Education: University of Minnesota Law School
Degree: JD
Year: 1994
Honors: magna cum laude

Prior to joining Nilan Johnson Lewis, John was an Assistant General Counsel at recreational product manufacturer Polaris Industries Inc. where he made key strategic decisions on all product liability cases and worked with the company’s engineers and outside regulators.

Key Practice Experience

• Recreational product defense on ATVs, side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, personal watercraft and motorcycles
• Defense of agriculture and construction equipment cases
• Consumer product defense on injury, fire and burn cases
• Minority shareholder litigation
• Employment and non-compete litigation
• Consultation with clients on litigation avoidance, recalls and warnings
• Commercial litigation
• Law Clerk, Honorable Ann D. Montgomery, United States District Court, District of Minnesota

Key Industry Experience

• Recreational products industry
• Agricultural and construction equipment industry
• Consumer products
• Logistics industry
• Construction industry

Representative Cases/Transactions

• Michaels v. Mr. Heater, Inc. (product liability claim)
• Pecarina v. Tokai Corp. (product liability claim)
• Manion v. Nagin (employment contract claim)
• Powell v. Anderson (minority shareholder claim)
• In Re Estate and Trust of Anderson (trust and estate claim)
• Schramm v. Village Chevrolet (pregnancy discrimination claim)
• Casey Bridgman v. Deere & Co. (product liability claim)
• Gallagher v. TSI Incorporated (employment contract claim)
• Rochester Midland Corporation v. Schulz (employment non-compete claim)
• Boat Dealers’ Alliance v. Nagin (legal malpractice claim)
• Swanson v. Upper Midwest Industries (minority shareholder claim)
• Presswrite Printing v. Summertime Distributing (breach of contract claim)

Professional Recognitions/Honors

• Multi-year recognition by peers in Minnesota Super Lawyers®

Selected Publications/Presentations

• “Tips for Litigation in Federal Court.” Bench & Bar, 1997.
• “More Tips for Litigation in Federal Court.” Bench & Bar, 2000.
• “Tips for Federal Court III.” Bench & Bar, 2004.

Professional Associations

• Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA)
• Defense Research Institute (DRI)
• American Bar Association (ABA)
• Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association (MDLA)

Community Involvement

• Youth baseball coach

Bar Admissions

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

Other Education

• B.S., St. John’s University