Breaking the Ice: Insurance work led Jessica Klander to legal career

Title: Attorney, Bassford Remele

Education: B.A., English literature, Macalester College; J.D., Mitchell Hamline School of Law

Instead of buying the firm, as she had planned, she went to law school.

As she gained litigation experience at Bassford, Klander focused on professional liability defense work, including consumer action defense claims, class actions and medical and legal malpractice.

Klander enjoys the intellectual stimulation and the frequent opportunities to write and argue motions that her practice involves.

“What drew me to being an attorney is having to think on your feet and doing the oral arguments in court forces you to think on your feet and make persuasive arguments on behalf of your clients, and so the motion practice is really fun for that,” said Klander, who was named a 2015 Up & Coming Attorney by Minnesota Lawyer. “We have a great bench in both federal and state court so they usually pepper you with lots of questions and that’s a fun part of the job.”

Q. What’s the best way to start a conversation with you?

A. I like to talk, so it’s probably really easy to start a conversation with me. I couldn’t think of a way that you couldn’t start a conversation with me.

Q. What prompted you to study law and pursue it professionally?

A. I worked at my parents’ insurance agency and was going to buy it. And then I just wasn’t loving that job and really liked the legal. This minor part of my job was the legal aspect, and that was the part I liked the best. So I decided to go to law school. Took a little bit of a leap of faith given the economy at the time, but I really loved the litigation side of it. So it was, I think, a little bit of dumb luck.

Q. What books are on your bedside table or e-reader?

A. I have two very young children, so I read a lot of children’s books. I have a stack of fiction books next to my bed. I really like to listen to podcasts right now. I listen to some political ones. “Radio Lab” is a favorite and also “Ear Hustle.”

Q. What are your favorite and least favorite aspects of being an attorney?

A. I really like how challenging it is, and it’s different every day so I don’t know what I’m doing when I come into work. Which is also the converse, probably the thing I least like about it is the lack of control, so it’s my favorite and least favorite thing probably.

Q. What’s a favorite activity outside your job?

A. I like to be outside. We have a cabin on a lake, so any time I can be there on the water with my kids and family, that’s what I like to be doing. And I like to fish.

Q. If someone visits you in your hometown, what would you take them to see or do?

A. I grew up in St. Cloud. There’s a fabulous burrito place called Bravo Burrito. They have those burritos that are as big as your head. They’re awesome. That’s always my go-to. It’s an institution in St. Cloud.

Q. Is there an attorney or judge, past or present, whom you admire most?

A. For present day there’s a lot at Bassford, but I wouldn’t want to name them specifically. For the past I’m definitely a Ruth Bader Ginsburg fan. My youngest daughter who is 8 months was Ruth Bader Ginsburg for Halloween.

Q. What’s a misconception people have about working as an attorney?

A. That it’s anything like it is on TV.

Q. What if any is your favorite depiction of the legal professional in popular culture (books, films, TV)?

A. I don’t watch a lot of TV because of my kids. I tend not to get a lot of time in for watching it. But I love “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I remember loving “Pelican Brief” when I was in high school.