Jeana Goosmann’s delicate turn of phrase and gentle manners make her someone with whom one would enjoy grabbing lunch or a coffee, or having a chat. They do nothing at all to soothe her opponent when she steps into a courtroom.
“I’m a farmer’s daughter,” Goosmann said. “Dad farmed right until the end, and was still out there working at 86. He instilled those Midwest values in me: that you work hard, you’re true to your word, and your reputation is everything.”
The reputation the high-stakes trial attorney has built since opening her own firm has made Goosmann Law a well-respected and highly sought-after name by CEOs and business owners in more than 12 states, as well as the largest female-owned law firm in the Midwest.
“It’s both exciting and sad that we have that distinction,” Goosmann added. “I really had to build my dream job, because when I got started, it just didn’t exist for me. But I couldn’t be more proud of the team we’ve built. We work hard to find people who love being lawyers, and who want to understand the people they are serving, not just the problem they are solving.”
Proclaimed online as “the CEO’s Attorney,” Goosmann’s journey from farmer’s daughter to fierce client advocate has been rich with serendipitous connections and an insatiable hunger for knowledge.
“I was a business major in college, and was taking entrepreneurship classes when they tasked us with building a company,” she recalled. “After that experience, I found myself always in tune with business strategy.” But it wasn’t enough for the intrepid entrepreneur. She went on to seek an education in the legal field, and found that as her qualifications expanded, so did her network.
“I graduated from Creighton’s School of Law in 2002, then earned an executive MBA from Dartmouth, and I’ve attended the Harvard College Business leadership program. I’m always trying to grow myself so I can evolve and grow this firm. I’ll always seek additional avenues to inform and educate myself on how to do that sustainably for my team and our clients,” Goosmann said.
She continues to utilize the weight she’s built behind her brand in the media, appearing on shows such as “Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid” and speaking at events and conferences such as the American Bar Association, Annual Midwestern Bankruptcy Institute Conference, and more. While she built her law practice with her mind focused on business, she is generous with her knowledge and experience, and works tirelessly after-hours to share what she has learned about law, litigation, and life through her many speaking events, charitable contributions, and the release of her 2019 book, “Worth It: Business Leaders Ready. Execute. Deliver.”—endorsed on the cover by Erin Brockovich.
“Erin Brockovich was a keynote speaker at an event I attended,” Goosmann said. “Her message was, ‘Look what I did as a single mother of three. You all own law firms, what are you doing with yourselves?’ And I thought, ‘She’s right.’ That was when I decided to stop putting it off and to write my first book.
Goosmann has a lifetime’s worth of accomplishments of which to be proud, but the achievement she’s most forthcoming about is the team of more than 50 people who stand behind her name.
“I’m grateful for the way our talented team has just snowballed. Everyone here is massively impressive and dedicated, and I’m so grateful to be surrounded by people who are so driven and inspiring. One of my favorite things that happened in the last year came about when our team was strategizing on a case. We needed to find someone with expertise in a very niche legal matter, and we partnered with my former dean from Creighton Law, Patrick Borchers. Once we had finalized the case, he said that he’d had so much fun working with our team that he wanted to make it a permanent arrangement. Someone I always admired so much is now an attorney at my law firm,” Goosmann reflected.
She continued, “Soon after, my chief operating officer role opened up and he suggested Tricia Sharrar, who had been the associate dean when I attended Creighton. She served there for 26 years, and about a year ago, she became my COO. It feels like such a privilege for this passion and knowledge to have come full circle in this way.”
“Jeana is just such a dynamic and energetic individual, and it’s impossible not to be completely fired up after talking with her,” Sharrar said. “Coming to Goosmann and seeing that inclusivity and diversity reflected had me sold immediately.”
Sharrar also appreciated the collaborative environment. “It was a multi-day interview, and during one day I got to meet with 14 people from the firm. She has built an environment where everyone has stake in the decisions, and nothing is done unilaterally. Jeana centers her team and makes sure everyone is on board with any big decisions. It’s all about her people and creating an environment where everyone is able to bring the best of themselves and thrive and grow.
“Jeana has built a strong environment where each person fills the gaps in what the firm has to offer,” Sharrar continued. “Where everyone’s skills came together to serve our clients from the strongest position. Without weaknesses. That approach has her sitting at very important tables with very powerful people, and bringing just as much to that table as anyone else invited. She makes it look easy, but it’s not, it’s just worth it.”
Goosmann Law has offices in Omaha; Sioux City and Spirit Lake, Iowa; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and, according to their website, serves “business leaders, business owners, entrepreneurs, and Fortune 2000 companies” with comprehensive expert legal services and solutions.
For more information, visit goosmannlaw.com.
This article originally appeared in the December 2024/January 2025 issue of B2B Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
