Lawyer of the Day: Aaron Biber

Aaron Biber was a principal specializing in business law at the Minnesota law firm of Gray Plant Mooty — until yesterday. As mentioned in yesterday’s Non-Sequiturs, he’s been charged with molesting a 15-year-old boy.

His photo appears at right. We’ll let you be the judge.

Biber was a prominent member of the local bar. From the Minneapolis Business Journal:

Biber is treasurer of the Minnesota State Bar Association, and a former president of the Hennepin County Bar Association. He’s being held at the Hennepin County jail. Freeman’s office expects to ask for $1 million bail at his arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday.

South Lake Minnetonka police arrested Biber on Friday at the Eden Prairie Mall, where he had allegedly arranged to meet the boy. Authorities say Biber had previously had sex with the boy in October at Biber’s Shorewood home.

Gray Plant Mooty has put Biber “on leave” and taken down his bio. This Minnesota firm can teach Biglaw a thing or two — they’ve even eliminated the cached version.

UPDATE: Actually, you can find a cached version of his 2007 bio here (gavel bang: commenter). We’ve pasted a portion of it after the jump.

More yucky allegations, and the reaction from his colleagues, after the jump.

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The Minnesota City Pages blog has more details about the alleged relationship between Biber and his victim:

According to the criminal complaint, Biber has known the boy for four years. It says that he gave the boy alcohol, sent him graphic texts and pictures of his own genitals, and engaged in unprotected anal and oral sex with him. After suffering injuries from one encounter, the boy contacted an unnamed person, who contacted South Lake Minnetonka Police.

The University of Iowa grad was a high-profile attorney in Minnesota, called a “rising star” and a “super lawyer” by Minnesota Law and Politics, and this news comes as a shock to the legal community there. The managing partner of Gray Plant Mooty tells the Biz Journal that his colleagues at the firm are confused and disturbed:

“We are deeply saddened by this completely unexpected news, and are ensuring that the clients Mr. Biber has served are being well taken care of by other lawyers at our firm. We are also caring for our employees, who, like our entire legal community, are confused and disturbed by this news,” said Tamara Hjelle Olsen, the managing officer and board chairwoman at the Minneapolis-based law firm.

The prez of the Bar Association is also disturbed:

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Leo Brisbois, the president of the Minnesota State Bar Association, said in a statement that the allegations against Biber are “deeply troubling,” and that the group is working to suspend Biber of his duties as treasurer.

For the record, we at ATL are also disturbed.

Prominent lawyer Aaron Biber charged with having sex with minor [Minnesota Business Journal]
Biber’s teen sex charge leaves colleagues “confused and disturbed” [Minnesota City Pages]