Mary Pat Byrn

Photo by Dani Werner

Mary Pat is an attorney with over thirty years of experience teaching, leading, and inspiring people and organizations. Mary Pat is passionate about helping people explore possibilities and create what they want in life. As your attorney, Mary Pat will thoroughly explain the law and your options, and work with you to address your legal issues with clarity and thoughtfulness.

Mary Pat has been a Partner at Viitala Byrn & Ives, and its predecessor, Viitala Law Office, for over five years. Prior to joining the law firm, Mary Pat was a Professor and Associate Dean at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and a Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School. Mary Pat has written extensively in the areas of constitutional law and family law; with a particular focus on the rights of parents and children in nontraditional families. Mary Pat also clerked for the Honorable Gerald W. Heaney of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit and for the Honorable John R. Tunheim of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.

marypat@vbilaw.com

612 - 254 - 1315

Selected Presentations and Publications

  • Legal Recognition of Queer Families, Child Custody Deskbook, Minnesota CLE

  • The Intent Test: Bias in the Courts, Minnesota Lavender Bar Association Conference

  • Equal Protection and Same-Sex Marriage, Hamline University Law School

  • Custody and Parentage for Same-Sex Couples: Legal Issues and Litigation Strategies, Family Law Institute, Minnesota CLE

  • Anonymously Provided Sperm and the Constitution, 23 Colum. J. Gender & L. 1 (2012) (with Rebecca Ireland)

  • Which Came First, the Parent or the Child?, 62 Rutgers L. Rev. 306 (2010) (with Jenni Vainik Ives)

Admitted to Practice

  • Minnesota

  • United States District Court for the District of Minnesota

  • Eight Circuit Court of Appeals

Memberships and Community Service

  • Minnesota State Bar Association

  • Hennepin County Bar Association

  • Minnesota Lavender Bar Association

  • One Voice Mixed Chorus Board Member, Past

  • Avalon School Board Member, Past

  • 2024 Pro Bono Attorney of Year, Minnesota Lawyer

Education

  • University of Minnesota – J.D., magna cum laude, Editor-in-Chief, Law Review

  • Fulbright Scholar – Ghana, West Africa

  • Loyola University Chicago – B.A., magna cum laude

Do you have questions about assisted reproduction and parentage?

Viitala Byrn & Ives has extensive experience helping queer families navigate the legal landscape of assisted reproduction and parentage.

If you have questions about Second-Parent Adoptions or Declarations of Parentage, click the link below.