The POWER 30: Mark Briol

Briol & Benson, PLLC

Mark Briol was 19 when he made a life-changing decision. An aspiring boxer, he lost a crucial fight on a decision that went against him and decided to leave the sport for higher education.

He transferred that drive and energy to law school, and went on to graduate first in his class at what is now Mitchell Hamline School of Law. He’s had his own Minneapolis law firm for 35 years, Briol & Benson, which practices across the country, mostly for businesses and shareholders.

Wanting to do “complicated law,” Briol started in securities litigation. He tried cases and won, building a national reputation. Then he took his practice beyond business and securities. He started to add lawyers “with extraordinary cases,” and many have stayed for 20 years or more.

Briol represents about 40% of the counties in Minnesota in MDL litigation in the northern district of Ohio against manufacturers, distributors and pharmaceuticals for fraudulent business practice in pushing opioids on the public, thereby costing counties enormous sums of money on health care. Money has started to flow to clients, Briol said.

Briol also sued the Mall of America for an incident that shocked the state. Emmanuel Aranda threw a then 5-year-old boy off a third-floor balcony, likely intending to kill him. But the child survived with severe head trauma and multiple broken bones. Briol’s case alleged that the mall was negligent in its security. He represented the child and the mother, who was in the immediate vicinity and witnessed the assault on her son. The case was settled on a confidential basis, but Briol and his clients are pleased. The boy will need extensive medical care for the rest of his life.

Briol, whose office is in the IDS Center in Minneapolis, is concerned about the city’s vitality. “There’s an awful lot of foreclosure in Minneapolis, including A-class buildings,” he said.  Restaurants and retail are closed, and one reason is that there is a fight going on about whether people are going to come back downtown to work, Briol said.