After graduating from Minnesota Law, Kim Anderson ’83 had a successful career at Dorsey & Whitney, dividing her time between its Minneapolis and Seattle offices. After 20 years, she left the firm to spend more time with her spouse, who has operated a business in Thailand for more than 32 years. Maintaining a home base on the West Coast, she has remained active on the boards of several national and local nonprofits, academic institutions, civic, arts, and cultural organizations. 

For many years, she was motivated to give to Minnesota Law because she was and still is grateful for what a University of Minnesota Law degree meant to her and her career. However, her global experiences combined with reflection on the events of the last several years has changed her thinking significantly. “I am particularly struck by issues respecting the intersection of the rule of law with social and economic justice,” Says Anderson. “Without the fair and equal application of the rule of law, democracy becomes illusory for many, confidence in democracy erodes, and the underpinnings of democracy fail. I am impressed by the Law School’s recognition of the real-world challenges we face in this country, what those challenges mean to the teaching, application, and practice of law, and how issues of diversity, social and economic justice, and human rights are addressed in the Law School’s clinics and academic programs and through its scholarship outreach and opportunities.” 

Anderson thinks that while recent graduates or young lawyers have historically constituted the “rear guard,” of the legal profession, itmay now be that with “their savvy with how the realworld operates, and their understanding of our global interconnectedness, they are indeed in the vanguard.” To Anderson, being a lawyer-leader means participating in one’s local community in a way that is both personally meaningful and that strengthens the fabric of that community. 

Hometown:

Minneapolis, Minnesota 

Giving Level:

William B. Lockhart Club, Dean’s Circle 

What won't we find on your resume?

I have lived part-time in Asia forthe past 31 years, traveling extensively throughout Southeast Asia. I love exercise and am currently practicing both Aerial Flow Yoga and taking Muay Thai boxing lessons! 

What is one piece of advice you would give to first-year law students?

Be curious. Staycurious. Thinkexpansively andthink critically.You are only going toget to the ground levelof what you need to know from law books and classes. 

Ways to Give

There are many ways to give back to the University of Minnesota Law School. For more information, visit www.law.umn.edu/giving. Or send your gift directly to the University of Minnesota Foundation, P.O. Box 860266, Minneapolis, MN 55486-0266, noting “Law School” in the memo line. 

Annual Fund

Student scholarships, clinics, and faculty support are just a few areas that benefit from annual gifts made to the Law School. Please contact Lizzy Beghelli, director of alumni relations and annual giving, at beghelli@umn.edu or call 612-626-8671 to learn more about how you can support the Annual Fund.