Thomas J. Braun
Experience
Thomas Braun represents multinational corporations, small businesses, and individuals
in a wide variety of litigation, regulatory and transactional matters. Thomas has
extensive experience related to business, environmental, and natural resources
litigation; federal, state, and local permitting and licensing requirements; and
environmental contamination issues in merger and acquisition transactions.
While in law school Thomas clerked for the Honorable Francis J. Connolly at the
Minnesota Court of Appeals, as well as the Commissioner’s Office at the Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency.
Representative Litigation Work

contract dispute with a national utility company

Associate
Member of a team representing a renewable energy developer in a $250 million
Obtained six-figure judgment for national retailer following two-day arbitration
of breach of contract and statutory claims, which also directly led to opposing
parties’ voluntary withdrawal of trade secrets and civil conspiracy claims in
Minneapolis, MN
(612) 373-8835 direct
(612) 373-8881 fax
thomas.braun@stoel.com
related state court action

Defended multinational e-commerce retailer against breach of contract and
equitable claims, which were dismissed at the outset of discovery and after
asserting counterclaims related to the plaintiffs’ purported sale of counterfeit
goods

Education

University of Minnesota Law School,
J.D., 2012, magna cum laude

University of Minnesota, B.A., Political
Science and History, 2009, summa cum
Resolved case involving breach of employment agreements, business defamation,
laude
antritrust violations and other claims and counterclaims in a mutually satisfactory
Phi Beta Kappa
manner on behalf of a prosthetics and orthotics service provider and two of its
owners

Resolved breach of contract, third party beneficiary, and equitable claims on
behalf of biomass energy producer and its affiliates for nuisance value (less than
10 percent of the plaintiff’s purported damages)

Successfully defended medical services company and its owners against noncompetition, breach of contract, and tortious interference with contract claims

Successfully defended a farmer-owned cooperative against a breach of contract
claim brought by milling industry components manufacturer

Member of a team that successfully defended a multinational food and mineral
company in a million-dollar arbitration over intellectual property rights
Admissions

Minnesota

U.S. District Court for the District of
Minnesota
Thomas J. Braun
Representative Regulatory/Transactional Work

Assisted international waste-to-energy project developer prepare and submit response to RFP for integrated waste management
project in U.S. Virgin Islands

Assisted joint powers entity with the purchase of a facility designed to recover resources from municipal solid waste and
negotiation of related agreement with large electric transmission and generation cooperative for operation of the same facility

Assisted developer in securing extension of regulatory approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for large wind
energy project

Counseled non-metallic industrial minerals producer on regulatory issues related to local regulation of silica sand mining

Assisted a renewable energy development company in navigating state public utility law to secure a wind power services
agreement for a distributed generation project at a national retailer’s distribution center

Counseled a national bank corporation and its subsidiary on tax equity investor liability under CERCLA and the Model Toxics
Control Act relating to a proposed landfill-to-energy facility

Assisted a privately held Minnesota office furniture company in the redemption of membership interests held by a 50% owner

Assisted in a multimillion-dollar control share acquisition involving domestic and international corporations

Assisted in the acquisition of a multimillion-dollar commercial property on Lake Minnetonka
Professional Honors and Activities

Section Council, Minnesota State Bar Association's Environmental, Natural Resources and Energy Law Section

Contributor, ABA Superfund and Natural Resource Damages Litigation Committee Newsletter

Member, American Bar Association

Member, Minnesota State Bar Association

Member, Federal Bar Association

Member, Hennepin County Bar Association

Charles N. Nauen Award for Outstanding Achievement in Environmental and Energy Law, University of Minnesota Law School
Publications

“Brownfields Law and Practice: Minnesota” (co-author), 2014

"Not So Fast: The Supreme Court Allows Pre-Enforcement Review Under the Clean Water Act. Could CERCLA Be Next?" ABA
Section of Environment, Energy and Resources Law Newsletter, June 2013

"Appraising the Apportionment Doctrine: Did the Supreme Court Switch the Tracks in Burlington Northern?," Journal of Animal &
Environmental Law, Spring 2013

"The Border Battle: North Dakota's Suit Against Minnesota and the Future of the Next Generation Energy Act," Hamline Law
Review, Spring 2013
Thomas J. Braun

"Cleaning Up CERCLA: The Ambiguous Definition of 'Disposal' and the Need for Supreme Court Action," The Federal Lawyer, 2011
Civic Activities

Minneapolis Club

Linden Hills Neighborhood Council