February 19, 2009

Briggs and Morgan Elects 2009 Directors and Officers

The shareholders of Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association, have elected two new directors to its 2009 board: Sam Hanson and Steven J. Ryan.

Sam Hanson is a shareholder who rejoined Briggs in 2008 after serving on the Minnesota Court of Appeals for two years and the Minnesota Supreme Court for five years. He is a member of Briggs’ business litigation section, energy law group and appellate practice group. He has had extensive experience in both the state and federal courts in Minnesota, as well as courts in many other states in the region, and practices principally in arbitration and mediation, complex civil litigation, appellate law, and public utility regulation. Hanson received his LL.B. degree cum laude and with honors from the William Mitchell College of Law. While in law school, he served as a law clerk for the Honorable Douglas K. Amdahl (then a district judge in Hennepin County; later chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court). He also served as law clerk for the Honorable Robert J. Sheran (then an associate justice and later chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court). Hanson received his B.A. degree from St. Olaf College, where he majored in economics and history.

Steven J. Ryan is a shareholder and head of the firm’s financial institutions and real estate section. He practices principally in the areas of commercial finance, commercial real estate, banking law and regulation and creditor's rights and remedies. Ryan often represents banks, institutional lenders and corporate borrowers in complex senior, mezzanine and second lien financing transactions, project financings, asset-based loans and construction and permanent real estate loan transactions. He also represents lenders in connection with workouts and restructurings of existing credits, and advises state and federally chartered financial institutions on a variety of regulatory issues. In his commercial real estate practice, Ryan represents investors, developers and lenders with regard to the structuring, capitalization and financing of commercial real estate transactions. He received his law degree cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School and his B.B.A. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Ryan joined Briggs in 1994.

Briggs’ new directors join re-elected members of the board Nancy C. Aiken (vice president), Neal T. Buethe, Michael J. Grimes, Michael C. Krikava, Alan H. Maclin (president), Joseph P. Noack and Jack Y. Perry. In addition, new officers for 2009 include:

Elizabeth M. Brama, Treasurer, is a shareholder and member of the firm’s business litigation section, who practices primarily in complex commercial litigation. In her practice, she has been involved in labor and employment matters, appellate and administrative practice, and environmental disputes. She also handles finance and accounting disputes, and is a certified public accountant (inactive). Brama received her law degree magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School and graduated from the University of St. Thomas summa cum laude with a B.A. in accounting and political science. Prior to joining Briggs in 2002, she clerked for Chief Justice Kathleen A. Blatz and served as legal counsel for the 2001-2002 Minnesota Special Redistricting Panel.

Steven J. Ryan, Secretary (see above)

Established in 1882, Briggs and Morgan, Professional Association, is a full-service law firm and trusted name in business law and litigation services. With offices in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, the firm has more than 180 attorneys committed to providing superior client service and sound legal counsel to clients nationwide. Briggs and Morgan ranks among The NLJ 250 as one of the nation’s largest firms and has received numerous accolades, including recognition by the publishers of Corporate Counsel and top clients as a “Go-To Law Firm®” since 2005, in the areas of litigation, corporate transactions, corporate governance, and labor and employment. The firm and its attorneys have also been highlighted in The Best Lawyers in America and “top ranked” in Chambers USA. Briggs is a founding member of Lex Mundi, the world’s leading association of independent law firms, and serves as the exclusive member firm for Minnesota. For more information, visit www.briggs.com.

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