Email: jjohnson@kretschgust.com | Direct: (952) 314-1843
Jaren L. Johnson is a partner in the firm. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota. During college, Jaren was on the nationally ranked tennis team, was a high school tennis coach and instructor, was president of his fraternity, and owned investment/rental property. Following college, he was a professional tennis instructor in the Washington D.C. area, a sales executive for Macy’s in California, was named to the “Who’s Who” Registry of Rising Young Americans, and then worked as a Real Estate Broker in South Dakota.
Feeling that he missed his calling, Jaren returned to school and received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Dakota School of Law in Vermillion, South Dakota. During law school, he was an Editor for the Great Plains Natural Resources Law Journal and was also named to the Dean’s List. Upon graduation from law school, Jaren worked as corporate counsel acquiring, locating and zoning wireless telecommunications sites throughout the Midwest. Prior to joining Kretsch & Gust, Jaren was the managing shareholder of BenePartum Law Group, P.A. and an attorney at Meagher & Geer, P.L.L.P. in Minneapolis as a real estate and corporate law attorney in both transactional and litigation matters.
Jaren is Board Certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a Real Property Law Specialist, a designation held by less than 400 attorneys in Minnesota. He was named as a “Rising Star” by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine, a listing of the best up-and-coming attorneys in the state. He is at ease with transactional matters as well as litigation, securing favorable verdicts at the trial and appellate court levels for his clients. Jaren also contributes his time through speaking engagements, pro-bono work, Minnesota’s high school mock trial program, and he is a member and current president of the Riverton Community Housing Board of Directors, which oversees the operation of hundreds of rental units near the University of Minnesota.
Leisure activities outside of the firm include golfing, real estate investment and coaching youth sports. He operates a company with his family that develops raw land and rehabilitates existing properties. He lives in Savage with his wife, Julie, and son, Noah.
