Education: University of Iowa College of Law
Degree: JD
Year: 2002

Key Practice Experience

• Product liability defense of recreational, industrial and consumer product claims involving personal injury, wrongful death, carbon monoxide exposure, fires, explosions and scalds
• Trucking and transportation defense of wrongful death, personal injury and property damage claims
• Commercial litigation defense of breach of contract and fiduciary duty claims
• Medical malpractice
• Social media investigations

Key Industry Experience

• Heaters and boilers
• Trucking and transportation
• Recreational products, including ATVs, snowmobiles, personal water craft and bicycles
• Industrial machinery, including block machines and presses
• Pools and pool equipment, including pumps and filters

Representative Cases/Transactions

• Peltz: Jury trial resulting in directed verdict in product liability action
• Krueger: Court trial resulting in defense verdict in product liability action
• University of Vermont: Summary judgment for heater manufacturer based on successor liability doctrine in death and brain injury case
• Marathon: Zero contribution to settlement in product liability property damage action
• Pedersen: Favorable settlement for home health care agency in breach of contract/medical malpractice action

Professional Recognitions/Honors

• Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association, Former Chair, New Lawyers Committee (2006-2009)
• Defense Research Institute, Young Lawyers Steering Committee
• Defense Research Institute, Commercial Litigation Steering Committee
  • Chair, Marketing (2009-current)
  • Former Chair and Vice-chair, Membership (2007-2009)

Selected Publications/Presentations

• Discovering Social Media: Before and During Trial, Association of American Railroads General Claims Conference, September 2011
• How Social Media Investigations Can Make or Break Your Case, Arkansas Association of Defense Counsel Annual Meeting, July 2011
• Ethics of Social Media in the Courtroom, 2011 Medical Malpractice Seminar, April 2011
• Using Social Media to Defend Medical Malpractice Suits, MDLA Medical Malpractice Seminar, April 2011
• Web 2.0 to the Rescue: Using the Internet to Bolster Your Defense, DRI Annual Meeting, October 2010
• When Social Media Steps Into the Courtroom, Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association Trial Tactics Seminar, August 2010
• How Internet Investigations Can Bolster Your Defense, South Dakota Defense Lawyers Association Seminar, December 2009
• Social Media in the Courtroom, Program Chair and Presenter, Hennepin County Bar Association Seminar, November 2009
• Surfing the Web for Your Best Defense, DRI Commercial Litigation Seminar, April 2009
• Discovery Strategies for Generation X and Y Plaintiffs, MDLA Mid-Winter Conference, February 2008
• “Compliance with New Standard for Safety Information Can Assist Product Manufacturer in Defending Failure to Warn Claims”, DRI Strictly Speaking, Summer 2007 and Minnesota Defense, Fall 2007
• “Drafting Enforceable Product Warranties,” DRI The Business Suit, March 2007
• “Conducting Discovery in a Foreign Country,” DRI The Business Suit, December 2006

Professional Associations

• Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
• Defense Research Institute, Product Liability Committee
• Defense Research Institute, Trucking and Transportation Committee
• Defense Research Institute, Commercial Litigation Committee
• Minnesota Women Lawyers
• Hennepin County Bar Association

Community Involvement

• Minnesota Women Lawyers, Attorney Mentor and Member of Professional Parents Association
• Cornerstone Advocacy Center, Past Board Member
• Edison High School Reader/Writer Program Mentor
• Feed My Starving Children Volunteer
• Coalition for the Homeless Volunteer
• Greater Las Vegas After-School All-Stars Volunteer
• Miami Community Partnership for the Homeless Volunteer
• Page Foundation Mentor
• Capital Food Bank Volunteer

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota State Courts
• U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
• U.S. Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit
• Wisconsin State Courts

Other Education

• B.A., University of Iowa, College of Liberal Arts, English; Minor, Communication Studies, highest distinction