The most underrated gravitational shift in Big Law is happening where you least expect it: Minneapolis.
The Twin Cities are booming. National heavyweights are planting their flags. And they aren’t just dipping a toe in the frozen lakes – they’re diving in headfirst.
This isn’t a polite Midwestern hello. It’s a full-scale corporate raid.
Just look at the moves.
In March 2025, Thompson Hine crashed the party, opening a Minneapolis office by poaching high-stakes IP partners from local giant Robins Kaplan. They didn’t come for the weather. They came for the massive intellectual property and technology litigation work that flows through this city.
Then came the blockbuster. In late 2025, international powerhouse Cozen O’Connor announced a merger with the historic Minneapolis firm Moss & Barnett. This wasn’t a satellite office opening; it was a wholesale acquisition of deep local roots to capture the Midwest’s exploding middle-market and finance sectors.
What’s the draw?
One undeniable fact: Minneapolis is the Silicon Valley of Healthcare.
They call it “Medical Alley.” It is the global epicenter of medical device innovation and health insurance. We’re talking about the backyard of UnitedHealth Group, Medtronic, and 3M. That creates a critical mass of high-value, recession-proof work in regulatory law, patent litigation, and healthcare M&A that you simply cannot find anywhere else.
But it’s not just healthcare. This metro area has the highest concentration of Fortune 500 companies per capita in the country. Target. Best Buy. U.S. Bank. General Mills.
That is a buffet of corporate work – mergers, labor and employment, and complex commercial litigation – waiting to be devoured.
For years, elite talent felt they had to move to Chicago or New York to handle sophisticated matters. Not anymore. The quality of life in the Twin Cities is pulling top-tier lawyers back home, and national firms are following them to capture that talent at a fraction of the cost of a Manhattan high-rise.
The legal press is obsessed with the Sun Belt. Let them look south.
The smart money is heading North. The “Minnesota Nice” facade is gone. The competition for legal dominance here is white-hot.
Minneapolis isn’t just a flyover city anymore. It’s the new frontier for Big Law. And if you aren’t paying attention, you’re already behind.