Recent Hires


Fall 2006 Associates


Catherine Biestek is a member of Briggs’ Business Litigation Section. Catherine received her B.A. magna cum laude in political science, as well as Spanish language and literature, from Marquette University. She received her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School. Cathy joins Briggs after completing her clerkship with the Honorable Bruce D. Willis. She is a former summer associate.

Ellen Brinkman is a member of Briggs’ Business Litigation Section. Ellen received a B.A. cum laude from St. Olaf College and a J.D. magna cum laude from the William Mitchell College of Law. She has been honored previously with a Best Brief Award and as a “Top 10 Oral Advocate” by the National Moot Court Competition. Prior to joining the firm, Ellen served as a bankruptcy analyst for Wells Fargo Financial, protecting creditors in Chapter 7, 11 and 13 bankruptcies. She is a former summer associate.

Matthew Brodin is a member of Briggs’ Business Litigation Section. He practices principally in the area of civil litigation. He received a B.S. in finance and international business from the University of Colorado at Boulder . Matthew received his J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School and also studied abroad in the Netherlands as part of his legal education. He joins Briggs after working previously for Northwest Airlines as a financial analyst and industrial engineer.

Britt Gilbertson is a member of Briggs’ Business Litigation Section. She received her B.A. with honors in business administration from Augsburg College. She received her J.D. magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she was elected to Order of the Coif. Britt served as a judicial clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals for the Hon. Thomas J. Kalitowski. She joins Briggs after serving previously as a summer associate.

Christopher J. Huntley  is a member of Briggs’ Financial Institutions and Real Estate Section. He received a B.S. cum laude in international economics from the University of St. Thomas. He received his J.D. cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School. After graduation, Christopher attended Stockholm University in Sweden, where he obtained an LL.M. in international commercial arbitration. Before joining Briggs, Christopher practiced with another firm where his focus was in real estate transactions.

Daniel Supalla is a member of Briggs’ Business Litigation Section. He received a B.A. magna cum laude in psychology and philosophy from the University of Minnesota, and his law degree magna cum laude from the William Mitchell College of Law. While attending law school, he served as assistant editor of the William Mitchell Law Review. He joins Briggs after previously serving as a summer associate with the firm.

Daniel Van Dyk is a member of Briggs’ Financial Institutions and Real Estate Section. He received a B.B.A. in finance, real estate and risk management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.B.A. from the University of Minnesota ’s Carlson School of Management and his J.D. cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School. He is a Beta Gamma Sigma honors graduate and past member of the Minnesota Intellectual Property Review. Dan joins Briggs after working in real estate and public finance with another law firm.

Lateral Attorney Hires


Kari Berman joins Briggs as a shareholder in the Business Litigation Section. She received her J.D. from Hamline University School of Law. Prior to joining Briggs, Kari was president of her own boutique law firm, where she handled a variety of commercial disputes. She was recently appointed as a member of the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission, a role bestowed upon her by Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

Joseph Currier joins Briggs as an associate in the Business Law Section. He received his B.A. in business magna cum laude from Concordia College and his law degree cum laude from William Mitchell College of Law, where he received the CALI Award for the highest grade in his real estate transactions class.

Matt Franken joins Briggs as an associate in the Financial Institutions and Real Estate Section. Prior to attending law school, Matt worked as an environmental scientist, later receiving a law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he was a member of the Minnesota Intellectual Property Review. Matt practiced with another firm in the areas of environmental issues, insurance coverage, construction defects and other civil matters before joining Briggs.

John Hauge joins Briggs as a shareholder and member of the Labor and Employment Law Section. From 1995 to 1999, John attended University of Minnesota's Law School and Carlson School of Management, where he received a law degree cum laude and a master’s degree in industrial relations.

Dennis Knoer joins Briggs as a shareholder in the Business Law Section. He received his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center, where he was a staff member of the American Criminal Law Review. He currently serves as legislative coordinator for the Business Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association and is a member of the board of directors for Connect U.S.-Russia.

John McDonald  joins Briggs as a shareholder and member of the Financial Institutions and Real Estate Section. John received his J.D. with honors from Hamline University School of Law. He has been published in the Hamline Law Review and National Law Journal, and is a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy, creditors’ rights and commercial topics.

Joseph Roach joins Briggs as a shareholder in the Business Law Section. Prior to obtaining his law degree from Hamline School of Law, he worked for more than 10 years in commercial banking, where he was directly involved in lending and loan workouts. He is admitted to practice in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois, and each state's federal district courts.

Michael Stepan joins Briggs as an associate in the Financial Institutions and Real Estate Section. He received his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law, where he received several notable scholarships and was awarded the CALI Award in bankruptcy. He practiced with another law firm prior to joining Briggs.