Mike is a member of the Minnesota Association for Justice, and has chaired a number of committees and served on its Board of Governors. He is a frequent lecturer at continuing legal education programs and has written numerous articles and law reviews for legal publications. Mike has also been a longtime Adjunct Professor of Law at William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, MN.
Mike's published works and representative cases can be seen and downloaded at the "Articles & Decisions" page on the website.
Mike is also an avid photographer. His photos can be seen at this link.
Areas Of Practice
- Personal Injury – Plaintiff
- Motor Vehicle Injuries
- Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA) – Employee
- Railroad Injury Accidents
- Products Liability Law
- Wrongful Death – Plaintiff
- Litigation & Appeals
- Mediation and Arbitration
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota, 1981
- U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 5th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 6th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 8th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals 11th Circuit
- U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1981
- U.S. Supreme Court, 1984
Education
- William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota
- J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence - 00/1981
- Honors: cum laude
- University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota
- B.Elec.St., Bachelor of Elected Studies - 00/1977
Published Works
- Constitutional Limitations on Punitive Damages, MAJ Magazine, Winter 2009
- Medicare Set-Asides: Uncertainty and Confusion, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Magazine, Winter 2007
- Tax Traps in Settlement Agreements, MTLA Magazine, Summer 2006
- A Preemptive Strike against Federal Preemption, MTLA Magazine, Winter 2006
- Basic Concepts in Scientific Evidence on Night Vision, MTLA Magazine, Spring 2001
- Right to Punitive Damages in Minnesota in the Absence of a Personal Injury, 27 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev 1043, 2000
- Minnesota's New Products Liability Jury Instructions, MTLA Magazine, Fall 2000
- Unknown and Underutilized Statutes, MTLA Magazine, Winter 1999
- No-Fault Tort Thresholds, The Plaintiff's Perspective, 24 Wm. Mitchell L. Rev. 985, 1998
- TMJ Injuries, MTLA Magazine, Winter 1997
- Judges Speak Out, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Magazine, Spring, 1995
- Punitive Damages in Minnesota, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Magazine, Fall, 1995
- Meeting the Statutory Tort Threshold, Minnesota Trial Lawyers Magazine, Summer, 1994
- Legal Computer Operator Malpractice: A New Tort, Hennepin County Lawyer, Nov./Dec., 1986
- Weiner and Steenson, Products Liability, MTLA Cause of Action Manual, 3rd ed.
Representative Cases
- Kissoondath v. U.S. Fire Ins. Co., 620 N.W.2d 909, 2001, Minn. Ct, App., 2001081153
- Short v. Dairyland Ins. Co., 334 N.W.2d 384, 1983, Minn., 1983124628
- Kulavic v. Chicago & Illinois Midland Ry. Co., 1 F.3d 507, 1993, C.A.7 (Ill.), 1993150697
- Forster v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., 437 N.W.2d 655, 1989, Minn., 1989054478
- Pikop v. Burlington Northern R. Co., 390 N.W.2d 743, 1986, Minn., 1986139538
- Garcia v. Burlington Northern R. Co., 818 F.2d 713, 1987, C.A.10 (Colo.), 1987051520
- Stevens v. Baltimore & Ohio R. Co., 915 F.2d 1565(Table, Text in WESTLAW), Unpublished, 1990, 4th Cir, 1990143687
- Melin v. Burlington Northern R. Co., 401 N.W.2d 418, 1987, Minn. Ct. App, 1987027261
- Myers v. John Deere Ltd., 683 F.2d 270, 1982, C.A.8 (N.D.), 1982132880
- Foss v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co. (as Amicus Curiae), 1996 Minn. App. LEXIS 1286, 1996, Minn. Ct. App.
- Lindsey v. Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co. (as Amicus Curiae), 775 F.2d 1322, 1985, 5th Cir., 1985154694
- Lundman v. McKown (as Amicus Curiae), 530 N.W.2d 807, cert. denied, 516 U.S. 1092 (1996), 1995, Minn. Ct. App. , 1995080032
- Granville v. Minneapolis Public Schools, 732 N.W. 2d 201 (Minn. 2007)
Classes/Seminars
- Adjunct Professor, William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Frequent Lecturer, Continuing Legal Education Programs
Honors And Awards
- Selected as a "Superlawyer", both generally, and as one of the Top Appellate Specialists in the state of Minnesota
- Order of the Barristers
- Best Lawyers in America, Railroad Law Section, 2006-Present
- Martindale AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5
Professional Associations And Memberships
- Minnesota Association for Justice, Member of Board of Governors
- Minnesota Association for Justice, Publications Committee
- Minnesota Association for Justice, Amicus Committee
Past Employment Positions
- Yaeger, Jungbauer and Barczak, Partner, 1993 - 2013
- Weiner & Kvas, Partner, 1991 to 1993
- DeParcq, Hunegs, Stone, Koenig & Reid, Associate, 1981 to 1991
