About Mercedes Gustafson
Committed to accessible legal services for both individuals and businesses in the Twin Cities.
Ms. Gustafson was born and raised in Duluth, MN, moving to the Twin Cities for college at the University of Minnesota where she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1997. In 2003, she obtained her law degree from what was then William Mitchell College of Law. Since that time Ms. Gustafson has focused her legal career upon litigation, both civil and criminal at various large law firms and as in-house counsel. In 2018, Ms. Gustafson opened her own legal practice from her dining room table in South Minneapolis, Magus Law, PLLC. Soon after, she moved her firm to an office space on the corner of 54th and Chicago Avenue South. Now Ms. Gustafson rebranded her firm to Mercedes Gustafson, Attorney at Law, and moved her office to the vibrant corner of Nicollet Avenue and West Diamond Lake Road. Ms. Gustafson is licensed in both Minnesota State and Federal Court. She is also a regular lecturer in local Continuing Legal Education courses.
A proponent of making legal services accessible to all, Ms. Gustafson was a law clerk at the Minnesota AIDS Project as a Minnesota Justice Foundation summer clerk. She continues to devote significant time to pro bono work and has assisted a local non-profit animal shelter in forming their legal organization.
Always an animal lover, in her free time, Ms. Gustafson enjoys spending time with her 2 children, her pets, and walking around local lakes near her South Minneapolis home.
Litigation Experience
For the past 18 years, Ms. Gustafson has represented clients through all phases of the litigation process in both civil and criminal cases. From large financial institutions to local business owners and individuals, Ms. Gustafson has successfully litigated thousands of cases in both State
and Federal Court, from motion practice through trial. While she firmly believes that litigation is a last resort, she is prepared to follow all cases in which she has been retained through trial if necessary.
While in law school, and for the two years following, she was a law clerk and associate attorney at the Gegen Law Firm under the learned tutelage of retired Dakota County District Court Judge Charles F. Gegen in a practice devoted to criminal defense matters.
Whether the forum is conciliation court (small claims) or a multi-million dollar dispute, Ms. Gustafson’s litigation experience and temperament provides her clients with excellent results. Ms. Gustafson also actively represents Home Owner’s Associations (HOAs) and residents who reside in HOAs, Landlords and Tenants, and individuals in family law and bankruptcy matters. Ms. Gustafson also works with various local and national debt settlement law firms which assist individuals in restructuring their debts and repayment terms.
Legal Consulting
Ms. Gustafson has been representing small businesses in Minnesota since 2005. If you are interested in forming your own business, she is a great resource to provide consulting services to small business owners. Contract review and negotiation is essential to avoid exposure to expensive litigation in the future. Ms. Gustafson is a skilled negotiator and has practiced years of contract litigation. From navigating official entity formation to entity dissolution, Ms. Gustafson can provide valuable insight, resources and advice.