Eren Sutherland

MDLC Director

Eren Sutherland (they/them) was named Director of the Minnesota Disability Law Center (MDLC) of Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid in March of 2026. They first joined the organization in September of 2015.

Dedicated to representing clients with disabilities – first, as an immigration attorney working with survivors of violence at Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid and later as a disability rights attorney specializing in mental health issues at MDLC – Eren has worked on state-wide policy matters including the Community Competency Restoration Task Force and Rule 2911 expedited rulemaking committee. Eren was a member of the Murphy v. Harpstead class action litigation team which created systemic change in Minnesota to create pathways for people with disabilities to live in more integrated and individualize community settings. In their recent role as a supervising attorney, Eren’s work focused on protecting people with disabilities from abuse and neglect through MDLC’s monitoring and investigations work.

Eren earned their J.D. with honors from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2013 and their B.A. from the University of Iowa where they majored in Women’s Studies, volunteered as a bike mechanic at a community bike shop, and worked at the University of Iowa Libraries. Eren’s interest in disability rights flourished while studying feminist theory in college which allowed Eren to contextualize their mother Susan’s experience of mental illness, civil commitment, stigma, and institutionalization. Eren identifies as a person with disabilities and as a member of the trans and LGBTQIA+ communities.  

Deeply grateful to all the amazing attorneys, advocates, and staff who have made MDLC the organization it is today, Eren looks forward to MDLC’s next chapter of systemic advocacy to improve the lives and protect the rights of people with disabilities in Minnesota. Eren is also grateful to all the incredible thinkers and doers of this world and this state who help create a more caring, just and equitable world.