Lori Swanson (D)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (Legal Newsline)-Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson has been selected as one of Lawyer USA's Top Ten Lawyers of the Year.
Swanson, a Democrat, won praise for her consumer protection work.
"She toppled the dominant player in debt arbitration in the country and changed the face of consumer credit card arbitration overnight," the publication said.
In July, Swanson filed a lawsuit against the National Arbitration Forum, alleging the firm was too cozy with creditors and debt collectors.
The lawsuit said the relationship the Forum had with creditors worked against the interests of debtors while they claimed to host a neutral forum.
Less than a week after the lawsuit was filed, the Forum reached a settlement with the attorney general's office.
Under the settlement, the Forum agreed to stop administering arbitration for consumer debt including credit cards, consumer loans and consumer leases.
The settlement, however, did allow the company to continue arbitrating Internet domain name disputes, personal injury protection claims and cargo disputes.
From Legal Newsline: Reach staff reporter Chris Rizo at chrisrizo@legalnewsline.com.