Children’s Law Center of Minnesota Honors Fredrikson with 2024 Distinguished Service Award

Fredrikson’s appellate team has been awarded the 2024 Distinguished Service Award from the Children's Law Center of Minnesota (CLC), an organization that promotes the rights and interests of Minnesota’s children in the judicial, child welfare, health care and education systems. Fredrikson’s team included Rick Snyder, Shantal Pai, Thomas Wheeler, and Megan Helstrom. The Distinguished Service Award is presented annually to one law firm or corporation whose work on behalf of CLC’s clients exemplifies the commitment and dedication to pro bono representation that is the foundation of CLC’s mission. Fredrikson accepted the award in Minneapolis on Thursday, September 19, 2024, at CLC’s 29^th Celebration of Champions.

“Working together, they were all instrumental in successfully obtaining a precedential appellate decision on behalf of CLC’s client affirming our position that statutory authority clearly limited a county’s ability to hold a non-delinquent foster care youth in a secure detention facility for only 24 hours, and after that, must be released to a relative or shelter care facility,” said Susan Dioury, Executive Director of Children’s Law Center. “This significant clarification of the law will protect all of Minnesota’s vulnerable foster care youth and require counties to put forth the effort to find appropriate and safe locations for their custody and care.”

“In addition to the successful appellate work taken on by this team, Fredrikson attorneys provide direct representation for youth in foster care through Children’s Law Center,” said Rick Snyder, chair of Fredrikson’s Appellate group. “We encourage any attorneys interested in taking on this life-saving work to visit CLC’s website and take the on-demand training to start volunteering.”

Fredrikson & Byron is a leading Midwest law firm working collaboratively to help businesses achieve their goals regionally, nationally and globally. With a reputation as the firm “where law and business meet,” our attorneys bring business acumen and entrepreneurial thinking to work with clients and operate as business advisors and strategic partners as well as legal counselors. The firm’s 400+ attorneys are based in Minneapolis, with offices in Ames, Bismarck, Des Moines, Fargo, Madison, Mankato, St. Paul, Saltillo, Mexico, and Shanghai, China. Learn more at fredlaw.com or LinkedIn.