Johanna Clyborne

Major General (Retired) Johanna Clyborne is a founding partner of Brekke, Clyborne & Ribich. She focuses her practice on family law, Military and Federal Pension division and benefits, and legal issues particular to the United States Armed Forces. She is dedicated to helping her clients understand and navigate the complexities of the legal system while vigorously advocating for their rights. In addition to helping her clients, she has served as an expert and neutral in numerous military family law matters. Johanna serves on the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Veterans and Military Affairs Council, participates in the Legal Assistance to Military Personnel, and the Volunteer Lawyers Network. She co-authored Minnesota’s Uniform Deployed Parents Visitation and Custody Act, published several articles, and is a frequent lecturer for various organizations, including the Family Law Institute and Minnesota Continuing Legal Education. Johanna is an American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers fellow, a National Board of Trial Advocacy Board Certified Advocate in Family Law, and a Rule 114 Qualified Mediator.

Minnesota Lawyer selected Johanna once again as a Minnesota Top Women Lawyer for 2025, and Minnesota Law and Politics named her as a Minnesota Super Lawyer, a Top 100 Lawyer, and one of Minnesota’s Top 50 Women Lawyers. She is a recognized North Star lawyer for providing free legal assistance to underserved populations since the program’s inception in 2012, sits on the board of directors as the Vice-Chair for the Minnesota Chapter of the American Red Cross, and is a Veterans’ Court mentor.

Johanna recently retired as a traditional Guardsman with over 35 years of service, holding the rank of Major General. In her final assignment, she served as the Assistant Adjutant General for the Minnesota National Guard. She was responsible for providing guidance, leadership, support, and oversight for 13,000 Soldiers and Airmen and advises the office of the Adjutant General on organizational priorities. As a dual-hatted officer she also served as the Deputy Commanding General for the Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Eisenhower, Georgia, where she advised the Commanding General on matters promoting Total Force Integration across all domains, coordinates key force management initiatives and institutional training requirements and processes, and provides perspective in the formulation, development, coordination, and assessment of doctrine, policies, concepts, programs, and plans. A combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where she received the Bronze Star. Johanna holds the distinction of being the first female to command a brigade, to obtain the rank of Brigadier General in the Minnesota Army National Guard, and the first female to obtain the rank of Major General in the Minnesota National Guard.

Johanna is a graduate of the University of Mary Hardin Baylor, the University of St. Thomas School of Law (J.D.), and completed a fellowship at Tufts University Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in International Securities Studies. In her spare time, Johanna enjoys reading, traveling, running, and is a Walt Disney World fanatic.