M. Annie Santos

Annie Santos' practice is driven by what her clients need on any given matter. She has proven herself to be an essential member of their team, guiding them to the right solution, whether it involves aggressive litigation or negotiating a fair compromise. Annie focuses her practice on commercial and complex litigation, spending the majority of her time defending employee welfare benefit plans and their insurers, administrators and other plan fiduciaries, in ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended) and non-ERISA life, health and disability matters in state and federal court.

Over the course of her career, Annie has practiced in courts throughout the Midwest, including Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and South Dakota. Leveraging her extensive and broad experience, Annie also assists clients and other Hinshaw attorneys across the country with complex federal litigation, including: class action and multidistrict litigation, health care litigation, consumer financial services litigation, and environmental, cannabis, toxic tort, construction, and product liability matters. A portion of Annie's practice is also devoted to general business litigation and labor and employment matters.

Prior to joining Hinshaw, Annie practiced at a Minneapolis-based civil litigation firm. Before embarking on her legal career, Annie was a compliance and operations specialist in San Diego for the international brokerage firm Merrill Lynch.

• Federal Bar Association
• Minnesota State Bar Association
• Minnesota Women Lawyers
• National Association of Women Lawyers

• Recognized on the Rising Stars list by Minnesota Super Lawyers magazine, 2015 – 2018

• Represented employee welfare benefit plans and their insures, administrators and other fiduciaries in over 400 life, health and disability matters, to successful resolution.
• Secured summary judgment for insurer in life insurance benefits matter brought under an individual policy.
• Multimillion dollar settlement for individuals with developmental disabilities who were systematically subjected to restraint and seclusion.
• Obtained summary judgment for contractor in multimillion dollar construction dispute.
• Secured summary judgment for pharmacy in a wrongful death case involving fentanyl.

• "ERISA Disability Case Law Update," Hinshaw's Fourth Biennial Definitive Disability Conference (DDC), Boston, Massachusetts, October 18, 2019

Annie is a regular contributor to Hinshaw's The LHD/ERISA Advisor.

Annie is an avid runner and enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering as the school nurse and lunch lady at her daughters' school.

• The Fashion Group International, Member
• Federal Pro Se Project, Volunteer Attorney