Laura Graf has joined Minneapolis-based Ryan Companies as its new Chief Legal Officer. Graf will lead a team of legal professionals across the country for the commercial real estate company, which has 15 offices throughout the United States.
Graf will office at Ryan’s corporate headquarters in Minneapolis.
Graf brings more than two decades of experience with her to the role at Ryan Companies, where she will lead the legal department and work to mitigate and manage risks for the company and its business partners. Her previous experience includes positions at prestigious firms in the Twin Cities, including recently as Partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, where she served as a member of the firm’s Management Committee overseeing business matters for several of the firm’s practices, including Real Estate and Land Use, Tax, Trusts and Estates, Health Care Transactions, Public Finance, Finance and Restructuring and Benefits and Executive Compensation.
Ryan Companies will look to Graf to stand as its Corporate Assistant Secretary and lead its legal, compliance and risk management strategies and actions. She will serve as a trusted advisor and key decision-maker to members of Ryan’s leadership team and the Board of Directors and provide advice on overall business strategy.
Graf’s leadership will train and educate business leaders throughout the organization with respect to acquisitions and dispositions, significant lease clauses, construction contracts and joint venture transactions. She will oversee all company legal functions and practices, including compliance and operational governance and the execution of all real estate transactions, including environmental functions and risks while protecting the company.
In addition to her legal career, Graf has been recognized over the years with several awards including America’s Leading Business Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyer by Minnesota Super Lawyers. Graf received her BA in Political Science at the University of St. Thomas and her Juris Doctor degree at William Mitchell College of Law.
