Nerstrand Lawyers

Nate is known as one of the most fearless and skilled trial lawyers in the region. Nate’s peers have voted him a Top 100 Super Lawyer (top .5% of all attorneys) every year since 2014; The National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers; Member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”); and the Million Dollar Advocates Forum. About half of Nate’s work comes from other lawyers who ask him to either help try their client’s cases or to simply take the cases over for trial.

Nate has lectured and taught trial practice skills to lawyers all across the United States....

DAVID REYES voted 2012 and 2011 "BEST LAWYER" in Edina, Eden Prairie, and Minnetonka, Minnesota by the Reader's Choice Awards!! HAVE A FORMER FEDERAL PROSECUTOR and FBI AGENT ON YOUR SIDE! I am a criminal defense attorney with over twenty-eight years of criminal law experience. As a former FBI Agent and Federal and State prosecutor, my clients get strong representation from an experienced trial attorney. My background is truly unique. After graduating from law school, I became a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I worked in several states conducting a variety of criminal investigations. After my career as an...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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.

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...

Bankruptcy and Consumer Rights Attorney

Christopher D. Jozwiak is a skilled litigator who has won striking victories on behalf of his clients in a diverse range of employment issues. He is a founding partner of Baillon Thome Jozwiak & Wanta LLP and has been recognized as a Rising Star since 2011 and a Super Lawyer since 2014 and was named to the Best Lawyers in America 2018 list for his work in employment law. Chris works tirelessly for his clients in cases involving whistleblower retaliation, sexual harassment, wage and hour violations, reprisal, discrimination, and wrongful termination. He also represents employees and consumers in national class...

Daniel S. Schleck’s varied career has involved many areas of transactional law including environmental law and policy; renewable energy projects; commercial real estate development; financing and corporate matters; municipal and land use law; and eminent domain proceedings. More specifically, Mr. Schleck has experience in structuring complex transactions and financing packages for all aspects of property development. He has successfully secured significant public grant funds including TIF, PACE and TBRA funds for clients that choose to redevelop contaminated property—using these funds in creative and successful financing structures. As a former city attorney for Mendota Heights, Minnesota, Dan’s unique...

Robert Kouba takes pride in working hard for his clients and delivering successful results. Prior to joining the firm, Robert worked as a criminal defense attorney in Minneapolis, developing his trial advocacy and litigation skills. While in law school, Robert was a member and coach of the Phi Alpha Delta Mock Trial Team, competing nationally, where he gained litigation skills that he continues to use today to serve his clients. Robert is able to put that knowledge and experience to work now for the firm's business, real estate, and consumer litigation clients. He approaches his client's situations with a down-to-earth...

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...

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...

Matt is a knowledgeable attorney practicing in the area of family law. Matt blends empathy, practicality, diligence, and respect to advocate for outcomes that serve clients in the long term and defuse tension among families of all types. Matt favors a creative, collaborative, and results-focused practice style and is keenly aware that every case requires its own unique approach. Matt has worked as an attorney editor at Thomson Reuters, as an adjunct professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, and as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Richelle M. Wahi in Dakota County. In addition to judicial duties, Matt assisted...

My education in the law happened at Yale, but before that I graduated from the University of Kansas and a high school in eastern North Dakota, in a class of twenty-five seniors. The variety of that experience has been replicated in my legal work, in which I have represented small- and medium-sized business owners, individuals, and corporate clients in the banking and pharmaceutical industries. Whether the client needs to show the fair valuation of a business, the meaning of a law or regulation, fraud, or the terms of a contract, I bring a careful, intentional approach that seeks to identify the...

Susan Bowden Gunst has spent her entire career forcing insurance companies to treat people like they say they do in commercials. She has helped injured people recover medical expenses, wage loss and other damages incurred as a result of car accidents, dog attacks, liquor liability, falls and other injuries as a result of someone else's wrongdoing. Susan has also helped families that are suffering with the loss of a loved one by holding the negligent party accountable.

Susan Bowden Gunst has been selected to Top 50 Women in Minnesota Super Lawyers List in 2016 and 2017. In 2014, 2015, 2016,...

I am an attorney in private practice since 1973. I have experience in Minnesota State and Federal courts, as well as Minnesota appellate practice. I charge reasonable fees. I have represented hundreds of clients and I have handled a wide variety of client matters since 1973.

Barton C. Gernander is a partner at Burns & Hansen, P.A., who practices in the areas of civil and commercial litigation, with a focus in construction and real estate issues. In addition to representing business clients involved in standard and complex litigation in both state and federal courts, he serves emerging and mid-size companies in a general counsel capacity - assisting clients on achieving business solutions while minimizing exposure to liability. Gernander is licensed to practice law in the state and federal courts in Minnesota, the United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Eleventh Circuit Court of...

Chantell Bergquist is an associate attorney at Burns and Hansen and focuses on family law and civil litigation. At a young age, Chantell knew that she wanted to become an attorney because she saw the need for empathic attorneys, not the robotic kind of attorneys people generally picture. Before graduating from Bemidji State University, Chantell was already attending Mitchell Hamline School of Law so she could take the fast track into practicing family law. Chantell is also a published author in Mitchell Hamline's Law Review. She is thoughtful and meticulous, leaving no stone unturned as she maneuvers through the case toward...

Heimerl & Lammers LLC welcomes Angela Streit as an associate to the firm’s family law department. With her combined 11 years of experience in the legal field, Angela is very knowledgeable in multiple areas of law including family law, appellate litigation, railroad law, motor vehicle accident law, and premises liability. She has settled into her newfound passion for family law.

