Biography

I'm a small-town lawyer in the middle of south Minneapolis. I started out solo in 1976 at the corner of 27th & East Lake Street, a block from the 3rd Precinct police station, working primarily with veterans, former employees of the old Minneapolis Moline plant, and survivors of the Great Depression. I got used to people who knew how to turn a penny into a dime, just by squeezing it.

I was the first lawyer in Minnesota to advertise regularly, enabling me to provide legal services to people who made too much money to qualify for Legal Aid, but not enough to afford regular lawyer rates. Operating as a legal clinic, with a volume of cases that could benefit from the first word processors, like the Wang cassette-driven Selectric II and the Apple 2+, made this possible.

I built up the practice with a lot of Wills, criminal defense, and family law. As time went on, the Wills came home, turning into probates, and I found my niche in inter-generational transfers of real estate. (Neither crime nor divorce were worth the hassles.)

Eventually, I shed the responsibilities of running an office with employees and having to train people. For the last few years I've been working solo, without staff, just taking care of my clients' needs in estate planning and administration - Wills, Trusts, Probates, and Real Estate. Occasional litigation as needed to achieve just and fair results.

Certified as a Real Estate Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association,and spend most of my time in probate matters. My goal is to be remembered as what my father called a "hick" - honest, intelligent, competent, and kind.

Bar Admissions

• Minnesota, 1976

Pro-Bono Activities

• Seward Co-op down
• Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers, Volunteer

Current Employment Position

• Attorney

Past Positions

• Nellie and Andy Miner, Clerk