
Dan’s vast experience allows him to quickly grasp difficult issues and develop creative and cost-effective solutions to legal problems. He provides realistic case assessments early on in lawsuits, allowing his clients to effectively evaluate their best options for reaching a resolution. Clients appreciate that Dan seizes the opportunity to learn about their products and business.
On vacation, you can usually find Dan about 60 feet under the surface of the Caribbean Sea.
Key Practice Experience
- Employment litigation
- Commercial and business tort litigation
- Trade secrets litigation
- Products liability litigation
- Fire and explosion cases
- Construction litigation
Key Industry Experience
- Solid Waste Industry
- Industrial and Construction Equipment
- Manufacturing
- Financial Services
- Gaming, including Indian Gaming
- Warehousing
- Building Construction
Representative Matters
- Associated Milk Producers Inc. v. Atlas Copco (industrial fire loss)
- Bowman v. Robert W. Baird & Co. (discrimination claim)
- Schramm v. Village Chevrolet (pregnancy discrimination claim)
- BFI vs. Freeway Transfer (breach of contract)
- Driscoll v. Standard Hardware, et al. (industrial equipment failure claim)
- Target v. Shazam (breach of contract)
- Royal Concrete v. Professional Services Ind. (construction defect/professional negligence claim)
- Staffworks v. Coastal Pacific Foods (contract and trade secrets claims)
- Fate v. BFI (landfill expansion)
- BFI v. Hennepin County (constitutional challenge to county ordinance)
- American Summit Mortgage v. Goldade (non-compete enforcement)
- CATCO v. Dorso Trailers (breach of contract)
- Bank of America v. Churchill Capital (breach of contract and commercial fraud claims)
- Siewart v. Allied Waste (workers’ compensation retaliation claim)
- Coleman v. Minneapolis Public Schools (discrimination claim)
Recognitions and Honors
- Multi-year recognition by peers in Minnesota Super Lawyers®, including top 40 honors for business litigation
Publications and Presentations
- Chair, Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter, 2008 Seminar
- Presenter, 2006 Business Law Institute, “Inadvertent Partnership, Can You Manage the Risk?”
- Chair, Expert Witness Seminar
- Presenter, “Emerging Case Law – Trends and Topics in Electronic Discovery”
- Presenter, “Experts and the Spoliation of Evidence”
Professional Associations
- Federal Bar Association, Minnesota Chapter, former Member, Board of Directors; former Vice President, Legal Education
- Hennepin County Bar Association, Member, Bench and Bar Committee
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- American Bar Association
Community Engagement
- Fundraiser, American Cancer Society
- Youth Soccer Coach
- Seventeen NJL Lawyers Listed in Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- Twenty Nilan Johnson Lewis Attorneys Named to 2018 Minnesota Super Lawyers & Rising Stars Lists
- Eighteen Nilan Johnson Lewis Attorneys Named to 2016 Minnesota Super Lawyers & Rising Stars Lists
- Seventeen Nilan Johnson Lewis Attorneys Recognized As 2015 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
- Nilan Johnson Lewis Attorneys Named 2014 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars