Elysian Lawyers

Kyle Prouty is an experienced family law attorney. Kyle is skilled at providing families with the advice and knowledge needed to go through the family court process in Minnesota. He recognizes that each case brings unique challenges and is passionate about providing tailored legal services to each client.

Kyle graduated magna cum laude from St. Cloud State University. He earned his J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law (now Mitchell Hamline) in St. Paul. Since graduating, Kyle has worked exclusively in family law and has represented clients in the areas of divorce, custody, domestic abuse, third-party custody, and other areas of...

Brian has been admitted to practice law in the State of Minnesota since 2004 and the State of Wisconsin since 2010. He attended Hamline University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology in 2001. Brian attended the University of St. Thomas School of Law as a founding member in 2001 and received his Juris Doctor upon graduation in 2004. He is certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a Real Property Law Specialist, an achievement earned by fewer than 2% of licensed Minnesota attorneys. This certification program is administered by the MSBA and approved by...

I practiced criminal law in California for 16 years and continue to practice criminal law in both the State and Federal Courts in Minnesota. I was honored as an attorney of the year from the San Diego Criminal Defense Bar Association in 2002. I have handled and tried cases to juries in everything from petty theft, DWI, and minor drug cases to very serious robberies, burglaries and homicides. I have won numerous cases and most recently won a felony sexual assault appeal and then won the jury retrial in the case in Washington County Minnesota in 2010. I...

David Tanabe is an attorney in the business litigation group with Messerli Kramer, where he focuses on all aspects of bankruptcy law, business restructuring, and insolvency. His clients include financial institutions, lenders, receivers, asset purchasers, trade creditors, and businesses. He also works closely with transactional attorneys on an array of matters, including sales of assets, financing, real-estate purchases and sales, commercial leasing, and workouts. As a ten-year veteran of the NHL, David understands the importance of teamwork and the power of operating efficiently and cohesively. Whether learning the game from Hall-of-Famers as a 19-year-old first-round draft pick or learning the law...

Charles Clas gained considerable experience in criminal law before he even graduated from law school. He participated in the Misdemeanor Prosecution Clinic at the University of Minnesota School of Law, and served as an instructor and member of the Civil Rights National Moot Court team. Charles also worked as a law clerk at Caplan & Tamburino Law Firm, P.A. before joining the firm as a full time attorney in 2014. Charles has successfully tried many criminal cases for the firm, such as marijuana possession, DWI, felony expungement, and 3rd degree assault. If you need experienced and knowledgeable criminal defense you...

I'm a trial lawyer. I'm grateful for the opportunity to fight for justice on behalf of individuals going through hard times against some of the largest corporations in the country.

After law school, I joined the Marine Corps and served as a judge advocate. There's no better training ground for a trial lawyer - I tried over 100 felony and misdemeanor cases. I'm proud of the results I got, including one of the first successful defenses of a Marine discriminated against based on sexual orientation. I deployed to Iraq in a nation building capacity to work with...

Legal Experience—Solving Complex Business Problems Ms. Lockner is a partner in the firm's business litigation department who works with business leaders facing legal disputes that cause financial exposure and other risks to their business. Using her extensive litigation and trial experience, Ms. Lockner offers strategic legal guidance on how to use litigation—either defensively or affirmatively—to meet their business objectives. As a trial attorney, she has the skills and expertise to wield the threat of trial as a sword, but understands and appreciates her clients’ need to use it only as weapon of last resort. Ultimately, Ms. Lockner’s goal is to further...

Bart Torvik is a skilled personal injury and foodborne illness attorney, with years of experience in litigation. After graduating at the top of his class from the University of Minnesota Law School, he clerked for Judge James M. Rosenbaum, the Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Following this position, Bart worked at a large Minnesota firm where he handled every aspect of litigation, from initial consultations to jury trials. In 2010, Bart moved to Evanston, Illinois after his wife Laura became a Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. In...

Jim Lindell (University of Minnesota, 1977) is a litigator focused on personal injury cases, including product liability, medical malpractice, wrongful death, liquor liability and workers' compensation. He is a certified civil trial specialist and is AV-rated by Martindale-Hubbell. He is past dean of the Academy of Certified Trial Lawyers of Minnesota. Lindell feels his broad work experience prior to law school, including construction, firefighting, teaching, and service in the U.S. Army, allows him to relate well to his clients of highly varied backgrounds. He practices in Wisconsin as well as Minnesota and is a qualified arbitrator and mediator.

