Tom Conlin

I keep a quote on my desk that really resonates with me: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” Proverbs 31:8. This is what I am driven to do every day. I have made it my life’s work to use my voice to help those who need it most, helping clients reclaim their lives as fully as possible after an injury or loss and improving safety in our community at the same time.

Tom Conlin has an exceptional record of helping families and individuals get back on their feet after experiencing a serious injury or the loss of a loved one. Since 1982 his clients have been families, children, or spouses who have suffered through one of life’s great burdens, a serious personal injury or a wrongful death, resulting from someone else’s negligence.

Tom has been recognized by his peers as a preeminent trial lawyer of high esteem and personal character by his induction as a Fellow in two elite trial-lawyer associations: The International Academy of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the MSBA. Tom has been recognized as a Minnesota Super Lawyer every year since 2008, and he has been perennially listed in Best Lawyers in America, and as a Top Attorney in Minnesota. He has twice received the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Professional Excellence Award on account of his pro bono work. A native of Williston, North Dakota, Tom is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota Law School and the University of Notre Dame.

Recognition

• Fellow, the American College of Trial Lawyers
• Fellow, International Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Member, American Board of Trial Advocates
• Named to the Minnesota Super Lawyers List (2008-Present)
• Member, Million Dollar Advocates Forum
• Certified Civil Trial Specialist (Minnesota State Bar Association)
• Named one of “The Best Lawyers in Minnesota” by Mpls/St. Paul Magazine
• Recipient of the “Professional Excellence Award” by the Minnesota State Bar Association (2006 and 2009).
• Recipient of the “Public Service Award” by the Minnesota State Bar Association (2005)

Community Service

• Minnesota Jury Instruction Guides Bar Committee—Products Liability (2014)
• Legal Services Advisory Committee (2005-2011)
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Legal Assistance to the Disadvantaged Committee (2001-2006); Co-chair (2004-2006)
• Minnesota State Bar Association, Assembly, (2004-2009; 2011)
• Hennepin County Bar Association, Board of Governors (2004-2005)
• Hennepin County Bar Association, Affiliation Agreement Advisory Group (2005-06)
• Adjunct Professor, Legal Practicum in Torts, William Mitchell College of Law (2005-2006)
• Pro Bono Consortium, I-35W Bridge Collapse (2007-2010)
• Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund Task Force
• Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, Pro Bono Committee, Chair (1994 – 2003)
• India Association of Minnesota, Board of Directors (1994-1996)

Articles

• Going Pro Se: Children and The Law
  Metropolitan Corporate Counsel (August 2000)
• All Aboard the Preemption Train: How a Lot of Railroad Common Law Liability Went the Way of the Roundhouse
  Minnesota Trial (Spring 2001)

Presentations

• Presenting Pain at Trial (Minnesota Association for Justice Annual Convention (August 2018))
• The Malpractice Damages Cap: An uncertain remedy for the catastrophically injured
  North Dakota Association for Justice Spring Seminar (May 2018) (with Stacy Deery Stennes)
• Voir Dire
  MAJ Boot Camp for New Trial Lawyers (2017)
• Top Verdict Outcomes of 2013: feature verdict
  Minnesota Association for Justice seminar (2014) (with Stacy Deery Stennes)
• A New Look at Apportionment of Fault in Dram Shop Cases
  Minnesota Association for Justice Annual Convention (August 2012) (with Stacy Deery Stennes)
• NITA North Central Regional Advocacy Program
  Faculty Member – William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota (various dates)
• Final Arguments and Voir Dire
  NITA North Central Regional Advocacy Program (May 2003)
• Preemption: Lost and Found
  Minneapolis, MN (November 2002)
• Expert Witnesses
  Minneapolis, MN (June 2002)
• Products That Injure and Kill People – Ethical Considerations in Products Liability Litigation
  New Orleans, LA (April 1997)
• Federal Preemption
  Minneapolis, MN (April 1997)
• New Methods for Proving Damages
  Minneapolis, MN (November 1996)
• Direct Examination of the Expert – Making the Presentation Memorable
  Minneapolis, MN (October 1996)
• Product Liability: Where Does Corporate Responsibility End and Personal Responsibility Begin
  Commentator - Minnesota Public Radio “Mid-Morning” (July 1996)
• Litigation for Legal Assistants and Attorneys
  Minneapolis, MN (November 1994)
• Dealing with the Auto Accident Case in Minnesota
  Minneapolis, MN (September 1994)