2019 Attorneys of the Year: Nicole Moen

For Fredrikson & Byron partner Nicole Moen, 2019 stood out for the conclusion of a highly complex piece of litiga­tion, as well as significant advances in her community and pro bono involvement.

She first-chaired Pierce Street v. Smith in Woodbury County, Iowa, a business litigation case involving breach of contract, tortious in­terference, and conspiracy. The case was unusual, she said, in that it involved both individuals and entities, 21 witnesses, several claims and counterclaims, and took two years to put together and advance to a jury trial.

The trial team of four attorneys — all women, which is rare for a complex civil dispute and rarer still in rural Iowa — was successful, with the jury finding for Moen’s client, with $1.6 million awarded in damages.

“I enjoy working on complex cases, and seeing ligation through from start to finish,” she said. “I also think I’m good at putting to­gether a strong team for my clients, and this case was an excellent example of that.”

Another attribute is a deep sense of community involvement, and 2019 allowed Moen to showcase that by becoming board chair of both the Harvard Club of Minnesota and the ACLU-MN. Those were in addition to her pro bono work, which she feels is vital for every at­torney to take on.

“Lawyers have a special and unique place in society; we have the ability to help effect change,” she said. “Whether that means helping individual clients or preserving constitutional rights for everyone or advancing our system of justice, we all have the ability to make this world a better place.”

Read more about Minnesota Lawyer’s superb class of Attorneys of the Year for 2019 here.

Gain access to all of our great content with a month-to-month subscription. Start your subscription here.