Mike, a principal at Gray Plant Mooty, has been a member of the firm's litigation department since 1971. He has an active general litigation practice and has handled numerous jury and court trials. Mike has successfully represented clients in a wide range of commercial and complex litigation matters, trust and estate disputes, fiduciary claim matters, professional liability cases, employment law matters, intellectual property law cases, and matters for higher educational institutions. Mike also has substantial experience in arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings. He is qualified AS, and has served as, a mediation neutral.
Mike served as the firm’s managing officer and chair of its board of directors from 1987-2000. He is noted for providing straight-forward and practical advice, together with excellent trial skills, in his representation of clients.
Experience
- Represented numerous higher educational institutions, including St. Olaf College, Concordia College, University of Minnesota Foundation, Dunwoody College, and Washington University in St. Louis, in multiple and diverse matters
- Represented owners, fiduciaries, beneficiaries, and other interested parties in closely-held business matters and trust and estate disputes
- Represented Minnesota attorneys and law firms in professional liability cases
Representative Cases
- Hillstrom v. Kenefick, 484 F.3d 519 (2007) (professional liability case)
- Source Food Tech. Inc. v. United States Fid. & Guar. Co., 460 F.3d 995 (2006) (commercial insurance coverage case)
- Ross v. Briggs & Morgan, 540 N.W.2d 843 (1995) (professional liability case)
- Concordia College v. Salvation Army, 470 N.W.2d 542 (1991) (estate litigation case)
Presentations
- “Who Gets the Cookies?—New Developments in Trust and Estate Litigation,” Minnesota State Bar Probate and Trust Conference, copresenter with Robert Harding, 2007
- “Take the Money and Run: Litigating Disputes Between Beneficiaries of an Estate,” Minnesota State Bar Probate and Trust Conference, copresenter with Robert Harding, 2006
- “Litigating Claims Against Trustees,” Minnesota State Bar Probate and Trust Conference, copresenter with Robert Harding, 2005
Education
- University of Iowa College of Law, J.D., with high distinction, 1970
Iowa Law Review, editor
Order of the Coif - University of Iowa, undergraduate degree, with distinction, 1967
Bar Admissions
- Minnesota
- Iowa
- U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
Professional Activities
- Minnesota Defense Lawyers Association
- Defense Research Institute
- American Bar Association
- Minnesota Bar Association
- Iowa Bar Association
- Law clerk for the Chief Judge
U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota
Honors and Distinctions
- “The Best Lawyers in America,” Woodward/White, 2005-2010
- "Minnesota's Best Lawyers," Minnesota Monthly, 2009
- “Super Lawyer,” Minnesota Super Lawyers for multiple years
Community Involvement
- Attorneys Referral Network, volunteer attorney
- Legal Advice Clinics, past president
- Junior Achievement, volunteer teacher
- Minneapolis Rotary Club, No. 9, member and committee chair
- Minnetonka High School Booster Club, past president and board member
- Mt. Calvary Church Foundation, board member