Orono Lawyers

Brendan leads the firm’s labor law practice. He has handled numerous judicial, administative, and arbitration proceedings, including many high-profile appellate cases. Brendan also has drafted legislation and policies adopted by State and Local governments, and he routinely develops cutting-edge organizing strategies for the firm’s union clients. Brendan has served on the Governing Council of the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Section. He also has taught at Northwestern University School of Law, the University of Minnesota Law School, and William Mitchell College of Law. In addition, Brendan has published articles in the American Bar Association Journal of Labor &...

I'm Creig Andreasen, an attorney based in Minneapolis, working at Avisen Legal, P.A., where I focus on real estate and banking law. My career started in residential real estate, which provided me with a solid foundation in guiding clients through intricate processes, from property purchases to securing financial transactions. My practice primarily involves helping landowners with the acquisition, leasing, selling, or financing of real property, as well as advising financial institutions on due diligence, loan documentation, and managing troubled loans. I am a Certified Real Property Specialist, a recognition granted by the Minnesota State Bar Association that highlights my extensive knowledge...

Rob Shainess is a trial lawyer with a particular focus on resolving real estate, construction, and business disputes. Rob’s clients range from individual property owners to national banks, and everyone in between. Rob is proud to have been named a Rising Star each year from 2012-2017 by Super Lawyers Magazine.

Before founding Capstone Law, Rob spent seven years as a real estate and construction litigator with one of Minnesota’s largest elite law firms. In 2011, Rob set out to start his own firm, believing that he could offer his clients better value if he shed the bloat associated with large firms.

Jeff practices in the areas of personal injury, police brutality, civil rights law, wrongful death, catastrophic injury, automobile and truck crashes, and premises liability. Jeff also has significant experience litigating and advising on non-compete issues, breaches of contract, tortious interference, and other related business matters. He was named a 2013 “Attorney of the Year” by Minnesota Lawyer for his work on a $3.075 Million Dollar police brutality wrongful death—one of the largest police brutality settlements in Minnesota History. Jeff was also part of a team of class counsel who obtained a $2 Million Dollar settlement for violations of the...

After 15 years of experience working as a prosecutor, I've made the switch to criminal defense because I want to use my skills to help people. I've handled tens of thousands of criminal cases of every kind, and I truly believe I have the skills to help people and make a difference. My goal is to craft a unique and personalized approach to defending every case. Every case and every client are different, with different circumstances, and they should be treated that way.

I work exclusively in litigation related mostly to conservatorships, guardianships, power-of-attorney proceedings, trust matters, will contests, exploitation of vulnerable adults, and other probate and elder law matters.

J D Haas has been a trial attorney since 1985. He is licensed to practice law in Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. He has tried more than 52 trials to juries all over the US. He has handled hundreds of serious injury cases and wrongful death cases.

Todd Gardner began his professional life as a middle school teacher but opted to go to law school in his mid-twenties. During his time in law school, he clerked in the contracts department at Wells Fargo during the merger with Norwest Bank, clerked for five judges in the Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings Workers' Compensation Division and interned with a Hennepin County District Court judge. Following law school, he began working in a Minneapolis small firm representing injured workers and injured persons and later experienced representing insurance companies with a medium-sized law firm in St. Paul. In 2002, he...

Carl Christensen founded Christensen Sampel PLLC. Previous to that he clerked for the Honorable Kenneth Sandvik in the Sixth Judicial District, Lake and Cook Counties and had a short stint as a prosecutor in outstate Minnesota. Carl's scholarship includes multiple presentations and publications on foreclosure, collection, and consumer law. As a student, Carl also contributed to various textbooks on intellectual property and domain name law. He acquired his extensive knowledge of intellectual property and domain name law while a student law clerk at the National Arbitration Forum, a ICANN-designated domain name dispute resolution provider. While in law school, Carl's...

Raoul Shah has spent his career seeking justice for those injured by the actions of others. Raoul brings significant trial and litigation experience and his tireless and measured work ethic to his clients. His collaborative and creative mindset, coupled with his extensive courtroom and legal writing experience, help clients achieve real, just, and meaningful results in personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Raoul previously worked as an Assistant Hennepin County Attorney. He first worked as an attorney within the child protection system, working collaboratively with many parties to advance the wellbeing of children in the child protection system. Raoul then served...