Barry O’Neil is a trial attorney, who is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the Minnesota Bar Association. Mr. O’Neil’s practice involves the resolution of complex commercial disputes, professional liability claims, employment-related issues and insurance claims. A significant portion of Mr. O’Neil’s practice is in the area of professional liability defense with emphasis in legal malpractice. Mr. O’Neil is the practice group manager of the firm’s Trials and Litigation Practice Group, and he also heads Lommen Abdo’s entertainment litigation initiative. Mr. O’Neil has extensive experience in employment litigation including all types of employment discrimination claims, and he has additionally acted...

Jerri Adams Belcher is a fearless and tenacious advocate for employees’ rights. She represents individuals who have experienced discrimination, retaliation, and harassment in the workplace. Prior to joining Engelmeier & Umanah, P.A. Jerri litigated and tried employment, insurance, and construction-defect cases. During law school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she developed her advocacy skills as a judicial intern for then Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Further, she completed externships at the Wisconsin Department of Justice in its Civil Litigation unit, the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in Washington, D.C. Jerri also...

Janelle was born and raised in Southern California. She received her Juris Doctor degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law with honors. During her time in law school, Janelle served as senior editor of the St. Thomas Journal of Law and Public Policy, worked as a student attorney in the Nonprofit Organizations and Elder Law clinics, and volunteered extensively with the Minnesota State Bar Foundation and Wills for Heroes. She currently lives in Eden Prairie with her husband and their five children. In her free time Janelle enjoys creative writing, supporting Minnesota hockey, and spending time outdoors...

I'm the owner of Subzero Criminal Defense. I focus my practice on the defense of most serious offenses: murder, sexual assault, domestic assault, and child pornography. The more serious your case, the more important it is to defend your innocence. I'm also the creator of FalselyAccused.com. It's a website devoted to reverse engineering wrongful convictions from the past to help people falsely accused today. If you are falsely accused, there is no better attorney to craft a strategy to combat your false accusations.

Teresa grew up in northern Wisconsin on the south shore of Lake Superior, and returns whenever possible to visit family and friends. After graduation from Ondossagon High School, she attended nursing school and practiced as a registered nurse first as a labor and delivery nurse certified in high risk obstetrics, then as an adult critical care nurse in surgical intensive care. Her interest in advocacy for her patients led to a career in law. Teresa devotes her law practice to representing individuals who have been harmed by serious medical errors and medical negligence. She brings a unique blend of...

Mike Davey is licensed to practice law in Minnesota. Mike is excited to bring his passion for supporting and helping people to the practice of law. Mike graduated from William Mitchell College of Law. He was a founding member of the William Mitchell Journal of Law & Practice. He participated in developing the Journal's Business Plan and served as a member of its editorial staff. Mike helped organize The Journal's first symposium: "No Strings Attached, Regulating Judicial Campaign Speech: Judicial Elections in the Aftermath of Republican Party of Minnesota v. White." Other facts about...

John is the founder of the Minneapolis employment and civil rights litigation firm of John A. Klassen, P.A. He received law degrees from the University of British Columbia (1992) and Seattle University (1993). Since 1994, John has practiced exclusively in the areas of employment and civil rights law. He has represented employees and victims of civil rights violations throughout the United States, in the areas of harassment and discrimination law, False Claims Act/Qui Tam claims, whistleblower law, wage and hour disputes, class action claims, employment contract disputes, and sexual abuse. Employees consult with him on a regular...

I am a family law attorney that helps clients in Minnesota navigate the next step forward in their divorce, custody, paternity, support, harassment (HRO) or domestic violence (OFP) case. I help clients figure out their goals and what would work best for their family within the context of the family law system. I then guide clients in implementing those goals so they can move forward in their lives. I understand how difficult (financially, emotionally, and sometimes even physically) this process can be. I take care of the papers and letters and phone calls that come along with the process so...

Mike is an experienced workers comp, injury, insurance, and disability attorney who believes his clients deserve a tireless advocate to secure the benefits they deserve. He has recovered millions of dollars in unpaid and denied benefits for his clients. Mike is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School, where he specialized in injury law, insurance law, employment law, and employee benefits law. Since graduating, Mike has pursued his client’s disability benefits in hundreds of federal ERISA lawsuits against insurers like Cigna, MetLife, Lincoln, Aetna, Guardian, Standard, Reliance, and Hartford. In addition to fighting for long and short term disability benefits,...

