“Sybil Dunlop attracts significant praise for her litigation expertise from a range of market sources. ‘She knows the rules and law to a tee, which allows her to focus on strategy,’ says one client, who adds: ‘She is able to communicate well with a diverse array of people.’ Another client says: ‘She really is 100% client-focused. If I want to talk, she will ring instantly. She is the most responsive lawyer I have ever met in my life and I feel like I am her only client.’” Chambers and Partners, 2020

Sybil helps clients resolve complex commercial and intellectual property disputes. She is a passionate advocate with first-chair trial and arbitration experience. She also represents Fortune 100 companies as they navigate disputes with contractors, clients, and business partners, including post-transaction disputes involving net working capital or post-closing adjustments. She also represents clients before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, including the first patent owner to score a complete victory in a Covered Business Method proceeding.

In addition to her active litigation practice, Sybil is a national thought leader on Diversity & Inclusion issues. Sybil helped found Greene Espel’s Diversity & Inclusion practice which helps workplaces design and implement Diversity & Inclusion programs to meet their goals. She also teaches an award-winning Diversity & Inclusion training which receives rave reviews. One City Attorney called the program “one of the most powerful, thought-provoking, and engaging presentations” ever attended.  In recognition of her D & I efforts, Minnesota Lawyer selected Sybil as one of its Diversity & Inclusion Honorees in 2018, and the Hennepin County Bar Association awarded her its Excellence Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in 2019.

Sybil also serves on the Infinity Project board, an organization dedicated to increasing the gender diversity of the state and federal bench. She offers her thoughts about the practice of law in a monthly column for Minnesota Lawyer entitled Sybil Procedure, and she hosts a recurring webcast series for Minnesota CLE.

Admissions

  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
  • State Bar of Minnesota

Professional & Community Affiliations

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • Federal Bar Association
  • Hennepin County Bar Association
  • Minnesota State Bar Association
  • Minnesota Women Lawyers

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Collaborative Community Law Initiative, Board Member (2017 - present) 
  • Infinity Project, Board Member (2012-2015)
  • Smith College Alumni Association, Member

Thought Leadership

PUBLICATIONS

  • Attorney-Client Privilege: What Every Attorney Needs to Know, Minnesota CLE, Co-editor (2018)

TEACHING AND LECTURING 

  • Ethics in the Time of COVID-19, Minnesota CLE (May 15, 2020)
  • Civil Litigation A to Z: Case Management – Discovery Best Practices in Minnesota State Court, Minnesota CLE (May 2017)
  • Implicit Bias in the Legal Profession, MWL Conference for Women in the Law (April 2017)
  • Civil Litigation A to Z: Getting Started – Federal Court Practice Essentials, Minnesota CLE (April 2017)
  • Presenting a Compelling Fact Section in Judicial Opinions and Briefs, Quill and Bagel (March 2017)
  • Implicit Bias and Its Impact on the Legal Profession, 2017 City Attorneys Educational Conference (March 2017)
  • Federal Court Practice Essentials, Minnesota CLE (February 2017)
  • The Professional Education Group, Faculty (2016 – present)
  • How to Get Noticed for All the Right Reasons,  The New Lawyer Experience Seminar, Minnesota CLE (July 2015)
  • Excessive Force: Recent Federal and State Cases Every Practitioner Should Know, Police Liability Seminar, Lorman Education Services, Panelist (May 2013; February 2011)
  • Candid Advice for New Lawyers, The New Lawyer Experience Seminar, Minnesota CLE, Panelist (January 2013)
  • Search and Seizure: Recent Federal and State Cases Every Practitioner Should Know, Recent Trends Involving the Law of Arrest, Search and Seizure in Minnesota Seminar, Lorman Education Services, Panelist (November 2012)

Recognition

  • Listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2021)
  • Listed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business-The Client's Guide (2020)
  • Hennepin County Bar Association Excellence Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion (2019)
  • Selected to Rising Stars list, Minnesota Super Lawyers (2013-2019)
  • 2018 Diversity & Inclusion Honoree, Minnesota Lawyer
  • Recognized as Minnesota State Bar Association North Star Lawyer for pro bono service (2016)
  • Recognized as Up and Coming Attorney, Minnesota Lawyer (2015)
  • Vanderbilt University Law School
    • 2L Mock Trial Champion and Top Litigator Award Recipient
    • Best Brief Award 2006
    • Scholastic Achievement Awards: Conflicts of Law, Professional Responsibility, and Legal Writing
  • Smith College
    • Andrew C. Slater Prize for Excellence in Debate

News

Event (9/25/2020): Sybil Dunlop and Jeya Paul to Present at Minnesota CLE Seminar on “A Checklist Approach to Successful Motion Practice.”
Award: Greene Espel Receives Nods for Diversity and Inclusion
Event (8/21/2020): Why the Legal Profession is the Nation’s Least Diverse and How We Can Do Better

Practice Areas


Education

J.D., Vanderbilt University Law School, Order of the Coif; Senior Notes Editor, Vanderbilt Law Review

B.A., Smith College 


Experience

Law Clerk, U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, The Honorable James M. Rosenbaum

EMILY’s List, Political Research Deputy