Before joining Heimerl & Lammers, Angie worked as a judicial law clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She also has 6 years of experience with an international legal research and publishing company. This work has made her proficient in finding...

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...

Gillian J. Blomquist grew up in California and lived in Arizona and Vancouver, Canada, before adopting Minnesota as her home.
Gillian has worked in the legal field since 1998, starting as a paralegal with the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and then working as a family law paralegal while she completed her master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Minnesota. In Arizona, she worked for the Attorney General’s Office on child protection matters. Upon returning to Minnesota, she spent time working for the 10th Judicial District as a Guardian ad Litem advocating for children in juvenile and family court. As...

Kate is an associate attorney at Keegan Law Office. Kate discovered her passion for criminal defense through personal experiences and finds fulfillment in assisting clients navigate the criminal process. Prior to joining Keegan Law Office, Kate worked as an associate attorney at a Twin Cities law firm. There, she worked with clients facing a variety of state and federal criminal charges, including criminal sexual conduct, assault, murder, and drug offenses. Kate has prepared and helped conduct jury trials, which have resulted in an acquittal of Domestic Assault by Strangulation and a hung jury in a First Degree Criminal Sexual Conduct...

William H. Henney, Attorney at Law, has provided experienced legal services to his clients in Minnesota and Florida since 1982. His offices are located at 5101 Thimsen Avenue in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Bill graduated Cum Laude from the University of Minnesota Duluth and attended William Mitchell College of Law. He is married and has a son. Bill is experienced in the art of negotiation, whether in contract disputes, collections with debtors or the IRS, and maintains a constant focus on understanding his clients’ needs. His areas of legal practice include: Minnesota and U.S. District...

Corwin R. Kruse, Esq.

EDUCATION

J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, magna cum laude
Editor: William Mitchell Law Review

M.A., Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Major: Sociology

B.S., University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Honors: Dean's List
Major: Sociology

B.B.A., University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD.

Honors: Dean's List

Major: Business Administration


BAR ADMISSIONS

Minnesota, 2004

U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota, 2005

PRIOR EMPLOYMENT

Katz & Manka, Ltd., Family Law Attorney, 2010-2019

William Mitchell College of Law, Adjunct Professor, 2005-2016

Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Associate, 2005-2009

Minnesota Court of Appeals, Judicial Law Clerk to...

When people are injured, the last thing they want to worry about is complex insurance claims and unpaid medical bills. Aria’s method to representing clients is the “if I were the client, what would I want” approach. From the initial meeting and assessment of the case, Aria works diligently to ensure her clients are treated fairly. She focuses on clients' needs and fights to get the compensation they deserve. She believes that quality service is a top priority and she understands the importance of communicating with clients throughout the different stages of their case.

Aria has dedicated her 100% of her...

For more than 15 years, my goal has been to provide quality legal service that creates value for the client. My practice focuses on all aspects of Intellectual Property, including patent preparation and prosecution, trademark registration and contractual matters.

"I’m Josh Johnson. I provide first-rate Minnesota legal representation at reasonable rates. I have extensive experience in the 12 counties in and around the Twin Cities Metro area, and have represented hundreds of clients in criminal defense, personal injury and bankruptcy cases. If you have been injured in an auto accident, charged with a crime, or need advice about debt or bankruptcy, call me - initial consultations are always free. I received my Juris Doctorate from William Mitchell College of Law and my bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. I am admitted to the Minnesota Bar...

Ross N. Tentinger is a Twin Cities native who attended the University of North Dakota earning both his Bachelor of Science from the School of Business and Economics, and Juris Doctor from the School of Law, where he graduated cum laude. While in law school, Ross participated in moot court, clerked for multiple Judges in the Northeast Central Judicial District, and clerked for a private attorney Alice R. Senechal, which equipped him with a variety of experiences and knowledge of the practice of law. Ross is licensed to practice law in Minnesota and North Dakota and is a...

I was born and raised in Illinois and spent my undergraduate years at the University of Alabama. (Roll Tide!) I graduated in 2020 with a Bachelor’s in Political Science. Afterward, I moved back north to attend the University of Minnesota Law School, where I earned my degree in 2023. I am currently admitted to practice law in the state of Minnesota. During my time in law school, I served as the co-President of the University’s chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. I was also involved with the Latinx Law Students Association (LLSA), OutLaw, and participated in clinics with the Binger...

Nick practices exclusively criminal defense with a focus in DUI / DWI, assault, and drug charges. Nick is a dedicated and passionate attorney that wants to fight for the best results possible in any criminal case. He understands that no one-size-fits-all approach will work for everyone. His representation is tailored to the individual needs and goals of each client. If the state has charged you with a crime, a good Minnesota criminal defense lawyer is essential. The state has an extraordinary amount of resources at their disposal. Simply put, you cannot fight them alone. In addition to practicing criminal...

Christopher Cain has been practicing in multiple areas of the law in excess of 30 years. The areas include criminal law, appeals, municipal practice, advisory counsel to various governmental departments, criminal defense and family law. Chris served as both a District Ethics Committee Investigator of the Sixth District for five years and as a Vice-Chair and Chair on the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board for six years. He has tried approximately 100 jury trials to verdict. In addition, Chris has handled over 15 appeals and appeared before both the Minnesota Court of Appeals and the Minnesota Supreme...