Attorney Profiles

Sara K. Van Norman joined the firm in 2007, after working for three years as a litigation associate at a large Minneapolis law firm, with an emphasis on construction law. She has represented all players in the construction industry (including tribes as owners), on public and private projects, and in state, federal, and arbitration proceedings. Sara has experience drafting and negotiating construction contracts, including for tribal casino developments and other Indian Country projects. In addition, Sara represents tribes, tribal entities, and other businesses in matters involving tribal gaming, finance, reservation boundaries, tribal jurisdiction, the Indian Child Welfare Act, and other business law issues.

Sara is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association Construction Law Section and a Special Member of the Minnesota American Indian Bar Association. She is also an Adjunct Legal Writing Professor with the University of Minnesota Law School for the 2007-08 school year, and has written various articles and book chapters on construction and other business law topics. In law school, Sara was the student director of the Indian Child Welfare Act Clinic and the Vice President of the American Indian Law Students Association.

Sara has a significant pro bono practice, which includes using her proficiency in Spanish to staff a Spanish-language legal clinic, the Linea Legal Latina. Moreover, she has handled diverse pro bono matters ranging from asylum to ICWA to death penalty appeals.