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Managing Partner Carolyn Anderson will retire at the end of this year following a 25-year tenure at Zimmerman Reed. Her career was marked throughout by extraordinary achievements, both in the courtroom and at the firm.

Anderson navigated complex legal landscapes, racking up the type of high-profile and high-impact wins that many lawyers aspire to. She secured a landmark 9-0 U.S. Supreme Court decision for the State of Mississippi in an antitrust case, establishing precedent that shields state attorneys general from corporate attempts to shift enforcement cases to federal courts. Anderson also represented the State of Minnesota in litigation against tobacco companies for the deceptive marketing of e-cigarettes to youth, resulting in a three-week jury trial in 2023 and a settlement that was the largest per-capita for any state in the country. And she achieved a ground-breaking settlement with a major financial institution and its accounting firm related to massive investor losses from the mismanagement of bond mutual funds and improper investments in subprime mortgages. Anderson has been a legal luminary for everyone from public pension funds to retail investors, and from elected state attorneys general to individual consumers.

Equally immeasurable to her impact on the legal landscape is Anderson’s impact within Zimmerman Reed. Assuming the role of Managing Partner in 2007 along with Gordon Rudd, she became one of the limited numbers of female managing partners among law firms across the country. For more than two decades, she meticulously shaped the firm’s core values of integrity and legal excellence, establishing a heightened standard of practice that continues to permeate every facet of the firm, all while significantly contributing to the financial success of the firm. Anderson championed change through her commitment to cases that not only made a profound impact on people’s lives but also challenged corporate misconduct. Simultaneously, she dedicated herself to cultivating a new generation of leaders in the legal profession through her mentorship of newer lawyers. And she guided the growth of Zimmerman Reed from a single Minnesota office into an expansive plaintiff’s complex litigation firm with offices in three states and cases across the country.

Reflecting on Anderson’s legacy, Rudd stated, “Carolyn is a living embodiment of our mantra, ‘We never forget who we’re fighting for.’ Her leadership has set the standard for unwavering dedication and her legacy will continue to inspire us all as we carry forward the principles she instilled in our firm.”

Anderson’s other notable achievements include: representing the States of Indiana and Vermont in the opioids litigation, holding drug manufacturers, pharmacies, and distributors accountable for the opioid epidemic; serving as Co-Lead Counsel in litigation on behalf of individual investors and pension funds relating to a bank’s securities lending program; achieving a major settlement for investors challenging a financial company’s breaches of fiduciary duties; and representing—on a pro bono basis—more than a hundred faith-based not-for-profit organizations affected by a multi-billion dollar Ponzi scheme, working with the Department of Justice and serving as the court-appointed assistant liquidating trustee.

Zimmerman Reed celebrates Anderson’s indelible mark on law and leadership and wishes her a retirement as exceptional as her career.