Spencer Fane was pleased to join industry colleagues at the October 16 Minnesota Lawyer Top Women in Law event. Attorneys Jessica Brigman and Ariel Lierz were celebrated as honorees, with Jessica, Heidi Bassett, Aaron Dean, Troy Dobbs, Maureen Foster, Johanna Hyman, Brian Schoenborn, Rob Schumann, Jeff Wieland, and Office & Client Services Administrator Shannon Wiger attending.
This annual program commemorates the outstanding achievements of exceptional women across the spectrum of the legal profession. Jessica and Ariel join Jessica Nelson, Karen Olson, and Randi Winter as recipients of Top Women in Law honors and were also featured in special Minnesota Lawyer profiles spotlighting their careers. Among other professional achievements, Jessica and Ariel were noted for their crucial role in expanding Spencer Fane into St. Cloud, Minnesota, and obtaining a multimillion-dollar client verdict, respectively.
At the firm, Jessica advises clients on all aspects of business, from initial formation and structuring, ongoing maintenance, and business-to-business transactions to ongoing growth strategies and long-term compliance matters. Her holistic practice also encompasses trust and estate planning with a particular focus on asset preservation within multigenerational family businesses, with a specific focus on family farms. Jessica is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional by the International Association of Privacy Professionals, and enjoys helping her clients navigate the everchanging laws in data privacy, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence
Ariel focuses her national practice on high-stakes business and employment litigation, addressing sensitive and often contentious matters with proactive, protective strategies that yield optimal outcomes while preserving reputations. She has become increasingly involved in financial services litigation and uses her background in Federal Indian Law to work to resolve claims brought against Tribal Nations in class action lawsuits and related arbitrations. Ariel also has extensive experience in complex multiparty, multiclaim disputes in the areas of antifraud, antitrust, breach of contract, indemnification, insurance coverage, insurance defense, and commercial disputes.
Read Jessica’s and Ariel’s full honoree profiles, and view photos from the 2025 ceremony.