the Development Committee and Governance & Nominating Committee. She has served on the Board of Directors of numerous community organizations, including Ordway Center for Performing Arts, Schubert Club, CommonBond Communities, Children's HeartLink, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and the Board of Visitors at the University of Minnesota Law School. Currently, Marianne serves on the Board of Trustees for Boston College and is a member of the Executive Committee and is Chair of the Student Life Committee. She is on the University of St. Thomas Board of Trustees and a member of the Student Affairs Committee. She is on the Board of Directors of The Fund For Legal Aid Society, Minnesota Business Partnership, Twin Cities Diversity in Practice and Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity. She also is a Past President and member of the Board of Governors at the Minneapolis Club.

Marianne received the "Top 10 in Minnesota" (2010) Super Lawyers award, the Best Lawyers’ 2010 Minneapolis Bet-the-Company Litigator of the Year Award, the 2009 Women of Distinction Award from the Girl Scouts, was named one of "40 Minnesotans on the Move" by Finance and Commerce magazine in 2009, received the Distinguished Alumna Award in 2006 from Visitation Convent, a Minnesota Lawyer "Attorney of the Year" award in 2005, the "Women to Watch" award in 2005 from The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal, and the 2004 "Corporate Woman of Achievement" award from the National Association of Women Business Owners. She has been named one of "America's Leading Business Lawyers" by Chambers USA, a Super Lawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics in multiple categories, including Business Litigation, Appellate, Antitrust Litigation and Employment Litigation, and is listed in the Best Lawyers in America directory.

Representative Litigation

  • Represented Medica HealthPlans and its Board of Directors in regulatory litigation involving issues of self-governance brought by the Minnesota Attorney General. After several years of legal maneuvers and a trial, Medica received a 50-page landmark decision dismissing the Attorney General's lawsuit and declaring the company and its board free from court supervision. Marianne currently advises the Board and management on issues involving executive compensation, retirement plans, protections for intellectual property and board procedures. (See Medica Decision here)  
  • Lead trial and appellate counsel for Qwest Corporation in several tax cases. Marianne argued that the purchase of telecommunications equipment is exempt from sales tax as capital equipment under applicable statutes. She also has represented Qwest in several Regulatory cases.(See Qwest Cases here)
  • Represented UnitedHealth Group Incorporated's Board of Directors on a question certified by the Minnesota federal district court to the Minnesota State Supreme Court concerning the deference owed to a special litigation committee's decision settling a shareholder derivative lawsuit on behalf of the company. Marianne argued on behalf of the UnitedHealth Board that a reviewing court should exercise minimal judicial review of a special litigation committee’s decision to settle a derivative lawsuit, just as it would in reviewing a special litigation committee's decision to pursue or not pursue litigation. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Board. (See the UnitedHealth Group court video here)
  • Represented former Governor Jesse Ventura in the constitutional litigation to determine Minnesota's congressional and legislative boundaries following the United States Census. The decennial redistricting litigation was argued and tried to a specially appointed five- judge panel. Marianne used demographics, land use and population changes, as well as constitutional principles and case law, to argue for the novel concept of "politically competitive" districts. (Read the Ventura Congressional Redistricting Plan and the Ventura Legislative Redistricting Plan)
  • Lead counsel to Ceridian Corporation in a breach of contract, misappropriation of trade secrets, noncompete and licensing lawsuit. Marianne obtained a permanent injunction against a former executive that prohibited his use of customer and product information, as well as marketing strategies.
  • Appellate co-counsel to 3M in Minnesota breast implant insurance coverage case. As co-counsel, Marianne was successful in obtaining millions of dollars of insurance coverage for 3M's defense costs.
  • Lead co-counsel for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota in a federal class action lawsuit brought by a group of chiropractors alleging antitrust, ERISA, RICO and state insurance violations. Marianne designed a defense strategy that resulted in the federal court dismissing several counts of the complaint, ruling for her client as a matter of law on significant antitrust claims, and sustaining Daubert challenges to exclude plaintiffs' expert testimony. The case eventually was resolved on favorable terms.
Legal Writings
  • "The Taming of the Shrew: May the Act of the State Doctrine and Foreign Sovereign Immunity Eat and Drink As Friends?," M. Short & C. Brower, Hamline Law Review, Vol. 20, Issue 3, 723-738, International Symposium, Spring 1997.
  • "History and Scope of the Press' Right of Access to Foreign Battlefields," M. Short & J. Pope, 41 Naval Law Review, 1-26, 1993.
  • "Rules of Construction," M. Short & H. Caligiuri, Chapter in Minnesota Insurance Law Deskbook, John R. Crawford Ed., 1997 and 2000.
  • "Corporate Litigation: One View," Bench & Bar of Minnesota, published by the American Law Institute and the American Bar Association, Vol. LIV, No. IV, April 1997 at 28-30.
  • "Tips for Successful Appellate Practice," The Practical Litigator, published by the American Law Institute and the American Bar Association, Vol. 7, No. 1, January 1996 at 25-33.
Legal Teaching
  • "Appellate Advocacy" at the University of Minnesota Law School, 1994-present.
  • "Judicial Practicum" at Hamline University School of Law, 1994-1999.
  • "Trial Ethics," and "Appellate Advocacy" at the National College of District Attorneys, Columbia, South Carolina, 1997-1999.
  • "The Human Rights Movement in the United States," "Topics in Criminal Law," and "Law of War" with the International Training Department of the Naval Justice School in Newport, Rhode Island and in Bogotá, Columbia, 1994.
  • "Evidence" and "Ethical Appeals" in Bemidji Criminal Trial Advocacy Course, sponsored by Minnesota County Attorney's Association and Minnesota Public Defenders' Office, 1990-1999.
  • Speeches at American Bar Association Annual Meetings (1995-1999), and continuing legal education seminars (1980-present) on litigation topics, including appellate practice, ethics, evidence, first amendment/media cases, minority shareholder's rights, and employment issues.

