Marianne D. Short

Managing Partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP

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.

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. In addition, 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, 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 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.