Since admission to the state and federal bars, I have represented criminal defendants across the state in serious felony district court matters and appeals. I have traveled to the far corners of the state to defend people in very serious cases. I have represented people charged with crimes ranging from first degree premeditated murder to DWI and traffic cases. I have extensive experience in defending criminal cases, from the pre-charge investigative stage on up through jury trial. I have also successfully represented individuals before the Minnesota Court of Appeals, the Minnesota Supreme Court, and the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota in a range of cases.
I believe that a successful defense begins on day one and requires energized and focused advocacy until the very end. The state and its agents have at their disposal a broad range of scientific, forensic, and expert tools, in addition to government manpower. Those powers and abilities must be met and countered with thoroughness and creativity. I believe deeply in the rights of the accused, and I believe that everyone should enjoy the process that is their constitutional due. Our ordered society demands no less.
AREAS OF PRACTICE
- Criminal Defense
- DWI/DUI
- Criminal Appeals
- Title IX Defense
BAR ADMISSIONS
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- California
- U.S. District Court, District of Minnesota
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit
- U.S. Supreme Court
EDUCATION
- J.D., William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota (2009)
- B.A., Augsburg College, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2006)
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS AND MEMBERSHIPS
- Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
- Minnesota State Bar Association
- Hennepin County Bar Association
- Ramsey County Bar Association
- National Trial Lawyers – Top 40 Under 40
- Lead Counsel Verified – Criminal Law
- Selected as a Rising Star (2019-2023)
- Selected as a Super Lawyer (2024)
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
- Minnesota High School Mock Trial
- Fourth District Ethics Committee
- Mitchell Hamline School of Law – Adjunct Professor (2016 – 2019)
- Meals on Wheels
LEGAL PUBLICATIONS
- “Deuce-Ace’s Law Dictionary” (excerpted) Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 80, No. 10 (2023)
- “Esquire This and Esq. That, or: A Stuffy, Didactic Trifle Under 1,000 Words” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 79, No. 2 (2022)
- “End Times, Legal Citations Edition: The Cleaned Up Parenthetical and its Rascally Scourge” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 76, No. 7 (2019)
- “More Than a Rule of Thumb: Your Smartphone and the 5th Amendment” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 76, No. 5 (2019)
- “Never Discuss Cheese with Rats: A Brief Overview of Minnesota’s Informant Privilege” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 75, No. 11 (2018)
- “A Win-Win: Turning Your Unlawful Arrest Dismissal into a Civil Rights Prosecution” VI Magazine (2018)
- “An Out of Court Article on Hearsay” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 74, No. 5 (2017)
- “A Jounce, A Pat, A Plop, A Plunk: Minnesota’s Broad New Assault Crime” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 73, No. 4 (2016)
- “On the Use of Esquire” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 72, No. 6 (2015)
- “Search and Seizure Commentary: Taking Stock of the Inventory Search” The Champion – Official Publication of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2015)
- “Poisonous Fruit & Civil Forfeiture” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 71, No. 11 (2014)
- “Intent in Assault Crimes: State v. Fleck and a Distinction Reached Accidentally on Purpose” The Challenger – Official Publication of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2012)
- “A Mild Case for Latin” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 69, No. 3 (2012)
- “Lore in the Law: A Short Case for the Colorful Brief” Bench & Bar of Minnesota, Vol. 69, No. 1 (2012)
- “Sleeping it Off in the Car: State v. Fleck and the Continued Import of Swallowing One’s Keys” The Challenger (2011)
LEGAL PRESENTATIONS
- “Your Cell Phone and the Fifth Amendment: More than a Rule of Thumb” Hennepin County Bar Association CLE (2019)
- “Dorn and the Current Elements of Assault-Harm” 13th Annual Suburban Hennepin County Prosecutors Association CLE (2017)
PUBLISHED APPELLATE CASES
Minnesota Supreme Court
- State v. Client, 876 N.W.2d 310 (Minn.2016)
- State v. Client, 852 N.W.2d 260 (Minn.2014)
Minnesota Court of Appeals
- State v. Client, 906 N.W.2d 526 (Minn.App.2017)
- State v. Client, 839 N.W.2d 758 (Minn.App.2013)
- State v. Client, 792 N.W.2d 105 (Minn.App.2010)
- Client v. Commissioner of Public Safety, 781 N.W.2d 163 (Minn.App.2010)