Mr. Satre has over 29 years of legal experience practicing almost exclusively in the area of employment litigation. He has litigated numerous, high profile sexual harassment cases involving large parties including: The Stroh Brewing Company; Hooters of America; Pfizer; and many other national and international companies. Mr. Satre is a former Board Member of the Minnesota Chapter of the National Employment Lawyer’s Association. Mr. Satre’s highly esteemed reputation as an authority in the employment area has resulted in him receiving numerous awards. Mr. Satre’s peers have recognized him as a “Super Lawyer” many times...

Wanda Gierman is a criminal litigation attorney in St. Cloud, Minnesota where she has practiced law for more than a decade. She serves Stearns County and the surrounding counties throughout the state of Minnesota. Ms. Gierman grew up in Rugby, North Dakota and attended University of North Dakota where she graduated with a degree majoring in criminal justice with a minor in psychology. As an undergraduate, she worked as a summer intern for the North Dakota Supreme Court. She went on to attend William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota and graduated in 2004. While in law...

Luke J Blahnik is the founder of Law Firm of Luke J Blahnik. Mr. Blahnik was born in the city of Rochester, Minnesota and graduated from Caledonia High School, in Caledonia, Minnesota. In 1998 he received his Bachelor of Science in History from Winona State University, in Winona, Minnesota. He then went on to receive his Juris Doctor degree from Hamline University School of Law in 2001 and was admitted to practice law in the State of Minnesota in 2002. From 2001 through 2004 Mr. Blahnik was a Judicial Law Clerk for the Koochiching County Courthouse, where he...

Mr. Hitchcock’s practice is focused on estate planning, contract law and business. He is an acclaimed lecturer on complex estate planning topics and an occasional contributor to the bimonthly newsletter of the Minnesota Podiatric Medical Association. Mr. Hitchcock has two children and resides in Dellwood, Minnesota, with his wife.

Mr. Hitchcock’s estate planning practice is centered on providing complex estate planning services to individuals and families. This includes wills, revocable trusts, marital and support trusts, powers of attorney and health care directives. He has represented thousands of clients in the areas of general estate planning and estate tax planning.

Mr. Hitchcock has...

St. Paul Personal Injury Lawyer

John retired from the United States Marine Corps as a Gunnery Sergeant after serving twenty-two years in various infantry, artillery and administrative capacities in numerous locations within the United States and around the world. John chaired the initiative to start Veterans Courts in Minnesota and has traveled the country assisting in setting them up. Additionally, John travels the country teaching law enforcement how to deal with veterans in crisis. John was a 2010 Attorney of the Year recipient.

Susan M. Lach is a shareholder at Tuft, Lach, Jerabek & O'Connell, PLLC and a Rule 114 Qualified Neutral. Ms. Lach practices in all areas of family law, including complex property valuation and division, contested child custody matters, spousal maintenance, child support issues, and antenuptial agreements. Ms. Lach is trained in arbitration, as well as mediation. She is a Financial Early Neutral Evaluator for the Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Washington, and Dakota County District Court Early Neutral Evaluation Programs. Ms. Lach is a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and is past Minnesota Delegate to...

Jill utilizes an innovative approach to family law - she see a divorce as a "family reorganization" and she encourages her clients to adhere to the following guiding principles: 1. A happy family in two houses is better than a miserable family in one house. 2. A divorce terminates a marriage, but a divorce does not terminate a family. 3. Conflict damages children. 4. A divorce is not to be started lightly - it impacts multiple generations. 5. All divorces cause losses. 6. We all experience a predictable pattern of emotions in response to losses. 7. You choose to make your life better. 8. Revenge against the other party does not make your life better. 9. Life's challenges...

Michelle Gibbons practices exclusively on behalf of employees who have been subjected to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other unlawful treatment in the workplace. While in law school, Michelle honed her legal skills as Associate Editor-in-Chief of the Mitchell Hamline Law Review. She also worked as a Judicial Law Clerk in Ramsey County district court and completed over 150 hours of volunteer work through the Minnesota Justice Foundation’s Law School Public Service Program.