Professional Activities

Marianne is a leader in her community, her profession, and her law firm. She is well known by attorneys and judges throughout the Upper Midwest and Massachusetts.
Community Leadership
  • Marianne has served on the Board of Directors of numerous community organizations, including Ordway Center for Performing Arts, Schubert Club, CommonBond Communities, Children's HeartLink, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and the Board of Visitors at the University of Minnesota Law School. She was on the Board of Trustees in leadership positions at both St. Thomas Academy and The Convent of the Visitation in St. Paul. Currently, she serves on the Board of Trustees for Boston College and is a member of the Executive Committee and is Chair of the Student Life Committee. She is on the Board of Directors of The Fund For Legal Aid Society and Minnesota Business Partnership. She also is a Past President and member of the Board of Governors at the Minneapolis Club.
Professional Leadership
  • Marianne's professional leadership includes serving on the Board of Directors of The Fund for the Legal Aid Society and as a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. She has served on the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules of Appellate Procedure and the Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules of Civil Procedure. Marianne currently is serving on the Governor’s Commission on Judicial Selection.
  • During her time on the bench, Marianne chaired several committees comprised of judges and attorneys. She chaired the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Judicial Growth and Experience (1994-95), which led to the adoption of judicial rotations and professional development programs. Marianne co-chaired the Pilot Program to Improve Individual Judicial Performance (1992-93), which introduced a formal evaluation process to the judiciary. She co-chaired the Minnesota Judiciary Strategic Planning Committee (1991-92), which implemented a business review and strategic planning process for the state judiciary. From 1992 through 1999, Marianne founded and chaired the Partnership Among Minnesota Educators and the Judiciary, a state wide program which paired judges with educators to teach conflict resolution skills to elementary and high school students. She was a member of the Minnesota Supreme Court Advisory Committee to Review Lawyer Discipline (1993-94), which lead to changes in the rules of professional responsibility for lawyers. In 2002, at the request of the judges of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, Marianne co- chaired the Program Committee for the 2003 Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference.
  • Marianne is a member of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, American College of Trial Lawyers, American Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, Hennepin County Bar Association, Minnesota Women Lawyers, and National Association of Women Judges.
Law Firm Leadership
  • Marianne has been elected to leadership positions throughout her career at Dorsey & Whitney. On January 1, 2007, she was elected Managing Partner and became the first woman to serve in this leadership position in the firm's history. As Managing Partner, Marianne manages the operations of the Firm's 650 attorneys and 19 offices in the United States, Canada, Asia, Australia and England. She chairs the Management Committee and serves on the Policy Committee. She also was on the Policy Committee during her early career with the firm.
  • Marianne served as one of five members on the Firm's Growth Committee, which evaluated opportunities for growth through mergers and acquisitions. From 2000-2005, she was one of three members on the Investment Committee, responsible for monitoring performance of the Firm's 401(k) and HR 10 plans. From 2001-2003, she served on the Capital Contribution Committee that developed the Firm's capital contribution plan. Marianne served as one of five members of the Partner Compensation Committee from 2002-2003, which resulted in changes to the Firm's compensation system. From 2000-2002, she was one of eleven members of the Professional Personnel Committee conducting bi-annual evaluations of all associates and non-partner lawyers in the Firm. Marianne was one of nine members of the Firm's Recruiting Committee from 1978-88, and chaired the committee for two years.
Personal Information
Marianne is a Minnesota native. She is married to Raymond L. Skowyra, Jr. (Worcester Polytechnic Institute, B.S. cum laude 1971; Harvard University, M.B.A. 1976), a business strategy consultant specializing in high technology markets. Marianne and Raymond have two children. Louis (Boston College B.A. 2005) and Nicholas (Clarkson University B.S. 2011). To keep up with her boys, Marianne is an avid distance runner and Alpine skier.

News & Press Mentions

March 9, 2009
Short: Featured in NWA World Traveler
July 25, 2008
"10 Legal Newsmakers of the Decade"
September 5, 2007
Dorsey Managing Partner Marianne Short Discusses the Changing Face of Firm Leadership