Sue Ann Van Dermyden Named to the Daily Journal’s 2026 Top Women Lawyers List
Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation is proud to share that founding partner and Senior Partner Sue Ann Van Dermyden has been named to the Daily Journal’s 2026 Top Women Lawyers list, which recognizes distinguished women attorneys across California. For those who know Sue Ann’s work and impact on the profession, the honor is a meaningful and well-deserved recognition of a career defined by leadership, excellence, and service.
Sue Ann has been an employment attorney since 1993 and is widely recognized as a leader in workplace and Title IX investigations. After years in employment litigation, she saw firsthand the toll unresolved workplace conflict can take on people and organizations and was drawn to investigations as a way to help address those issues fairly, thoughtfully, and with integrity. That commitment to neutrality and high-quality investigative work has shaped her career ever since.
As a founding member of VM Law, Sue Ann helped build one of the nation’s leading firms devoted exclusively to neutral workplace and campus investigations. Her practice focuses on conducting and overseeing complex investigations, serving as an expert witness on whether investigations meet industry standards, and training attorneys and investigators on best practices. Through her work as an attorney, investigator, speaker, professor, and entrepreneur, she has played a major role in shaping the field and advancing standards for the profession.
Sue Ann’s influence extends well beyond the matters she handles every day. She is a founding member of the Association of Workplace Investigators, served on its Board for 10 years, including two years as President, and remains a Senior Faculty member of AWI’s flagship Institute. She also serves as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Workplace Investigations Subcommittee and, from 2020 to 2023, taught the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law’s first workplace investigations course.
This latest recognition adds to a long list of honors reflecting Sue Ann’s impact on the legal profession and the investigations field. More importantly, it recognizes the vision, integrity, and dedication she has brought to this work for more than three decades. We are thrilled to see Sue Ann honored by the Daily Journal and proud to celebrate this well-earned recognition.
For more information, visit Dailyjournal.com.
About Sue Ann Van Dermyden
Sue Ann Van Dermyden, JD, AWI-CH, is a founding and senior partner of Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation. She has been an employment litigator since 1993 and has focused her practice on conducting workplace and Title IX investigations since 2006. Sue Ann is known as a trailblazer and thought leader in this field, building and leading one of the largest teams of attorneys nationwide dedicated solely to conducting workplace investigations. Through her experience as an attorney, investigator, author, speaker, professor, entrepreneur and student of investigations, Sue Ann is a sought-after speaker and expert witness. She has expertise in, and extensive involvement with, formulating industry standards.