I love what I do! My entire professional career has focused on death, dying, and preplanning. It is not as macabre as you may think! I find peace in helping my clients and their family prepare for the "inevitable"? (death and taxes), and make life's transitions easier.

I help clients navigate estate planning, as they focus on asset growth, to long-term care planning, where the focus shifts to asset preservation and care. After a death occurs, I help resolve contested Will or Trust issues (litigation), counsel on Medical Assistance claims, and guide families through the probate process.

I love facing the challenges...

Gordon Conn practices primarily in bankruptcy and business litigation, and is board-certified in business bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification. He was counsel of record for Petitioners in Norwest Bank Worthington v. Ahlers, 485 U.S. 197 (1988), and argued and won that case in the United States Supreme Court. In bankruptcy matters, he represents secured creditors, committees, trustees, and unsecured creditors, and has acted as liquidating agent. In business litigation, he has represented clients in a wide variety of cases, including securities, trade regulation, transportation, insurance, banking, and commercial transactions. Gordon is an honors graduate of the...

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...

Avery Appelman is a criminal defense attorney and founder of Appelman Law Firm. While his practice is primarily recognized for its work with DWI and related offenses, he has 15 years of experience working with clients facing drug, assault, theft, criminal sexual conduct, traffic, and prostitution charges. Avery's greatest strength is his ability to counsel in a way that assists clients in all aspects of their lives. His team works in partnership with clients to streamline the judicial process, thereby enabling individuals to assist in their own defense. He also recognizes the impact of criminal proceedings on those surrounding the accused,...

The firm’s founder, Thomas R. Hurwitz has practiced law in multiple areas throughout his career. He is highly respected in the legal community for his work in numerous areas. He was chosen by his peers as a “Super Lawyer” – one of Minnesota’s Best Lawyers. Mr. Hurwitz is a member of the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Hennepin County Bar Association, and joined the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association in 1990. Mr. Hurwitz is listed in Who’s Who in Executives and Businesses and the National Registry of Who’s Who for his work as an attorney. Thomas Hurwitz has received numerous commendations...

We are a team that cares about our clients. We handle Probate and Trust Administration, we draft Wills & Trusts, we create Health Care Directives and Powers of Attorney. Our focus is on you, helping you protect your family, and everything you love and have worked for. Wills, Trust, Health Care Directive, Powers of Attorney. We protect your assets, including your Pets. We also manage Probates and Estate Administration. Rebecca speaks on Estate Planning to a variety of local and national groups, and is is also a national speaker in the area of Equine Law.

Gerard W. Mannion is a criminal defense attorney who cares deeply about the well-being of his clients. With every case he works, Gerard fights tirelessly to ensure that his clients achieve the best outcome possible while establishing lasting connections with everyone involved. Originally from Billings, Montana, Gerard has legal experience spanning across three states that includes judicial clerkship, federal criminal defense, and civil litigation. Gerard also spent multiple years in the banking and restaurant industries before moving to Minnesota to join the Kans Law Firm. Gerard earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Montana State University – Billings before...

Criminal Defense Attorney Carolyn Agin Schmidt has over 20 years experience effectively and vigorously defending criminal cases. Combining this experience with a compassion for the client and a passion for justice, she has earned a reputation for being one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the state.

As a family law attorney, my primary focus is to support clients through the legal process so they may transition into the next chapter of their lives. Prior to representing clients, I worked as judicial law clerk in Hennepin County Family Court. Working side-by-side with judges, I gained an immense understanding of family court procedure, and how judges decide cases. I translate that experience to my practice every day, assisting clients in making the best decisions for their families. I have experience representing clients in all aspects of family law cases, including divorce proceeding, child custody and support matters,...

Pamela Rochlin is a personal injury attorney who is deeply committed to helping injured victims and their families who have been harmed by the wrongdoing of others. She is among the few Minnesota women attorneys who represent injury victims. Pam has worked to maximize recovery for hundreds of individuals through settlement and trial, helping them through a difficult time in their lives. Pam Rochlin handles a variety of cases and injury claims. Practice areas include: -Serious car or truck crashes. -Drunk driving collisions. -Products Liability. -Construction or workplace accidents. -Dog Attacks or...

