Sarah Dannecker ‘19 was one of four attorneys at the firm Ballard Spahr to be named earlier this spring to Ballard Women, the firm’s nationwide affinity group. Ballard Women provides mentorship, training, and other resources to help its female employees thrive as lawyers.
Dannecker had been part of the group since she joined Ballard in 2019. She’s currently an associate in the business and transactions department in the firm’s Minneapolis office.
“I can speak to my experiences being not only a female attorney but a female attorney of color, pass along those experiences and provide advice and mentorship to other female attorneys of color,” said Dannecker in an interview with Minnesota Lawyer.
Ballard has over 600 lawyers in 15 offices across the county. At Ballard, 31% of the firm’s partners are women compared to the 25% average of other American Lawyer 200 law firms.
“I think it’s an important thing for young female associates to see because … it’s mirroring what’s possible,” she told the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
Dannecker focuses on corporate transactional matters, including securities law, mergers and acquisitions, and data privacy and security. Prior to Ballard, she worked as a patent prosecution paralegal at a national intellectual property firm and as a contracts manager in the legal department for a global water and energy company. She also helped pro bono clients renew Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals applications and continues to work with nonprofit organizations applying for 501(c)(3) status.