Today, the author of this post and Minnesota Litigator’s founder turns 50 years old. This is half-way to being an antique, some may suggest. I prefer the description “upper middle-aged” over “half-way to antique.” Sounds classier. I like “no Spring chicken” too. On this occasion, it seems appropriate to lay some minor wisdom on Minnesota […]
Minnesota litigator, Ed Beckmann of the Edina Minnesota law firm of Hellmuth & Johnson, contributes the following pointer to Minnesota Litigator: Storm season is upon us in Minnesota. Property owners are making claims with their insurance companies, and insurers are offering adjustments to settle the claim. A homeowner may wonder what he or she can […]
From time to time, judges are not at their best. The tempers of opposing lawyers can get the better of them, as well. We have free speech rights enshrined in the First Amendment of our federal constitution. The Minnesota Constitutional “free speech” provision is a little more confusing, giving with one clause what it seems to take […]
Leading up to July 4, 1776, “the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America” (now better known as the Declaration of Independence) complained that the George III, then King of England, “sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.” As anyone with inconsiderate room-mates knows, this is […]
Alcoholism is a terrible and destructive illness and a critical step to recovery is recognizing that one suffers from it. Sometimes, it is said, a person has to “hit bottom” before he recognizes he has a problem. The expression is a little off, however. Hitting bottom is dying. No matter how much alcoholics have harmed […]
It is widely known that almost all civil litigation ends in settlement and so the momentous culmination of a lawsuit with jury verdict is exceptional. Even when a dispute, against the odds, goes to trial and the jury renders a verdict, the case almost NEVER ends there. Prominent Minnesota businessman, Irwin Jacobs, celebrated a $10 […]
“Let me check with my client to make sure everything is Kosher.” I have heard this phrase, or some similar iteration, countless times to make sure certain terms or conditions were acceptable or legitimate, but never to make sure something was actually Kosher. It looks like some local lawyers are going to have to do just […]
Update (June 26, 2012): Minnesota Litigator is sad to note that the subject of the posts below, Amanda Tatro, was found dead this morning at the age of 31. The City Pages article was inconclusive as to the cause of death. Update (June 20, 2012): (For background, see original post after the break) […]
A post from new Minnesota Litigator contributing poster, immigration lawyer, Mikael Merrissa, with his perspective on President Obama’s recent executive order related to federal immigration policy: Earlier this month, President Obama issued an executive order putting a stop to the deportation of young illegal immigrants who entered the United States as children. This change in […]
Mikael Merissa was born in Lalibella, Ethiopia. He grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and Abidjan, Ivory Coast. He is a 1994 graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota, and received his Juris Doctor from William Mitchell College of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota in 2003. During law school, Mike worked at the American Civil […]