Hands on Experience - Practicing Law

District Court Referee and Consensual Special Magistrate     2012 - 2015
Ramsey County District Court, St. Paul, MN

Referee    1988-2011
Ramsey County Conciliation Court, St. Paul, MN  

Consulting Expert to Law Firms   1986 - present

advising on both litigation and transactional matters

Division Attorney, Office of General Counsel/3M   1982 - 1986

Work included:  advising a major production and marketing division on issues ranging from trade secret protection to antitrust to partnership law; counseling a trading company on issues ranging from perfection and priority of security interests, to the interaction of U.S. and foreign law in "back-to-back" trading situations, to the proper structure for long-term countertrade relationships; negotiating and drafting construction and engineering contracts (including agreements for the development of computer-assisted manufacturing); general legal advice to health care sector divisions, including negotiating and drafting distribution agreements and advising on antitrust issues.

Special Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Minnesota Attorney General    1979 – 1982

Litigation, legislation, negotiation and mediation in various areas of trade regulation.
Litigation involved both trial and appellate work in state court.  Legislative duties included drafting and lobbying for the Minnesota Plain Language Contract Act, Minn. Laws 1982, ch. 274.