From Growing Up on a Farm to Co-Founding Janzen Schroeder Ag Law: Brianna Schroeder on Environmental Litigation, Agriculture's Big Data, and Leading the National Discussion at the Intersection of Farming, Technology, and Regulation
Brianna Schroeder is co-founder of Janzen Schroeder Ag Law, a boutique law firm exclusively focused on serving those involved with agriculture—from sophisticated farms to ag technology providers to agribusinesses. Since co-founding the firm with Todd Janzen in 2015, Brianna has become a national thought leader at the intersection of agriculture, environmental law, and emerging technology.
Brianna grew up on an old family farm in rural Indiana, and after practicing environmental litigation at Plews Shadley Racher & Braun in Indianapolis and later at Wilson Elser in Chicago,she decided to "get back to her roots and work with farmers and agribusinesses." Today, she litigates complex environmental matters, drafts contracts for agribusinesses, helps livestock farms navigate regulatory compliance, and is leading the national discussion on agricultural law.
In August 2025, Indiana Governor Mike Braun appointed Brianna to the Environmental Rules Board to represent agriculture. She's recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2026 for Litigation - Environmental, served on the American Agricultural Law Association Board of Directors, won AALA's 2021 Professional Scholarship Award for her Amicus Brief on the Right to Farm Act, and graduated from the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 18). Brianna co-authored the "Best Paper" at the 2025 American Bar Association's SEER Fall Conference and was a key source for the Indiana Prairie Farmer's three-part series on Salamonie Mills' failure.
A frequent speaker on topics from PFAS legislation to renewable energy to novel zoning and land use issues, Brianna serves as Board Secretary for Indiana AgrIInstitute, was elected to the Indianapolis Bar Association board of directors, and volunteers with Child Advocates. She actively mentors undergraduates, law students, and recent graduates, and is a sought-after author writing extensively on the Right to Farm Act, zoning, renewable energy, sustainability, the Clean Water Act, and how the Supreme Court's Loper Bright decision fundamentally changed administrative appeals.
In this Q&A, Brianna shares her journey from environmental litigation to co-founding a specialized ag law firm, navigating the post-Chevron regulatory landscape for agricultural compliance, and building credibility as a subject matter expert in a traditionally male-dominated field.
From Environmental Litigation to Co-Founding Janzen Schroeder Ag Law - Building a Practice at the Intersection of Agriculture, Technology, and Environmental Regulation
You co-founded Janzen Schroeder Ag Law, a firm focused exclusively on serving those involved with agriculture, from sophisticated farms to ag technology providers to agribusinesses. You litigate complex environmental matters, draft contracts for agribusinesses, help livestock farms navigate regulatory compliance, and are leading the national discussion on agriculture's big data (privacy policies, data transfer agreements). In August 2025, Indiana Governor Mike Braun appointed you to the Environmental Rules Board to represent agriculture. You're recognized in The Best Lawyers in America 2026 for Litigation - Environmental, served on the American Agricultural Law Association Board of Directors, won AALA's 2021 Professional Scholarship Award for your Amicus Brief on the Right to Farm Act, and graduated from the Indiana Agricultural Leadership Program (Class 18). For female founders building businesses at the intersection of agriculture, technology, and sustainability, what made you decide to specialize in agricultural law? Walk us through your journey from environmental litigation to co-founding a boutique ag law firm, and what advice would you give women about building specialized legal or professional services practices in niche industries like agriculture where the client base and practitioner community are traditionally male-dominated.
I grew up on a farm, so working with the agricultural industry really was an obvious fit for me. As a young lawyer, I worked on all kinds of environmental matters. As I learned more and became more confident in my practice, I represented a few farms with permitting and other environmental issues. When my law partner and I decided to start our own firm, we knew we wanted to do something different—to focus entirely on the clients and to meet them where they are. That is why we decided to base on practice not on the type of law (contracts versus litigation, for example), but rather on the industry itself. Farmers and agricultural businesses have a variety of legal needs, but the issues almost always come back to the land. My advice to women practitioners looking to build a focused legal or professional practice would be to look for niche areas who are not yet being served. Think of industries that deserve specialized attention, but who aren’t yet getting it. When you find an area like that and it overlaps with your personal education or experience, I think that is the sweet spot for female entrepreneurs.
Navigating the Regulatory Landscape - Clean Water Act, Right to Farm, PFAS, Water Rights, and the Post-Chevron Era for Agricultural Compliance
Your practice covers environmental regulatory compliance, zoning, Right to Farm Act litigation, water rights, PFAS chemicals, renewable energy, agritourism, farm security, employment law, and insurance coverage. You handle government flooding takings cases, and write extensively about how the Supreme Court's Chevron decision and Indiana's HEA 1003 fundamentally changed administrative appeals and give "less deference to agency decisions." You're a frequent speaker on agricultural and environmental topics and served on the the Indianapolis Bar Association Environmental Law Section. For female founders in agriculture, food production, agtech, or sustainability businesses, what are the most common regulatory mistakes you see startups and established farms make? How should founders think about environmental compliance, land use, and zoning from day one? And how has the post-Chevron legal landscape changed what ag businesses need to know about challenging or defending regulatory decisions?
When it comes to regulatory compliance, it is best to hire someone who understands the field and has experience with the regulatory agency. One mistake we see sometimes is companies or entities assuming they don’t need to secure a permit or other approval before taking some action like building a farm or installing drainage tile through a wet area. Environmental compliance is not only required by law but also is a solid business strategy. It helps a company avoid liabilities and take care of its natural resources like land, water, and air. After the Supreme Court’s Loper Bright decision and similar state law changes, courts may defer less to agency decisions. This can cut both ways for the agricultural industry and an experienced lawyer can help producers sort through their rights.
Building Janzen Schroeder Ag Law While Advancing the Field - From Salamonie Mills Litigation to International Speaking on PFAS and Carbon Markets
You've been featured as a key source in major agricultural litigation (including the Indiana Prairie Farmer's three-part series on Salamonie Mills' failure), speak internationally on topics from PFAS legislation to South Korean farming to carbon market transparency principles, and actively mentor undergraduates, law students, and recent graduates. You're Board Secretary for Indiana AgrIInstitute, were elected to the Indianapolis Bar Association board of directors, volunteer with Child Advocates, and have been appointed to represent agriculture on Indiana's Environmental Rules Board. For female founders building professional services firms or advisory businesses while maintaining significant community leadership and mentorship roles, how do you structure your time and practice to balance client work, thought leadership (speaking, writing), board service, and mentorship? What's your advice for women about building credibility as subject matter experts in specialized fields, and how do you think about pricing legal services for agricultural clients who may have different budget expectations than corporate tech clients?
I think the idea of work life balance is a little bit of a funny idea. To me, it is all one thing. My life outside the office impacts my life inside the office and vice versa. I try to look at it from a holistic perspective – all the parts of life fitting together to make you the best version of you that you can be. This necessarily includes giving back to your communities, serving in leadership roles, advancing industry knowledge through writing and presenting, and obviously practicing law at a high level. I have served on boards which I believe improve the agricultural or legal world because those are the areas in which I have experience. This ensures that my non-profit work dovetails with my legal practice and each one supports the other. My advice to women looking to build credibility in a particular field is to read and write in that field—this ensures you are constantly increasing your knowledge base. Attend the educational and networking events in that space to learn from others. Meet people where they are!
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