According to a recent study from a group of government attorneys in Minnesota, during last year's term at the state's supreme court, women handled less than 30% of all oral arguments at the court. The gender gap was even more pronounced among lawyers in private practice: Only 95 oral arguments handled by lawyers in private practice, women handled only 14, or 14.7%.

Beatrice Franklin, Susman Godfrey associate. (Photo: Courtesy Photo)

All of the above makes what Beatrice Franklin accomplished last week all the more remarkable. Franklin, who is in her second year as an associate at Susman Godfrey, argued before the Minnesota Supreme Court for client Glacier Park Iron Ore Properties in a dispute with U.S. Steel Corp. A full recording of the argument, which focused on issues of arbitrability in a dispute over lease rights in the Iron Range in the northern part of Minnesota, is available here.