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....

Jennifer L. Thompson is a Minnesota child protection attorney whose passion is to provide Family-Centered Advocacy for Every Season of Your Lifetime.SM Some seasons of life are full of joy – like adopting the children of your spouse or those who’ve been in foster care. Others are more stormy – especially when social services gets involved with your own children. Whether your children have been removed from your home, you or your facility are under investigation by social services, or you are seeking to intervene in the child protection case of someone you care about, JLT’s effective, empathetic experience will help...

Susanne Gad is a renowned advocate for vulnerable and marginalized groups. After a successful, decade-long career as an attorney for the United Nations, Susanne's sister decided to join forces with her sister Sarah and crusade for justice. Susanne is among the most sought-after immigration advocates in the country due to her exceptional track record of success when it comes to asylum status, identifying paths to citizenship, and appealing cases lost by other immigration and human rights attorneys. In fact, a large number of Susanne's immigration clients turned to her in order to fix mistakes caused by their previous immigration...

Erik became a partner at TSR Injury law since 2015. Over the last several years, he has proven himself to be a tireless advocate for his clients and a great asset to the firm. His clients regularly compliment his work and results by referring him their friends, family and co-workers who are in need of legal help following an injury. Erik’s experience includes auto accidents, slip and fall claims, railroad/train accidents, dog bites, premises liability claims, wrongful death actions, and traumatic brain injury claims.

He has been an active member of the Minnesota Association for Justice since 2003 and has served...

I am an associate attorney with the law firm Burns & Hansen P.A. based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. I primarily practice in the areas of real estate law, contract matters, and civil litigation. I have significant experience addressing landlord-tenant disputes, including evictions, rent escrow matters, illegal activity provisions, and local and state ordinance violations. In civil matters I specialize in cases involving breaches of contract, property disputes, and building contractor cases. I approach my cases with a strategy specifically tailed my clients' circumstances. I am willing and able to advocate for my client's needs, be that by negotiating settlements or...

Rich is consistently named as a Super Lawyer by Minnesota Law & Politics magazine. Rich focuses his practice on cases involving car accidents, traumatic brain injury (TBI), food poisoning, premises liability, daycare liability, and product liability. He has represented hundreds of victims of various personal injury accidents. Rich has tried numerous cases to a jury with excellent results.

Minnesota Super Lawyers - 2003 – 2018
Rich was first selected as one of the 2011 Minnesota Lawyer Attorneys of the Year. This award is given to just a few attorneys across the State of Minnesota each year and is a great honor.

Rich then...

Patrick K. Kranz has been a partner with TSR Injury Law since 2018. His practice involves helping those who are injured as a result of a motor vehicle crash, dog bite, slip and fall, premises liability or wrongful death. He has handled a variety of cases, from strictly dealing with the insurance company or when a case is placed into litigation. He understands the difficulties the injured face and tries to make light of a difficult situation. However, he will work hard for his clients to hold wrongdoers responsible and accountable.

Patrick was born and raised in Hastings, Minnesota. He graduated...

Lyndsey works for people injured in all types of personal injury claims including car and motorcycle crashes, dog bites, wrongful death, premises liability, and products liability. Lyndsey’s goal is that her clients can make recovery their number one priority while she and her team deal with the insurance companies. Lyndsey works to ensure that her clients understand their rights and the legal process so that they are equipped to make the best decisions for themselves and their families. As a compassionate listener, a critical thinker, and a fierce advocate, Lyndsey works hard to understand what her clients have endured and...

Kelly J. Keegan has been lead defense counsel on hundreds of cases of all types and levels, ranging from serious felonies to minor traffic offenses. Additionally, Kelly handles post-conviction matters such as expungement, probation violations, Department of Human Services background study disqualifications, reinstatement of the right to possess firearms, and sentence modification motions. She has represented clients under investigation prior to being formally charged, as well as clients facing grand jury indictment. Kelly is admitted to practice in Minnesota State Court as well as Federal United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. She enjoys working in the courtroom...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...