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Moss & Barnett is pleased to announce that The Best Lawyers in America^® has named Yuri B. Berndt and Jana Aune Deach as “Lawyers of the Year” in Minneapolis for 2026. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honored as the Best Lawyers “Lawyer of the Year,” making this accolade particularly significant. Lawyers honored as “Lawyer of the Year” are selected based on particularly impressive voting averages received during the exhaustive peer-review assessments Best Lawyers conducts with thousands of leading lawyers each year. Receiving this designation reflects the high level of respect a lawyer has earned among other leading lawyers in the same communities and the same practice areas for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.

Yuri was named as the 2026 Litigation and Controversy-Tax “Lawyer of the Year” in Minneapolis. A business and tax law practitioner for more than 30 years, Yuri offers a pragmatic, dependable, and timely approach to his clients’ business transaction and tax matters, from the simple to the complex. Clients rely on his business and tax knowledge to inform the legal and economic facets of their business agreements and contracts. Yuri provides creative solutions to the challenges faced by limited liability companies and other pass-through entities, and he has structured special allocations and preferred returns for complex business relationships. His representation includes counsel to individuals and businesses on income, sales, and pass-through tax aspects of controversies with federal and state tax authorities.

Jana was named as the 2026 Family Law “Lawyer of the Year” in Minneapolis. She is a nationally recognized family law practitioner who serves as a compassionate advocate for clients and their children. Knowledgeable and responsive, she is committed to understanding her clients’ needs and working with them to achieve positive outcomes. Jana strives to resolve matters outside the courtroom to minimize distress and disruption, but when the parties cannot reach a consensus, she is fully prepared to represent her clients’ interests at trial. She believes that every client deserves dedicated, competent guidance throughout their family court proceeding, culminating in a conclusion that prepares her clients to confidently move forward. Jana is a Qualified Neutral under Rule 114 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice, available to offer families ADR services such as family law mediation and financial early neutral evaluations. She also serves on Moss & Barnett’s board of directors and as chair of M&B Cares, the firm’s community outreach and philanthropic committee.