Bar Admissions
& Education
& Education
- William Mitchell College of Law, St Paul, Minnesota, J.D., 1984
- Honors: President, Moot Court Society, 1982-1983
- Honors: Chairman, Moot Court Board, 1982-1983
- University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, B.A., 1981
- Fraternity Member, Zeta Beta Tau
- Minnesota State Bar, 1984
- Wisconsin State Bar, 2015
Court Admissions
- Minnesota, 1984
- United States District Court of Minnesota, 1984
- United States District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 2015
- United States District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2016
Professional Associations
& Memberships
& Memberships
- Admitted Pro Hoc Vice into the following Federal Courts: New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Illinois, Texas, Arizona, Missouri, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington.
- Minnesota State Mock Trial Competition – Judge
- William Mitchell Trial Competition and Trial Advocacy Courses – Judge
- Mitchell in Minneapolis Alumni Organization – Past Chair
- American Arbitration Association – Panel of Arbitrators
- Hennepin County Bar Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Trial Lawyers Association, Mass Tort Trial Lawyers Association, American Association for Justice. – Panel of Arbitrators
- American Association for Justice, 2007-Present – Leadership Forum
- Minnesota Association for Justice, 2007 – Present, – Board of Governors/Emeritus
Leadership & Appointments
- Served on Plaintiff’s Committee in In re 35W Bridge Collapse, Hennepin County Minnesota
- Specialty knowledge in federal preemption issues through involvement in Pliva v. Mensing, 131 S. Ct. 2567, 2011, and Lawrence v. Medtronic, 2013
- Co-lead counsel in the companioned action, Lawrence v. Medtronic, et al., 27-CV-13-1197, Hennepin County, Minneapolis, MN
- Appointed as Co-Chair of the American Association for Justice Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft Litigation Group
- Leadership Forum – American Association for Justice
- Board of Governors/Emeritus, Minnesota Association for Justice, 2007-Present
- Campaign Chairman, 2015, Cardozo Society
- Campaign Chairman, 2016, Federation for Jewish Service
- Plaintiffs Steering Committee: In re Benicar (Olmesartan) Products Liability Litigation; currently serving on discovery committee.
- Plaintiffs Steering Committee: In re Bard IVC Filters Products Liability Litigation; currently serving on discovery, sales, and marketing committees.
Awards & Certifications
Certifications / Specialties
- State and National Senior Civil Trial Specialist, MSBA and NTBA
- Board Certified in Civil Trial Advocacy, 2002-Present
Honors/Awards
- America’s Top 100 Attorneys
- Best Lawyers in America, 2015 – Present
- Award of Professional Excellence – Minnesota State Bar Association, 2009
- Top 100 Trial Lawyer list – American Trial Lawyer Association, 2008 – Present
- Minnesota SuperLawyer list – SuperLawyer, 1998 – Present
- Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, 1998 – Present
- Top Personal Injury Attorney list – Law & Politics, 1998 – Present
- Leading American Attorney – American Research Corporation
Presentations &
Publications
Publications
- CLE: Minnesota State Bar Assoc., “FDA Forum-Current Topics and Trends“, April 2018
- CLE: Minnesota Association for Justice, “Expert Discovery and Admissibility“, March 2018
- CLE: Talcum Powder/ Ovarian Cancer, October 2016
- American Association for Justice Convention, July 2016: “Talcum Powder/Ovarian Cancer case criteria and selection”
- American Association for Justice Convention, July 2013: “Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft- The Application of Preemption and Medtronic’s Conduct”
- Mass Torts Made Perfect, April 2013: “Medtronic Infuse- The Preemption Battle”
- American Association for Justice Convention, February 2013, “History, Background, and Preemption- Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft”
- Mass Torts Made Perfect, October 2012, “Medtronic Infuse- A Historical Perspective”
- Minnesota Association for Justice Convention, August 2011, “Punitive Damages in Dram Shop Cases”
- NBI CLE, June 2010 “Brain injury”
- NBI CLE, June 2008, “The Art of Settlement”
- NBI CLE, 2005, “Advanced Expert Deposition Tactics in Minnesota”
Pro Bono &
Volunteer Activities
Volunteer Activities
- Co-Campaign Chair, Federation for Jewish Service, 2016-2017
- Board of Directors, Temple Israel, 2009 – Present
- Volunteer Attorney for Bridge Victims, 35W Bridge Consortium, 2007
- Board of Directors, Alexander Muss Institute for Israel Education, 2004 – 2009
- Volunteer Attorney for 9/11 Victims, Trial Lawyers Care, Inc., 2001
- Chairman, Young Men’s Division of the Minneapolis Federation for Jewish Service, 1997
- Board of Directors, Minneapolis Jewish Community Center, 1995 – 1998
- Member, Young Men’s Division of the Minneapolis Federation for Jewish Service, 1986 – 2000
- Volunteer, Law Day at the Legal Aid Society, 1981 – 2000
- Volunteer and Officer Chairman, Minneapolis Jewish Federation, 1980 – 2000
Mass Tort Areas of Practice
Personal Injury & Defective Products
Experience
- Dangerous Medical Devices & Defective Drugs and Supplements including: Dalkon Shield IUD, Copper-7 IUD, DES, Breast Implant, Fen Phen, Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex, Mirapex, YAZ birth control, Medtronic Infuse Bone Graft, ASR Hip Implants, Stryker Rejuvenate Hip Implants, Biomet Hip Implants, Wright Medical Hip Implants, Pinnacle Hip Implants, Zimmer Durom Cup Hip Implants, V40 Hip Implants, Zimmer Persona Knee Implants, and Attune Knee Implants
- Product Liability including: saws, shredders, tools, conveyor systems, presses, cranes, bucket trucks, tires, heavy machinery, garage doors, springs, bolts, metal fatigue, molding machines, lathes, sanders, factory equipment, forklifts, two wheelers, bicycles, washing machines, dishwashers, lamps, and medical equipment
- Auto, Motorcycle, and Truck Collisions (Settled, litigated, or tried thousands of cases)
- Construction Accidents including beams, garage doors, open holes, nail guns, railing collapses, scaffolding, falls, crush injuries, fall protection equipment, OSHA violations, trench collapse, and fires.
- Premises Liability including: 35W Bridge Collapse, parking lot collapse, hotel fire, gas explosions, house fires, deck collapses, defective gutter systems, furnace explosions, grill explosions, and defective stairways.
- Medical Malpractice including birth injuries, infections, prescription errors, Stevens Johnson Syndrome and TENS, failure to diagnose cancer, and amputations.
- Wrongful Death including gas explosions, chemical burns, car and truck collisions, drug adverse effects, medical device malfunctions, medical and prescription errors.
- Insurance Disputes including Disability Insurance, No Fault, Uninsured and Uninsured Motorist Coverage, Property, Business Insurance, Medical Insurance, and Life Insurance,
- Complex Litigation including leadership positions in consolidated State Court Actions and Multi-District Litigations.
- Alcoholic Beverages/ Dram Shop including bars, restaurants, serving minors, and off sale liquor.
- Toxic Exposure including Asbestos, Benzene, Colloidal Silver, Mercury, Mold, and Lead.
- Food Liability including: British Airways food poisoning, Costco, numerous restaurants, contaminated meat, parsley, salmon, tuna, and many other food products.