Mark graduated Cum Laude from Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, Minnesota) in 1978 and with honors from the Lewis and Clark College (Portland, Oregon) in 1981. In 1981, Mark and Sally Rodgers moved to Bemidji. Mark worked in general private practice and also part-time as an assistant county attorney from 1981 to 1984. From 1984 to 1992, Mark continued in private practice emphasizing workers’ compensation and injury as well as working part-time as assistant public defender for the 9th Judicial District of Minnesota. From 1993 to the present, Mark has limited his practice primarily to representing injured people who are attempting to collect fair compensation from insurance companies. (Mark also assists individuals when they seek to obtain Social Security Disability, Unemployment Compensation, and other employment-related benefits and rights.)
Mark has tried to conclusion well over one-hundred lawsuits on behalf of injured clients. Mark has a competitive mindset, pays close attention to detail, has a high level of dedication to his clients and thrives on the challenge of obtaining justice for his clients. This has resulted in a high percentage of favorable decisions on behalf of his clients. Because of Mark’s successful trial record, he is able to obtain reasonable settlements from insurance companies. Mark has settled millions of dollars of claims on behalf of his clients over his long career as a trial attorney. Mark started practicing law in 1981. Mark’s many years of legal experience and high energy level allow him to use his skill and knowledge to the maximum benefit of his clients. Mark is admitted to the Red Lake Nation Tribal Court.
Mark believes that personal attention to the client and thorough trial preparation are the keys to successful representation of his clients in relation to their workers’ compensation and/or injury claims.
Mark’s inspiration for helping those without a voice stems from his mother’s volunteer involvement in the Chicago area where flood plains were being built upon and would cause more flooding. He testified in St. Paul, MN at the Minnesota Legislature and helped write legislation that now allows injured workers who suffer from PTSD on the job to receive workers’ compensation benefits that occur after September 30, 2013.
Mark is an active member of WILG. The Workers’ Injury Law & Advocacy Group is a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to representing the interests of millions of workers and their families who, each year, suffer the consequences of workplace injuries and illnesses. The group acts principally to assist attorneys and non-profit groups in advocating the rights of injured workers through education, communication, research, and information gathering. WILG is a network of like-minded advocates for workers’ rights, information and knowledge, a sense of commitment and kinship, and networking to help each other and our clients.
Mark has coached youth sports and is active in various other community activities. Sally Rodgers is a fourth-grade teacher at J.W. Smith Elementary School in Bemidji. Mark and Sally have two daughters, Emily and Kristen. Mark enjoys all outdoor activities, especially hunting, fishing, skiing, and horseback riding.