Elizabeth M. Brama

Elizabeth (Liz) Brama is the Energy Practice Group Chair, a Certified Public Accountant (inactive), and a past member of Taft’s executive committee. She also served as Vice President and Treasurer of Briggs and Morgan prior to its combination with Taft. Liz focuses on complex contested matters for energy companies and has successfully resolved financial issues, regulatory proceedings, and disputes ranging from multibillion-dollar acquisitions to complex regulatory rate case and approval proceedings. Her practice focuses primarily in the following areas:

• Energy industry regulation
• Energy litigation and commercial transactions
• Administrative law and procedure
• Financial and accounting disputes
• Appellate law

Liz also has extensive redistricting experience. She has represented plaintiffs in multiple redistricting proceedings before Minnesota Special Redistricting Panels, and previously served as legal counsel to the 2001-2002 Minnesota Special Redistricting Panel. She has published multiple legal articles on the subject.

Representative Regulatory Experience

• Represented electric and natural gas public utilities in ratemaking proceedings before multiple state public utility and public service commissions, including Minnesota, Colorado, North Dakota, Ohio, and Kentucky.
• Represented publicly-traded electric energy company and regulated utility in obtaining state public utility commission approval of multi-billion dollar take-private transaction.
• Supported settlement and regulatory approval of significant portfolio solution for gas supply constraint, including non-pipeline alternatives and gas supply reinforcements.
• Worked with multiple utilities on power purchase agreements (PPAs) related to wind, solar, and biomass facilities.
• Provided utilities counsel in relation to impacts of state and federal legislation, including energy policy changes, renewable energy standards, clean energy proceedings, and tax change proceedings.
• Worked with multiple utilities, holding companies, and purchasing entities in acquisition of utility companies and utility assets.
• Assisted multiple utilities in developing and supporting grid modernization proposals in Colorado and Minnesota.
• Supported multiple Minnesota utilities in appeals involving ratemaking, affiliated interest, resource planning, and other energy and utility matters to Minnesota Court of Appeals and Minnesota Supreme Court.
• Represented Ohio utility in tariff and ratemaking appeals before Ohio Supreme Court.
• Represented public utility in request for approval of affiliated interest agreements and associated capacity and energy purchases from Wisconsin natural gas plant.
• Participated in the investigation and prudence review of costs incurred in connection with upgrades at nuclear power plant.
• Assisted public utility in obtaining determinations of prudence and approvals to acquire North Dakota wind farm.
• Represented electric utility group in regulatory routing proceedings for 345 kV transmission line spanning Minnesota.
• Supported multiple utilities in the development of various resource planning submissions.
• Handled negotiation of vendor contract for major power train equipment at electric generation facility.
• Represented multiple corporate employers in pension accounting regulatory proceedings in multiple states.

Representative Litigation Experience

• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of electric utility, dismissing $20 million property damage and business interruption claims.
• Settled multi-million dollar vendor dispute regarding work at a generation facility on behalf of electric utility.
• Represented international businesses in private arbitration to allocate liability for a $100 million coal tar clean-up of sediments and land.
• Represented global marketing services company in arbitration regarding its acquisition of a privately held company.
• Defended a multinational business services organization in a whistleblower dispute involving alleged accounting fraud.
• Represented international distributor in litigation over its multi-million dollar acquisition of a privately held business.
• Represented successor to a railroad in both a regulatory dispute and liability allocation litigation involving an arsenic-contaminated property.
• Represented a local airline in response to group unemployment compensation claims across 18 states.

• Author, “Partisan Gerrymandering: Blurring the Lines Between Law and Politics,” 45 Mitchell Hamline Law Review Sua Sponte 1 (2019).
• Co-Author, “A Rough and Tumble World: Balancing Client Advocacy and Professionalism in Fractious Litigation,” The Hennepin Lawyer (Sept. 2008).
• Author, “Why Get Involved? One Lawyer’s Account of How Extracurricular Activities Benefit Life and Work,” With Equal Right (Jan. 2008).
• Co-Author, “Should Judges Get Out of Redistricting?,” Bench & Bar of Minnesota (March 2004).