Education: University of Minnesota Law School
Degree: JD
Year: 1995
Honors: Order of the Coif

Key Practice Experience

• Rider Bennett, LLP — Partner, January 2004 through May 2007; Associate, 1998-2003
• Clerkships: The Honorable Raymond L. Erickson, United States Magistrate Judge, United States District Court for the District of Minnesota<1995-1998
• Adjunct Faculty: University of St. Thomas School of Law, Lawyering Skills III – Appellate Advocacy (2004-2007)

Key Industry Experience

• Manufacturing
• Retail
• Hospitality

Representative Cases/Transactions

• Manion v. Nagin, 392 F.3d 294 (8th Cir. 2004) (appellee; confirmation of arbitrator’s award and application of collateral estoppel to appellant’s non-arbitrable claims)
• United States v. Taylor, 338 F.3d 947 (8th Cir. 2003) (appellant; action involving priority of IRS tax lien against interest awarded pursuant to qualified domestic relations order)
• Alemu v. Gonzales, 403 F.3d 572 (8th Cir. 2005) (appellant; immigration asylum appeal)
• McVicker v. Minnetonka Independent School Dist., No. 276, No. A05-271, 2005 WL 3111936 (Minn. Ct. App., Nov. 22, 2005) (respondent; whistleblower action)
• Great West Cas. Co. v. Carolina Cas. Ins. Co., Nos. A05-1619, A05-1773, A05-1804, 2006 WL 1704125 (Minn. Ct. App., June 20, 2006), rev. denied (Minn., Aug. 23, 2006) (both appellant and respondent; insurance coverage declaratory action arising from wrongful death of client’s decedent)
• Holiday Hosp. Franchising, Inc. v. H-5, Inc., 165 F. Supp.2d 937 (D. Minn. 2001) (plaintiff; breach of franchise agreement).
• Buecher v. Independent School District No. 623, No., Civ. 00-2540 (DSD/JMM), 2002 WL 64454 (D. Minn., Jan. 15, 2002) (defendant; civil rights action brought by terminated school district employee)

Professional Recognitions/Honors

• AV Rated ? Martindale Hubbell
• 2005-2007, Named as a Super Lawyer in Minnesota Law & Politics
• 2003-2004, Named as a Rising Star in the Legal Community in Minnesota Law & Politics

Selected Publications/Presentations

• Contributing Author, Eighth Circuit Appellate Practice Manual (Minnesota CLE, 4th Ed. 2007), Eighth Circuit Appellate Practice Manual (Minnesota CLE, 3d Ed. 2005); Eighth Circuit Appellate Practice Manual (Minnesota CLE, 2nd Ed. 2003)
• Author, Helping the Judge: Brevity, Clarity and Grace, For The Defense, Vol. 45, No. 10 (October 2003)
• Co-Author (with Andrew E. Tanick, Esq.), Fresh Incentives to Whistle While You Work: Whistleblower Claims After the Abraham and Anderson-Johanningmeier Cases, Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. LIX, No. IV (April 2002)
• Author, Supreme Court Rejects Expansive Definition of Who Is “Disabled” Under the ADA, The Hennepin Lawyer, Vol. 68, No. 10 (October 1999)
• The Basics of Appellate Practice: The Nuts and Bolts of Initiating and Prosecuting an Appeal, The 2nd Annual Minnesota Appellate Practice Institute (March 18, 2008), sponsored by Minnesota CLE
• The Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine: A Legitimate Trade Secret Misappropriation Claim or Just a Non-Compete Theory in Disguise? 20th Annual Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute (2003), sponsored by Minnesota State Bar Association
• Preventing Retaliation Claims Before They Even Occur: Strategies to Stop the Onslaught of Punitive Damages, Personnel Law Update 2001, sponsored by Council on Education in Management

Professional Associations

• Minnesota State Bar Association, Member
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Appellate Section Council, Member
• Federal Bar Association, Member
• Eighth Circuit Bar Association, Member
• Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, Member
• Defense Research Institute, Member

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit
• U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
• U.S. Court of Federal Claims

Other Education

• B.A., University of Minnesota