Laura Zdychnec

Laura Zdychnec has been practicing law for over 30 years, and is a founding shareholder of Northwoods Law Group, P.A. She focuses her practice in the areas of elder and special needs law, estate planning, probate, and guardianship and conservatorship. Laura is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and serves on the litigation committee for the Minnesota Chapter. She is a member of the Elder Law and Probate and Trust Law sections of the Minnesota State Bar Association, and past chair of the Elder Law Section. She is a member of the Minnesota Association for Guardianship and Conservatorship (MAGiC) and is accredited as an advisor through the U.S. Veterans Administration.

She received her undergraduate degree from Iowa State University and her law degree from Hamline University School of Law, where she served as an editor of the Hamline Law Review and graduated fourth in her class.

Laura was recognized by her peers in the MSBA Elder Law Section for her work in successfully challenging a Department of Human Services’ policy in Larson v. Minnesota Department of Human Services and Polk County Social Services. The award acknowledged her perseverance and the extraordinary burdens undertaken to challenge the state’s position. Laura received the Elmer H. Wiblishauser award for her article, “The Perilous Path to Long Term Care,” which was published in Bench & Bar in 2013. The Elder Law Section also awarded Laura the prestigious Mary Alice Gooderl Award in 2013 for outstanding contributions to the practice of elder law.

In 2019, Laura was inducted into the Elder Law Section Hall of Fame. This award is a special honor extended by the Elder Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association to elder law attorneys whose cumulative efforts have had a positive impact on the elderly, the practice of elder law, and its laws and policies.

Laura and her husband, Michael, are blessed with two amazing adult children they truly like as people and two perfect grandchildren. (Really!) In her spare time, Laura enjoys gardening, reading, DIY projects, and whenever possible, spending time on Leech Lake in Walker, MN.