Effective Strategies for Business Divorce and Shareholder Litigation

Janel Dressen | Anthony Ostlund Louwagie Dressen Boylan P.A.

Janel Dressen serves as CEO and is a shareholder at the Minneapolis litigation boutique Anthony Ostlund Louwagie Dressen & Boylan P.A. With twenty-four years of business litigation and trial experience, Janel represents business owners and companies in all types of complex business disputes and bet-the-company cases, including disputes involving fiduciary duty claims both on the plaintiff and defense side of matters. She is most often called-upon to resolve shareholder, ownership, and business valuation disputes among business owners and/or family members. She serves on the American Bar Association Business Divorce, ADR and Business Committees (2019–present) and has been a member of the executive team on the Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Litigation Council including serving as Chair from 2022-2023. Janel is a highly regarded speaker and routinely called upon by numerous organizations to present and share her knowledge on various topics impacting her practice areas. She is a co–author of chapters in the Ongoing Businesses and Minnesota LLCs Deskbooks published by Minnesota CLE, and a co–contributor to the American Bar Association’s Business Divorce Litigation chapter. In 2021, Janel was chosen by the firm’s leaders as only the second Chief Executive Officer of Anthony Ostlund, making her the first woman to lead the firm. Janel has been named a Minnesota Attorney of the Year (2017), has repeatedly been named to the Top 100 Lawyers and Top 50 Women lawyers by Minnesota Super Lawyer, The Power 30 in Business Litigation by Minnesota Lawyer, a Notable Woman in Law by Twin Cities Business Magazine and recognized as a Best Lawyer in America since 2018. In 2024, Janel was named as Top Woman in Law, and her law firm, Anthony Ostlund, was identified by as one of the Best Women-Led Law Firms by Minnesota Lawyer.

Adam Witkov | Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

Adam is a premier litigator, business attorney, and equity partner at the national law firm Michael Best & Friedrich LLP. Clients call upon Adam to resolve their most pressing needs inside and outside of the courtroom. He also serves as outside general counsel to businesses, providing a one-stop concierge solution for all their legal needs.

Adam regularly represents businesses, financial institutions, healthcare clients, and high-net-worth individuals on a wide array of legal matters. He has successfully litigated, mediated, arbitrated, and settled matters concerning breach of contract, breach of warranty, negligence, misappropriation of trade secrets, breach of fiduciary duty, tortious interference with business expectancy, breach of employment agreement, shareholder disputes, the Lanham Act, false advertising, fraud, misrepresentation, and real estate and land use.

In addition, Adam counsels and represents businesses and individuals in business divorce and shareholder disputes throughout the country. He is often sought after for his insights on these topics, having spoken and written extensively about business divorce and shareholder litigation. Adam advises clients at various stages of their disputes, including pre-litigation, mediation, arbitration, and litigation.

Adam’s exceptional skills and dedication to his practice have earned him numerous honors and recognitions, including being named a “Leader in the Law” Legal All-Star by the Wisconsin Law Journal in 2024 and recognized as one of the Notable Leaders in the Law by BizTimes the same year. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America© for Commercial Litigation since 2021 and was honored as one of The Midwest’s Best Lawyers© in Commercial Litigation in 2021 and 2022. Adam was also named a 2015 Up and Coming Lawyer by the Wisconsin Law Journal, an honor awarded to only 30 Wisconsin lawyers practicing for less than eight years. He was recognized as a “Rising Star” in Business Litigation by Wisconsin Super Lawyers from 2014 to 2019 and received the 2015 Michael Best Litigation Practice Group Outstanding Community Service Award. Additionally, Adam is a proud member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society.

Session I – It’s Not About the Money: What You Need to Know About Messy Business Breakups and Shareholder Disputes | 1:00pm – 3:10pm

• Reasons for Ownership Dispute
• Issue Spotting When a Dispute is in the Air
• Common Allegations
• Types of Claims
• The Importance of Written Agreements
• Remedies

Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm

• Valuation Issues in Business Divorce
• Real Cases and Litigation Strategies
• Alternative Resolutions and Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Rules Not to Forget
• Lessons Learned

Break | 3:10pm – 3:20pm

Session II – Navigating Business Divorce and Shareholder Litigation | 3:20pm – 4:20pm

• The legal framework governing shareholder rights and obligations
• Strategies for negotiating and mediating shareholder disputes
• Litigation tactics and procedures in business divorce cases
• The role of valuation experts and financial analysis in determining equitable outcomes